Hello, friends! Sorry we missed our review yesterday, but we’re making it up with a special Saturday review! And in honor of the season, our book today is If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It, written by Lil Miss Hot Mess and illustrated by Olga de Dios, the sequel to last year’s wonderful The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.

The queens of The Hips on the Drag Queen are back with a whole new house of glamorous, fabulous performers. With text based off of the rhythm to “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” readers young and old are invited to strike a pose, blow a kiss, and laugh real big with fierce (fictional) queens like Retta Booke, Kitty Caboodle, and Mini Queenie Miney Mo.

Colorful, inclusive fun. Much like its predecessor, this title takes a well-known action song and puts a drag-themed twist on it, encouraging young audiences to dance and move, or (to JJ’s delight) laugh and shout. The actions in the book are fun and creative, and are sure to engage little ones. The rhythm does occasionally stumble over that extra syllable when reading aloud (especially during the last line of each refrain), but it’s easy to adjust for after a few repetitions. There’s less of a visual “story” here than the previous book, which I was a little disappointed by, but the diverse representation of the queens themselves is another treasure trove that makes up for this, not only of LGBTQ+ culture, but of things like skin color, body type, and ability. The length is perfect for a storytime, and JJ had a fantastic time shaking, winking, and shouting “yes, QUEEN” along with the characters. Overall, a worthy follow-up to one of our favorite books from last year, and we highly recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)