If You're a Kid Like Gavin

Activist Grimm and author Lukoff's voices blend powerfully in this autobiographical picture book that's also a call for action, authenticity, and equity. In immediately engaging lines, the authors ask what choices kids get to make, establishing children's autonomy ("You can choose which way to ride your bike") and recognizing its limits ("You don't choose your skin color"). They next combine the concepts in a portrait of Grimm's childhood, centering his choice to discuss his innate gender identity: "I'm really a boy on the inside." Framing biographical beats as further decisions, the text traces how discriminatory practices at school led to Gavin's advocating for trans rights all the way to the Supreme Court. Crucially, readers can connect with the text both as people "like Gavin" and people who, "like Gavin," understand that everyone has the right to be themselves. Using the blues and pinks of the trans flag alongside jewel tones, Yang's digital illustrations emphasize Grimm's experience and legacy: "When you're a kid like Gavin Grimm, you know the only choice you have is to fight back." Ages 4-8. (July)

Gr 3-5--The underlying theme of this true story about teenage trans student Gavin Grimm is that there are choices a kid can and can't make. Gavin had no choice about the fact that the world saw him as a girl when inside he knew he was a boy. He did have a choice to talk honestly about it. And when he got tired of using the nurse's bathroom as though he were a sick person, he had no choice but to try and get access to the boys' bathroom at school. Teachers gossiped and students bullied him, but he spoke out even louder about his rights--before the community, on the news, and in a successful court case brought by the ACLU. The kid-friendly and straightforward narration works with digitally created art that employs firm outlines and a muted palette to communicate Gavin's embarrassment, loneliness, and evolving courage. Framed throughout with the conditional "if" of the title, the text stumbles only once when it switches to, "Since you're a kid like Gavin Grimm," which unnecessarily narrows the audience. VERDICT All kids should be challenged to think about the message of standing up and fighting for what is right. Here is a worthy discussion-starter on an important topic for all collections.--Jan Aldrich Solow