Sam is a nine-year-old transgender boy “filled with dreams and spirit and laughter.” After he hears another boy in his class say “Boys are born a certain way and girls are born a certain way,” however, he is sad and scared. He confides in his older sister Maggie (although she can sometimes be annoying) that he’s not a girl like people think, but a boy. “Was I born wrong?” he asks.
Maggie assures him otherwise. She supports him at school and encourages him to tell their parents. They immediately accept him, but also acknowledge they all have a lot to learn together. More than anything, though, their pride in him shines through. Some kids tease him, but with Maggie’s support, he continues to play, succeed in school, and dream.
Sam and his family could be read as Latino and they live in a racially diverse neighborhood. Robert Liu-Trujillo’s soft watercolor illustrations bring out the characters’ emotions in this warm story of sibling support and family love.
