Book
I am Jazz / by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings ; pictures by Shelagh McNicholas.
Presents the story of a transgender child who traces her early awareness that she is a girl in spite of male anatomy and the acceptance she finds through a wise doctor who explains her natural transgender status.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780803741072 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : colour illustrations ; 24 x 28 cm
- Publisher: New York, New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, [2014].
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Study Program Information Note: | Accelerated Reader LG 3.3 0.5 169695 |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Jennings, Jazz > Juvenile literature. Transgender people > Biography > Juvenile literature. Transgender people > Identity > Juvenile literature. Transgenderism > Juvenile literature. |
| Topic Heading: | Sexual orientation and gender identity 'SLIDE' > KDPL |
Available copies
- 0 of 0 copies available at Westcoast Early Learning Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 0 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2014 August #1
In 2011, a documentary was released about transgender Jazz Jennings. Now 13, Jennings tells her story. "I have a girl brain but a boy body," she explains, portraying herself from early childhood on preferring the color pink and mermaid costumes to playing with "trucks or tools or superheroes," along with a typical array of interests in dancing, soccer, and drawing. The book gives a clear explanation, even for the youngest, of how she knew that she was born different and the importance of family acceptance. Aside from a trio of small photos at the conclusion, this draws on bright watercolor illustrations done with casual realism to underscore Jennings' determined femininity. The pictures at time go overboard on the girlishness, but both art and narrative accentuate the positive, though not without commenting on the negative. Jennings is mostly surrounded by smiling, supportive friends and family members (the film tells a similar, but more emotionally charged, story), but there are teasing peers and "confused" teachers, though most are persuaded into acceptance. "I am happy. I am having fun. I am proud!" is a reassuring message for other trans or "different" childrenâand their families, too. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2015 Spring
A little girl describes how she was born with "a girl brain but a boy body" and that once her parents talked to a doctor to understand more about it, they let her be herself. There is little plot, but the straightforward text and friendly, pastel-hued watercolors fairly successfully simplify the issue of gender identity for a young audience and their caregivers. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2014 July #2
An autobiographical picture book describes trans-youth activist Jazz Jennings' story of embracing and asserting her transgender identity.Both the title and the opening text proclaims, "I am Jazz!" The book goes on to detail Jazz's various interests and tastes, which follow traditionally feminine gender norms. But as Jazz goes on to explain, she has "a girl brain but a boy body. This is called transgender. I was born this way!" Although the realistic watercolor illustrations consistently display only happy faces in these beginning pages, the text recounts her family's struggle to understand her early-childhood assertion of femininity: "At first my family was confused. They'd always thought of me as a boy." Jazz recalls her pain when compelled to wear "boy clothes" in public. "Pretending I was a boy felt like telling a lie." Her parents' efforts to understand prompt them to meet with a doctor who introduces the word "transgender," which enables the family's powerful affirmation: "We understand now. Be who you are. We love you no matter what." The story balances this acceptance with honest acknowledgement of others' ongoing confusion and intermittent cruelty, and it briefly addresses Jazz's exclusion from girls' soccer in her state. Ultimately, Jazz's self-acceptance, bolstered by her family's support and advocacy, acts as a beacon for readers, trans- and cisgender alike.An empowering, timely story with the power to help readers proclaim, in the words of Jazz's parents, "We understand now." (Picture book. 3 & up) Copyright Kirkus 2014 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Media Connection : Library Media Connection Reviews 2014 November/December
This picture book tells the story of a child born as a boy, who always felt she was a girl, and the family's journey with understanding transgender issues. It opens with Jazz telling about her favorite things, such as make-up, mermaids, and high heels. Then Jazz explains transgender; "I was born this way!" Through watercolor pictures and brief text, the reader learns the adjustments Jazz made to feel comfortable in her own skin. A page at the end of the story tells about TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation and their mission to help children be accepted in society. It also shows a photo of Jazz as a boy and then as a girl. Jazz is now 13. This book does a good job of portraying the life of Jazz Jennings. Marge Cox, Library Media Specialist, Veterans Memorial Elementary, Naples, Florida [Editor's Note: Available in e-book format.] RECOMMENDED Copyright 2012 Linworth Publishing, Inc. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2014 July
Gr 1â3âThis enlightening autobiographical picture book tells the story of a transgender child who knew from the time she was two that despite her physical body she wasn't really a boy. Young Jazz was passionate about her love of mermaids, dancing, dress-up, and pop stars, as well as her conviction that her gender identity was female. Readers are taken through her journey with upbeat, pink-hued watercolor illustrations that are a good complement to the cheerful tone and positive message of the story ("I don't mind being different. Different is special! I think what matters most is what a person is like inside."). Joining the ranks of new books targeted at young children that examine gender roles, such as Ian and Sarah Hoffman's Jacob's New Dress (Albert Whitman, 2014), this title highlights a topic that has not been well represented in children's literature in an uplifting and empowering way. Jazz's explanation of what transgender means ("I have a girl brain but a boy body") is somewhat simplified. However, for those looking to introduce the concept to young readers or those seeking books that value differences, this illustrated memoir is a solid choice.âMegan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID
[Page 118]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
