Calvin by JR Ford and Vanessa Ford
In this joyful and impactful picture book, a transgender boy prepares for the first day of school and introduces himself to his family and friends for the first time.
THEMES:
LGBTQ+, Trans, Race, Identity, Coming of age
Calvin has always been a boy, even if the world sees him as a girl. He knows who he is in his heart and in his mind but he hasn't yet told his family. Finally, he can wait no longer: "I'm not a girl," he tells his family. "I'm a boy--a boy in my heart and in my brain." Quick to support him, his loving family takes Calvin shopping for the swim trunks he's always wanted and back-to-school clothes and a new haircut that helps him look and feel like the boy he's always known himself to be. As the first day of school approaches, he's nervous and the "what-ifs" gather up inside him. But as his friends and teachers rally around him and he tells them his name, all his "what-ifs" begin to melt away.
Inspired by the authors' own transgender child and accompanied by warm and triumphant illustrations, this authentic and personal text promotes kindness and empathy, offering a poignant and inclusive back-to-school message: all should feel safe, respected, and welcomed.
Publication Date: November 9th, 2021
Audiobook? Yes
Age Range: 4+
Read Time: 31 minutes (at 300 WPM)
ISBN-13: 9780593108673
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JR and Vanessa Ford are nationally-known advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, specifically, rights for transgender youth. Their advocacy and work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and in "Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric." They were both founding members of the Human Rights Campaign's Parents for Transgender Equality Council. They live with their two children, one of whom is trans, in the Boston, MA area.
JR and Vanessa Ford discuss their debut picture book, Calvin with David Johns, Executive Director of NBJC (November 2021, Politics and Prose)
Vanessa and JR Ford have a conversation with several of HRC's PTEC members on the importance of including the stories of Black families in advocacy and public education. (November 2021, Simply Good Form)
IN THE NEWS
These kids' authors are telling the stories of trans youth. Book bans won't stop them (NPR)