I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel Thaddeus Andracki Herthel, Jessica I Am Jazz; by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings; illus. by Shelagh McNicholas. Dial, 2014 [32p] ISBN 978-0-8037-4107-2 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad 5-10 yrs Jazz Jennings, trans girl advocate for the recognition of gender dysphoria among younger kids, shares her story of knowing that she has always been a girl, despite her family’s and teacher’s belief that she is a boy. Jazz explains all of the things that she likes to do—dancing, swim with a mermaid tail, play soccer—and how a visit to a doctor helped her parents understand what it means to be transgender. There’s a strong sweetness in the message of acceptance of being different and understanding gender variance, and the upbeat tone never falters, even as Jazz explains that her parents once made her wear boy clothes in public and recounts the resistance she faced at school from teachers who didn’t understand. This perkiness means that the story is light on plot, though, and it’s also not heavy on the information end, beyond a simplified definition of trans identity (“I have a girl brain but a boy body”), meaning that its primary use will be therapeutic rather than explanatory. Watercolor illustrations have a retro realism that’s soft and approachable, although Jazz and her friends occasionally have a plasticky stiffness. This picture-book memoir does have a lot of opportunity to provide a much-needed outlet for kids with gender nonconformity or trans identities, as well as to help other kids understand what may be going on in some of their friends’ lives, making it a selection that many libraries will want to put on their shelves. Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois