Nico
tl;dr: The Fabulous Edweena is a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book about drag, self-expression, and the courage to be yourself.
The Fabulous Edweena, written by Edwin Dumont, illustrated by Melissa Cho (Second Story Press, 2025)
Edwin is excited about his upcoming skating competition. He selects his outfit from his sister Patsy’s closet: his favourite dress, heeled boots, fancy gloves, chandelier-like earrings, dramatic makeup, and a fun wig. When he emerges, he becomes the fabulous Edweena Louisa, his drag persona.
Patsy is enthusiastic and supportive of Edweena’s outfit, but her friend is notably silent, which gestures at the central tension of the book: Edwin is excited about performing as Edweena, but he is also nervous about how others might receive him.
Edweena knows that her neighbours and classmates might be mean. On the way to the skating rink, she avoids her neighbour and dodges a group of boys who make her nervous. But when she arrives at the rink, her unnamed hockey-playing brother proudly calls Edweena his sister, instilling confidence in her.
Edweena performs spectacularly. Afterwards, she receives compliments on both her figure skating and her style. Ultimately, she discovers that the real prize isn’t winning the competition, but rather being able to show herself to the people in her life and have them accept her. It’s appropriate that the reader never learns who definitively won the competition.
There are other notable absences and omissions that make The Fabulous Edweena more complex than its initially positive message might suggest. Why does Patsy’s friend go silent when she sees Edweena? What are the mean things Edweena imagines the boys might say? Where were Edweena, Patsy, and her brother’s parents? Why does Edwin have to borrow his sister’s clothes, rather than having his own dresses and accessories? And why aren’t his parents at the skating competition?
On the one hand, it’s encouraging to see that Edweena’s fears of rejection from her peers ultimately prove unfounded, even if those fears are entirely reasonable. On the other hand, the absence of Edwin’s parents creates a new kind of tension that a child might not notice, but may raise questions for an adult reader.
These absences, and the questions they generate, provide opportunities for nuanced conversations between children and the adults reading with them. By leaving some questions unanswered, the book allows readers to imagine different possibilities, including what might have happened if Edweena’s sister and brother hadn’t been supportive.
The book’s focus is less on exploring drag, or Edwin’s relationship to gender, than on his nerves about how he will be received as Edweena. The story quietly acknowledges that some people may not understand or accept him, yet potential hostility remains a background fear that ultimately goes unrealized. Instead, the supportive people in Edwin’s life give him the confidence to perform.
It’s a nuanced choice. The Fabulous Edweena shows Edwin anticipating rejection and avoiding people who might make him uncomfortable. But it also gives considerably more weight to the people in his life who support him.
For young readers, the book is a joyful story about courage, self-expression, and the importance of having a support network. For adults, the story’s silences may provide openings for complicated conversations: What does it mean to be supportive? How can family and friends make a child feel safer? And what could we do when we see someone being treated unkindly?
Melissa Cho’s illustrations are brightly coloured, expressive, and engaging. They capture the emotional shifts throughout the story, and the exuberance of Edweena’s performance. The author’s biography at the end of the book adds another layer to the story, suggesting that Edweena may draw on Edwin Dumont’s personal experience, as Dumont has also regularly been called Edweena throughout his life.
Note: I read and reviewed the English-language edition. The book is also available in a dual Anishinaabemowin-English edition as Omaamakaadendaagozi Edwiina / The Fabulous Edweena, translate by Margaret Noodin and Angela Mesic. This review contains affiliate links, which help me survive under capitalism, cost you nothing, and did not influence the content of the review.
