How do adults know when something is for boys and when it's for girls? Who tells them so? Where do they learn it? For eight-year-old Luca, it's a mystery, but if he can't convince his parents to give him the white ice skates he has his heart set on, Christmas is going to be ruined. Who does a child turn to when he can't even count on Santa Claus?

"Last year, they saw a commercial on TV for Barbie Magic Hair, a Barbie with no body, just a big head with long hair, and you can comb it, and color it, and put it up in curlers. And, since Luca and Pamela want to be hair stylists when they grow...