Time to blow up the balloons, hang the streamers, and pull out the party hats! We've got a BOOK BIRTHDAY on our hands, and it's time to scream and shout all about it! Coming in hot via via Abrams Books for Young Readers... 🌈 a joyous picture book biography of José Sarria, a pioneering activist, drag queen, and the first openly gay candidate to run for public office in the United States!
🎈 Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY wishes to What Kind of Queen? A Royal Biography of Drag Queen and Activist José Sarria By Kyle Casey Chu and Andrew W. Shaffer, Illustrator Cindy Lozito 🎂
🌟 Have you ever read a Picture Book Biography? Who is someone you've found fascinating or would love to learn more about?
🥳 If you're like me, you love learning new things, and when it's bite sized/fun sized and visually appealing, that makes it special on a whole other level! The #picturebookbiography allows readers of ALL AGES the chance to explore times, places, and the lives of people they may never have and in a way that's not overwhelming. Think more appetizer with the chance to dive into the main course on your own! So for me, this style of #edutainment is a total win. Here we get the highlights of a life lived with passion and a true sense of self that celebrates the you that is YOU not who the world may want to see... and really, being your authentic self is the only way to truly be!
👉 CLICK FOR MORE and spread the love!
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ABOUT THE BOOK...
Once upon a time, there lived a boy named José who dreamed of becoming royalty—and of a queendom where everyone would be treated fairly and with respect.
A child of immigrants from Colombia, José Sarria was born in San Francisco in 1922. With the support of his family, he grew up to discover what it means to be a queen.
He fought against evil by serving in WWII, helping to liberate a Nazi concentration camp; he inspired others to be their authentic selves by performing at San Francisco's Black Cat Café, a haven for artists and activists; and he cared for his community through his LGBTQ+ advocacy work, including the establishment of the Imperial Court System, a global charitable organization that still thrives today.
Sarria led by example, joyfully giving back to his community while challenging the status quo. With a fairy-tale feel and radiant illustrations, this picture book biography celebrates his legacy of seeing the world not as it is but as it could be
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR...
Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce, is a San Francisco–born-and-raised writer and a founding queen of Drag Story Hour. Her first novel, The Queen Bees of Tybee County (2025), was named an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Children's Literature Honor title. Andrew W. Shaffer is a San Francisco–based historian of LGBTQ community and culture. His background includes graduate work at the University of San Francisco and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he helped to build the city’s first permanent LGBTQ archives.
Cindy Lozito is a mixed Latina illustrator, cartoonist, and muralist based in Philadelphia, originally from Queens, New York. Her murals and artwork have appeared at the World Trade Center and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. When she is not illustrating, you can find Lozito giving her terrier mix belly rubs, singing in her local choir, or drinking too much cold brew.
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Special thanks to Mitch at Abrams for the for heads up on this title. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY today, so snag your copy online or at your favorite brick and mortar!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
