Square Zair Pair by Jace Peeples

• Plot Summary: In the magical land of Hanamandoo live fantastic creatures called Zairs. Zairs come in two shapes (round and square) and do all things in pairs, but always the same, one round Zair with one square Zair. One day, when two square Zairs pair for the first time, the village soon learns all pairs of Zairs are not the same and why their biggest differences are also their greatest gifts.

• Youtube clip of the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8rC6iEc3f4

• This book is fun because it builds a whole new fantasy world with cool purple main characters. This story sets up “square” and “round” as the two Zair genders without explicitly making that connection. The two square Zairs are rejected by their village, but ultimately are accepted back because of their new tree-climbing skill. Written by Jace Peeples, a gay man and former editor of the advocate, the story has the benefit of an own voice author, but runs the risk that the moral of the story will be taken as only exceptional gays are accepted.