Avery Jackson had the honor of being on the cover of National Geographic’s special issue on gender when she was 9 years old, but she’s not just a pretty face—she’s also an author. Her It’s Okay to Sparkle! tells the story of her realization that although some people thought she was a boy, she is really a girl.
Because this is her story, it includes some of the bumps along the way: “Even though I knew I was a girl, I was afraid to tell my mom and dad,” she writes. “I thought they would not love me anymore. I thought they would throw me out and stop giving me food.” Another page shows protesters holding signs that say things like, “Trans is bad.” The rest of the book makes clear that her parents love her no matter what, that her friends support her, and that the protesters don’t understand and are scared. I worry a little that those pages could be put fears into children who don’t have them yet, but for trans kids and their friends who unfortunately do, the book offers reassurance that being trans is a fine thing, and ultimately, one is much happier being one’s true self.
