A transgender illustrated fairy tale is officially the most funded LGBTI children’s book in Kickstarter history.

Raven Wild is the latest book in the Promised Land series — a collection of illustrated and LGBTI-inclusive children’s books.

The team’s latest story focuses on Raven, a young transgender woman on an important mission. When she rescues an injured bird, Raven comes upon a poacher’s plan to steal a gem. This gem has the power to control all creatures.

Accompanying Raven on her mission is her childhood friend, Finn, and their journey together creates a love between them.

The two previous stories in the series are Promised Land, a gay romance between a farmer and a prince, and Maiden Voyage, a lesbian romance on the high seas.

The book’s funding started out well, earning over $15k in mere days.

Now Raven Wild has officially made over $34,000 (€30,000) on the website. This is several thousand more than what the first two books earned on the crowdfunding website.

Telling your own story

The Promised Land team, including co-founders Chaz Harris and Adam Reynolds, as well as illustrators Bo and Christine, worked with trans author Caitlin Spice on this book.

‘I wanted to tell this story because there was absolutely no literature around when I was a child to let me know that there was a name for how I felt; that I was transgender,’ Spice said.

‘I thought I was alone and that nobody else was like me, and I didn’t know how to handle my trans feelings, since there was no information available. I want trans kids to know that there are other people like them.’

Spice grew up reading the likes of Ursula K Le Guin and Tolkien. She thinks it’s incredibly important for LGBTI children to see themselves in media and stories.

‘Feeling alone is one of the most difficult things for any child. Feeling different is very hard, and seeing that there are other people like you goes a long way towards alleviating that loneliness and isolation,’ she explained.

‘Giving children and young adults great examples of people similar to themselves enables them to be more confident about who they are, and who they can be when they grow up – that their identities are valid, and that they won’t always be alone.’

The Promised Land has long been committed to LGBTI inclusion in their work, as well as challenging discriminatory institutions of power.

In January, they sent copies of their previous books to the anti-LGBTI school Karen Pence works at.

You can donate to the Kickstarter here, which lasts for three more days.

See also

A kid’s story about gay bunnies was the second most complained US book

Forgotten LGBTI heroes remembered in this author’s powerful book

What The Times newspaper got so wrong about trans kids and why it’s dangerous