Great to have a children's picture book where a character transitions during the story. This is a wonderful vehicle to use when discussing transgender awareness with children; use the book to promote a school ethos where everyone is safe and there are no outsiders.
Olly Pike uses the Cinderella fairy tale as a base for a story where Jamie (Cinderella) feels something isn't right;
"You see, how Jamie felt inside didn't match up with what she saw in the mirror, and oh how she wished it would"
I love that Jamie transitions without help from the Fairy Godmother; there is no magic involved, it's a tale of empowerment. Looking at this book from a teaching perspective, the way pronouns are used on the page where Jamie finally understands who he is, provides perfect stimulus for a class discussion. This is also a great text to use in Guided Reading.
There is a theme running through Pike's stories where the characters worry about factors other than being gay or being trans and these provide fantastic conclusions, modelling acceptance to children. Jamie chooses at the end of the tale to tell the princess his own story and she is only concerned about how a mouse cut his hair! Brilliant!
Buy Jamie by Olly Pike from here
