Sam!
by Dani Gabriel (Author) Robert Liu-Trujillo (Illustrator)
Sam loves riding his bike and learning about the American Revolution. He is full of laughter and joy. There's just one problem: Sam's family knows him as a girl named Isabel.
Sam feels a sense of relief when he finally confides in his annoying but caring sister Maggie, and then his parents, even though it takes them a while to feel comfortable with it. But with lots of love and support, Sam and his family learn and grow through Sam's journey to embrace his true self. In the vein of I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel, Sam! is based on a true story. With a note from the author explaining their family's experience, Sam! is an important addition to a list of books that help children and adults discuss gender identity.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
School Library Journal
Gr 1-3--Nine-year-old Sam knows he's a boy but everyone else thinks he's a girl. He first tells his 11-year-old sister who encourages him to tell his parents. When he does, they are immediately accepting, and he is known as Sam at home and at school. "After that Sam was Sam all the time, to everyone." If kids whisper about him or call him the wrong name and Sam gets upset, he either closes his eyes and feels, "the dreams and spirit and laughter all rumbling around in his belly," or his sister tickles and hugs him. The illustrations present Sam's family with light brown skin, and his school's student population is shown as diverse with a variety of skin colors and clothing that expresses religious observance. Sam's teacher is a bearded and bespectacled black man who looks quite a bit like the illustrator's bio photo. VERDICT Although oversimplified, Sam's transgender coming out story is a welcome one for classrooms and libraries looking for #OwnVoices LQBTQIA+ books for young readers. For a more nuanced picture book about being true to one's authentic self, consider Michael Hall's Red: A Crayon's Story.--Elaine Fultz, Oakwood City Schools, Dayton, OH
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
30 Most Anticipated Books for Fall"—Kirkus
"While Gabriel acknowledges that Sam's parents, teachers, and classmates take time to feel comfortable with Sam's identity, the story concentrates on Sam's emotional journey through sadness and anger to, ultimately, happiness that he can be himself rather than on the learning process of those around him...A coming-out story radiating warmth and joy.—Kirkus Reviews
"...one of only a handful of queer children's books to engage both racial and gender diversity through major characters...I would like to see this in classroom libraries, shared with children who might need it very much. It's a welcome addition to the growing number of books about transgender children published in recent years."—Raise Them Righteous
"[A] warm story of sibling support and family love."—Washington Blade
Dani Gabriel is a queer/gender fluid poet and writer, the author of The Woman You Write Poems About (Civil Defense Poetry) and coauthor of Molotov Mouths (Manic D Press). Dani received an MFA from Mills College. They are the Poet Laureate of El Cerrito, CA. Dani lives with their feisty and rambunctious family, which includes an 11-year-old artist named Samson, a fierce 13-year-old feminist named Magdalene, and a partner who is an electrician, an amazing cook, and a phenomenal human. Dani likes gummy candy and works as a grant writer and writing teacher throughout the Bay Area.
Robert Liu-Trujillo is an author/illustrator and publisher from the Bay Area. He has worked on several picture books including Furqan's First Flat Top, which he wrote and illustrated, One of a Kind, Like Me by Laurin Mayeno, which he illustrated, and Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Tony Medina, for which he contributed an illustration. He is a co-founder of The Trust Your Struggle Collective, a contributor to Rad Dad, and the founder of Come Bien Books. He lives in Oakland, CA, with his wife, son, and daughter.
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV060000 - Juvenile Fiction | LGBT
Picture books
Families
Family life
Gender identity
