A very sweet book, which is a no-nonsense, first person look at what it is to be a transgender girl with a focus on those around her who are struggling with the concept.
It is written in very simple language with relevant illustrations and is incredibly easy to understand.
It would be an ideal starter book for younger readers to explain what transgender is and how life can be upset and complicated for that person.

I liked the main idea, which is a clever way to expose the situation: the little girl knows she's a girl, her problem isn't being in the wrong body (she's still very young and probably doesn't care about that yet), it is that her father thinks she's a boy. The error if his!
One point is also very good: Stephie is a girl, and likes girly things. Understanding that all girls don't like girly things should also be understanding that some girls may like them all the same! The important point is that everyone should be able to chose for themselves, and shouldn't have to behave and be what their parents expect them to be.

The story in itself is sweet, but more a succession of situations than a real story with a beginning and an ending. If fact the book stops very abruptly, which I didn't like. I didn't like much the illustrations either, but art is personal and the cover gives a sample of it, so if you like it you'll like the whole book!

I read this book with my eight year old granddaughter. The pictures were colourful and the text simple. My granddaughter understood the point of the book which was some children are born a certain gender but that is not what they necessarily are. Adults need to be more accessible to different ideas. We liked the fact that in the story the child was more adult than the adults. Children are very mature about different ideas and do accept ideas about transgender without all the drama that some parents seem to have.

*I received an e-galley of this book through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

In all my life, I've never seen a children's book with a transgender character. Different people come into their skin at different times, but I have heard so many stories where kids knew from an early age that they were in the wrong body. They just didn't have words for it. I genuinely think this book could help young transgender kids understand themselves without having to wait years until they find out about the possibility of being transgender on social media somewhere. The informative parts of the book are simple—easy for kids to understand. It also helps provide perspective for people who don't understand what it must feel like to be transgender.

I took a star off for the illustrations, which I was disappointed by. The concept for all the images was nice, however, the art style and coloring was not very aesthetically pleasing.

As a parent it is important to read NEW children’s books. The classics will always be there, and we will always be able to pick up the books our parents read to us as kids. But personally, I feel it is important to read to our children what is new and relevant to our daily lives and the lives of others around us.

My favorite thing about Stephie is the fact that her favorite things where HER favorites - bugs scary movies etc - and not what the world says ‘girls’ like. (Dolls, bows etc)

The illustrations were okay. I think a little more can be done to brighten up the images and text prior to physical publication.

Overall, I would like to see this in our local Library one day.

A short, colorful, simple children's book, that is a good read for adults too. It has a few pages at the end that might offer some questions for discussion regarding this subject. I think it's a real good book...very well done! The title is totally appropriate.
This e-ARC was provided to me by Jessica Kingsley Publishers via NetGalley, in return for my reading it & posting my own fair & honest review.

I loved this - I loved how Stephie knew very exactly who she was and was secure in that, and how the blame was placed squarely on her dad that he couldn't accept her rather than it being Stephie's fault. Trans kids desperately need this book - but so do other kids too

This book is about how a transgender child is not accepted by her father. It talks about the activities that the child does to make the father happy. The book was very choppy and had an ending that seemed to just stop with no conclusion. As a parent of a transgender child, I would prefer a book that had an ending that showed how over time, the father was able to accept the child. I would also like to see the main character to be stronger. She should be able to tell her dad what she wants. Have those difficult conversations in the book. It will help more children that are struggle with parents.

This is a simple children's book told from the perspective of Stephie, who identifies as a girl and whose mother is supportive and whose father tries to insist that she dress and act like a boy. The book does a good job of showing some of the issues that Stephie deals with at home, like her dad trying to make her go fishing and wear the Halloween costumes he prefers, and shows how selfish he is. Ultimately, this isn't resolved and her father never does try to understand her. The end of the book has some discussion questions that will be good for discussion, along with a few book recommendations.

This is a subject that needs a lot more books and discussions, but the writing and illustrations seemed a little lacking.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

This short but information packed book shows what it is like to be misgendered by a parent. The struggle the child goes through is heartbreaking. But there is an empathy shown that is hopeful.

With her trademark humor and cute illustrations, Sophie Labelle provides a honest and funny children's book that introduces trans identity in a straightforward, accessible way while poking fun at the adults who don't "get" being trans. Presented from the perspective of a young trans girl, the story sidesteps the typical narrative of being trans that Others trans people and instead normalizes being trans as just another way of existing in the world, as normal as being cis. Highly recommend this to teachers, librarians, and parents who want to make their bookshelves inclusive.

What a lovely book! I read this with Sophie (aged 6) and Jack (aged 10), who are both cisgender children (cisgender is a term for people who's gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth). I felt the story might be a bit young for Jack, but he enjoyed it and had a lot of questions.

The first half of the book is told from Stephie's point of view; as she explains her frustrations of having a dad who does not understand that although she was born with a body that looks like a boy's, she is in fact a girl. It upsets her that her dad insists on calling her by a boy's name and tries to get her to do things that he considers activities for boys, things that Stephie doesn't enjoy. Like children often are, she's very thoughtful of her dad's feelings, but we all feel quite sad for Stephie having to deal with this. I particularly like how the author emphasizes that nobody, not even a parent gets to decide who a child is but themselves.

The second half of the book is made up of questions for further discussion, aimed at teachers and educators and there are suggestions for similar books. We went through quite a few of the questions, which prompted a really productive conversation between myself and the children. I think this book is so important and I would love to see it available in schools and libraries. Trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming children need and deserve to feel seen and represented and it's so important for cis gendered children to be educated.

Thank you very much to Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Sophie Labelle and Netgalley for an E-ARC of this book.

My Dad Thinks I'm a Boy?! by Sophie Labelle is a book I was really excited to read. In my effort to have a very inclusive home library, I was excited to read my first trans positive children's book. I wasn't too excited with the result though. The description explained it to be amusing, powerful and uplifting, but for the most part, I felt more sad than amused for Stephie. I'm glad she has one parent that accepts her, but the struggle to keep her father - who insists that she is a boy - happy is more sad than amusing to me. There is no happy ending - which I know is a reality of many trans people in regards to their family - and there is also nothing that shows that her father is trying to be more understanding, only that he's trying to force his ideas onto her. The only reason I gave it three stars is that Stephie is shown to prevail and stick to her image of herself, which encourages young readers to do the same.

I like that at the end of the book there are questions to encourage discussion with your children and I will also try the books that are mentioned there as well. But this one did not quite meet the mark for me.

Possibly trans positive in theory and attempt, but not via the delivery, sorry.

I'm not sure that the right message is being broadcast in this book, and no, I don't mean that the child isn't trans or that a trans child isn't being accepted or believed. What I mean is that there are images in the book, and the 'doctor who got it wrong' is portrayed as a guy, and the 'parent who doesn't believe/accept' his trans child is a guy. Not really that positive a portrayal. And, the child seemingly lives with the female parent who accepts her, and visits the one that doesn't.

I think the message that the author is trying to convey got lost in what I picked up from the tale, as mentioned above. I'd have liked to see a child in a household where perhaps a/the parents didn't quite understand, but made an attempt to educate themselves. This gives, unintentionally, I am sure, a message that a female parent/adult might be more receptive to a trans child.

I think the theory is right, the spirit of trying to educate others - kids, teens, adults and the elderly - is good, but I'm not sure that it's delivered correctly.

ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.

I am still uncertain about the term trans, but in this books case, I believe it implies a child with ambiguous sexual characteristics at birth. I think it's best to allow people to determine what gender they are, The father in the story is awfully childish compared to his sympathetic daughter, who he insists is his son. It's a good story about acceptance. of a child for who they are.

I love that this book sends a positive message to children that it's okay to be themselves. It also brings up further topics for discussion, so even if they are not a transgender child, they can be accepting of those who are.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The world needs more books like this that help show children it’s okay to be true to themselves!

The illustrations are decently done. The tone of the book is very accurate in terms of how many kids who are different can end up feeling about the comments that one or more parents make about them.

The author shows children how to take a mature approach, even when they don’t get their preferred happy ending. Of course, it’s going to be difficult for the majority of young children to adopt an approach that’s more emotionally mature and compassionate than their parent’s (or parents’). Despite this, it’s definitely a good lesson to teach.

About half the book is the story. The other half contains classroom questions and ads for other transgender positive books for kids.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

My Dad Thinks I’m a Boy?!: A Trans Positive Children's Book by Sophie Labelle. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Children's Fiction. Publication date: 21 February 2020. 5 Stars.

An colorful open-ended story that is cute, endearing and cozily frank about a transgender youth and her parents’ attitudes about her gender identity. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for providing this ebook for review.

The thing I love most about this book is how it doesn't have a happy ending. Stephie's dad still thinks she's Stephen, and Stephie is frustrated but ultimately very understanding. It models how children can be right about themselves and still treat the wrong adults in their lives with love. My only hesitance here is that it is a lot to ask of any child that they become the mature adult in the situation, as Stephie does. Still, it's great to have a role model for how it could be done.

This is such an important book, While it’s designed as a children’s book, I certainly think it could benefit the adults of the world that are struggling with the concept of trans without it being from the perspective of someone they know personally.
It’s beautifully illustrated and not only makes its message clear, it gives options for extended reading and thought provoking questions that allow the reader to empathise.