Pepito Has a Doll . . . and He Doesn’t Give a Crap Who Knows!

This isn’t Green Eggs and Ham . . . nor is it Pat the Bunny, not unless those classics have gender-non-conforming messages that bypassed me. Happily, Jesús Canchola Sánchez’s first children’s book, the bilingual Pepito Has a Doll/Pepito Tiene una Muñeca, is in your face on that matter.

This charming little tome is the latest offering in the ever-growing LGBTQI+ genre that includes such predecessors as Leslea Newman’s Heather Has Two Mommies, Perez Hilton’s The Boy with Pink Hair, and Harvey Fierstein’s The Sissy Duckling.

As Fierstein noted the other day, kindly taking a minute away from writing his highly awaited memoirs: “Reaction to The Sissy Duckling was fabulous. I think it’s in its 8th printing. I hear from teachers and parents all the time about reading it with their kids. And the HBO film of it won the Humanitas Prize. I can tell you more if you need, but I have a manuscript due by the end of this week.” Who are we to interrupt comic genius?

Quickly returning to Pepito, the storyline is a simple one. A lonely young boy adores his doll Lola, a toy he brings to class every day hidden within his knapsack so “she” can…