Calvin

Ronald Martin Ford

Book - 2021

"A transgender boy prepares for the first day of school and introduces himself to his family and friends for the first time"--

Saved in:

Children's Room Show me where

jE/Ford
2 / 2 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Ford Checked In
Children's Room jE/Ford Checked In
Subjects
Genres
School fiction
Picture books
Published
New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons [2021]
Language
English
Main Author
Ronald Martin Ford (author)
Other Authors
Vanessa Ford (author), Kayla Harren (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm
Audience
Ages 4-8
Grades K-1
ISBN
9780593108673
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

ldquo;For as long as I could remember, I knew I was a boy," a sweet-faced child (part white, part Black) tells the reader. But what will he tell his parents, who believe he is a girl? Why, his truth! After he makes his announcement, they reassure him, saying, "We love you if you are a girl, boy, neither, or both." Next to find out are his grandparents, who accept him, too, without reservation. But with his new boys' clothes and shorter haircut, what will he experience at (gulp) school? He needn't have worried, for, happily, they universally embrace him. Not only that but his new name is everywhere--on his cubby, on the name tag on his table, on the lunch chart, and, well, everywhere! Finally, the denouement: he reveals that his name is, you guessed it, the same name as his beloved toy lion, Calvin! This is one happy book that reflects an idealized world, a way we all wish it could be, and that's all right. Illustrator Harren's softly colored, realistic pictures capture that world and Calvin's look perfectly--he's cute as the proverbial button. Finally, the coauthors write with gentle insight, for, as they share in an endnote, they have a trans child themselves.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

After coming out to his family as transgender, a biracial (half Black, half White) boy thrives. A young, brown-skinned child who presents as a girl has always felt like a boy inside and wants to be called Calvin. Admitting this openly is scary, but with loving parental support, the child begins to express his true self. He, his mother, and his father spend the summer at his grandparents' house, a vacation that turns out to be "the best ever." The family have fun visiting a comic-book convention and a waterpark where Calvin gets to wear trunks for the first time and makes a friend with whom he proudly shares his new name. Before school reopens, Calvin's family helps him shop for boy clothing, and his grandfather cuts off his hair. Calvin worries his classmates won't accept him, but his friends and teachers readily validate his gender expression, bolstering his confidence and joy. This transition story depicts a community cultivating an affirming environment in which a child can flourish. The first-person narration reveals Calvin's inner fears, but his identity and transition never cause external conflict, a welcome departure from the problem-focused storylines of other coming-out picture books written by cisgender adults. However, the text emphasizes that Calvin's gender is in his heart and brain, perpetuating a problematic narrative that divorces transgender people from their bodies. Harren's warm, expressive illustrations communicate much of the emotion in the story and are populated with diverse background characters who have various body sizes, skin colors, hair textures, and disabilities. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A valuable model of intentional, compassionate response to gender expansive kids and their needs. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.