Description

Pansy Boy is a stunningly beautiful picture book about a child’s journey to overcome bullying and be proud of who he is.

Told as rhyming poem, the story comes to life with vivid graphic art.

Out in the natural world, a boy is in love with its beauty. Flowers and birds in flight amaze him. But school beckons, and with it bullying from other children. How can he defend himself? Among the wonders of London’s Kew Gardens, Pansy Boy learns the language of the flowers. Where bullies pinned his life with their hate, he plants a pansy. He hopes his plan will empower the school to value what is delicate and different.

Pansy Boy is inspired by the childhood of author and illustrator Paul Harfleet, the founder of The Pansy Project, a worldwide movement which plants pansies at the sites of homophobic attacks around the world. The book comes complete with a field guide to the flowers and birds contained in its pages.

“In the garden of Kew he read for hours, and learned the language of the flowers…”