A new illustrated children’s storybook featuring a transgender lead character has reached over half of its initial target on Kickstarter, raising €24k in just a week.

Raven Wild, set to be released in 2020, tells the story of a young courageous trans woman named Raven.

After rescuing an injured bird, Raven learns of a poacher’s plan to steal a magical gem with the power to control all creatures.

Following her discovery, Raven embarks on a jungle quest to stop the evil poacher and save the animal kingdom.

During her journey, she will also find love in her childhood friend Finn, who accompanies Raven on her brave adventure.

Speaking about their mission, the creative team behind this important project says:

“LGBTQ young people rarely see themselves represented in children’s media and positive portrayals of LGBTQ main characters who live happily ever after are few and far between. This lack of visibility sends a harmful message to ALL children that being LGBTQ is less than because we don’t appear in the stories they read.”

“With Promised Land Tales, we’re creating the kind of children’s books we needed to see when we were kids. Through collaborations with authors of other queer identities, we hope to tell more stories that never were, but that always should have been.

“In the Promised Land universe, all are equal – no matter their gender, what they look like or who they love. We believe it’s important for LGBTQ youth and their peers to see themselves represented in positive ways, where who they are is never questioned or used as a plot device or a point of conflict.

“Visibility in media is a powerful way to show young people they belong; if we don’t see ourselves in stories, we don’t see ourselves in the world.

“Everyone deserves to live happily ever after.”

Raven Wild is the third storybook in the Promised Land series – an anthology of LGBT+ inclusive illustrated children’s books.

The two previous entries in the series include Promised Land, a gay love story between a farmer and a prince, and Maiden Voyage, a lesbian romance featuring a fisherman’s daughter and a female ship captain.

Both books have received support from influential LGBT+ people and allies, including George Takei, Becky Albertalli and Ian McKellen, and are currently the top two most-funded LGBT+ children’s books on Kickstarter.

Considering the amount raised in just over a week, we are sure this latest instalment will soon join its predecessors on the bookshelves.

You can donate to fund this beautiful storybook here.