"X: A Fabulous Child's Story" is often considered a precursor to modern children's books with transgender or gender-nonconforming themes. When it was published, it received many positive reviews, specifically for Gould's witty prose and the fact that she never reveals X's gender. Others celebrated the story's interest in encouraging children to be authentically themselves, and for showcasing how parental support of gender-nonconforming children can lead to healthier, happier children.
However, in the decades since the story's publication, it has also received a fair amount of criticism. The most common critique of the story is that it at times perceives its main character, X, not only as neither boy nor girl but also as an "it" rather than a child. The pronoun "it" suggests that X is not, in fact, a human being at all, which of course equates gender-nonconforming individuals with subhuman entities. It is important to note, however, that nonbinary pronouns (such as "they," "xe," "ze," etc.) were not in popular usage at the time Gould published the story.
Furthermore, many have noted that the story's conclusion only perpetuates the gender binary rather than challenges it. When X announces proudly that their baby sibling is a "Y," some interpret this to mean that the two genders have simply been reincarnated as X and Y rather than "boy" and "girl" (especially considering the fact that female chromosomes are XX and male chromosomes are XY). Still, others maintain that the story's use of letters to distinguish between children rather than specific gender markers showcases how gender is less about an innate way of existing and more about performativity as ascribed by a broader social binary.
