The Sublime Ms. Stacks

May 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 2 A librarian secretly swaps his staid demeanor for a glittery alter ego who delivers showstopper storytimes in this energetic and affirming picture book destined to inspire karaoke battles. Readers' advisory and library management are no trouble for Mr. Stephen, but programming proves a struggle. So, for storytime and show-and-tell, Mr. Stephen calls in the Sublime Ms. Stacks, who appears in a flourish with a fur-trimmed apron and an abundance of creative flair. "Ta-da!! It's nice to see you again--and to be seen, my darlings!" Shepherding the children through craft projects and dramatic read-alouds, Ms. Stacks finally launches into karaoke, complete with two "librarian sisters" on backup, before Mr. Stephen returns. Jones' warm and inclusive digital illustrations feature incidental LGBTQ+ representation throughout, and Pearlman (Pink Is for Boys, 2018) welcomes everyone in with the text's playful and positive tone. Pair with a playlist, Lil Miss Hot Mess' The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish (2020), and Jonathan Hillman's Big Wig (2022) to fashion a sublime storytime.

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September 5, 2022
At the start of this energetic picture book, a group of children portrayed with various abilities and skin tones introduce pale-skinned librarian Mr. Stephen, who’s great at his job but lacks in craft savvy and showmanship. So for some activities, he’s “replaced” by glamorous, blond-haired Ms. Stacks, who leads them through arts and crafts (“There’s no such thing as ‘too much glitter!’ ”), story time, and finally show-and-tell, featuring a lip-sync performance alongside two other librarians. Though the students don’t realize that Ms. Stacks is Mr. Stephen in drag, their enthusiastic acceptance, conveyed though Pearlman’s lively narration and mirrored in Jones’s bold-hued illustrations, is heartwarming; so, too, is the way Ms. Stacks’s performance encourages the students to do what they love, making a great case for the joyfully affirming power of drag. As Ms. Stacks says, “It’s so nice... to be seen.” Ages 3–6.