Queer Ducks (and Other Animals)

Ages 14 And Up, Grades 9 And Up

This groundbreaking illustrated YA nonfiction title from two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer is a well-researched and teen-friendly exploration of the gamut of queer behaviors observed in animals.

So. Just how queer are ducks?We’re taught the natural order means male-female pairs for each animal on Earth. Darwin’s theory of natural selection only seems to confirm it—aren’t heterosexual pairings the best way forward for any species? But there’s more to the story than most of us know.A quiet revolution has been underway in recent years, with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals. Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration of queer behavior in the animal world—from albatrosses to bonobos to clownfish to doodlebugs.In sharp and witty prose—aided by humorous comics from artist J. R. Zuckerberg—Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists.Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) puts to rest any tired claims about the “unnaturalness” of queer behavior. Schrefer argues that the diversity of sexuality that links humans to the animal world can also be a source of great joy, wonder, and self-acceptance. Queer behavior in animals is as diverse and complex—and as natural—as it is in our own species. It doesn’t set us apart from animals—it bonds us even closer to our animal selves.

About the Author

Eliot Schrefer is a New York Times bestselling author, has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature, and has won the Green Earth Book Award and the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for Children’s Literature. His novels include The Darkness Outside Us, the Lost Rainforest series, Endangered, Threatened, Rescued, Orphaned, and two books in the Spirit Animals series. He lives in New York City, is on the faculty of the Hamline University and Fairleigh Dickinson University MFA in creative writing programs, and reviews books for USA Today. Visit him online at eliotschrefer.com.