Pizza Hut has caused a stir by adding a book about a little boy who dresses in drag to its Book It programme.
The pizza chain launched its children’s reading scheme back in 1984 - offering youngsters the chance to earn themselves free pizza by reading books.
Pizza Hut regularly updates its list of books and in honour of Pride month this year, it has included a book called Big Wig about a boy who dresses in drag.
The story centres on a young boy who dresses in drag to compete in a local costume competition - complete with a magical wig, named Wig, who instils confidence in whoever puts her on.
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According to the book’s publisher, Big Wig ‘celebrates the universal childhood experience of dressing up and the confidence that comes with putting on a costume. And it goes further than that, acknowledging that sometimes dressing differently from what might be expected is how we become our truest and best selves’.
Author Jonathan Hillman was delighted to be included on the list and posted on Twitter: “Hooray! Thank you @pizzahut for featuring BIG WIG (and for the MANY pizzas over the years). I grew up doing Book It!, so this is really special. #Pride”
However, some people are less than pleased with the book’s inclusion on the scheme and have taken to social media to complain, while others even threatened to boycott the pizza chain.
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Brigitte Gabriel, activist and conservative commentator, tweeted: “Pizza Hut has gone full woke, now we must make them full broke.”
Political activist Jack Posobiec said: “I warned you about what Pizza Hut had become but you weren't ready to hear it.”
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Another person wrote: “Can't we just go back to books like The Magic School Bus? Ms. Frizzle would never take the kids to a drag show. I miss wholesome things..”
But others failed to see what all the fuss was about, with one person posting: “‘Big Wig, which is a book about a child who dresses in drag to compete in a costume contest.’ The horror, it's the collapse of society and the end of general humanity. I just can't even handle it, what to do?”
Someone else shared an image of George Washington and wrote: “Now the GOP is going after Pizza Hut because one of the recommended books in its reading programme is Big Wig.
“You know who else wore big wigs and makeup? The Founding Fathers. Stop worrying about what books kids might read, and do something about gun control instead.”
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And Big Wig author Hillman has also managed to laugh off the backlash - sharing a selection of tweets attempting to bash his book, he wrote: “Wait until they find out I made fake Book It! certificates to get free personal pans when I was seven.”
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Claire Reid