A pretty good story and a lovely message to send out to people to be accepting of others no matter the circumstances. I liked the illustrations too.

Sam is a trans boy but isn't out to anyone. This book was refreshing, in that all of the people listening to Sam coming out modeled great behavior: listen, believe, and accept. They immediately accepted Sam as Sam. It was also nice to read a book where they mention bullying happening, but don't actually show it, and it isn't the focus of the book at all.

This is a much needed addition to books featuring transgender children. It provides a good starting point for conversations. Now if we could only get all parents of transgender kids to be like Sam’s!

What a great portrayal of sibling relationships! Siblings will nag and fight and drive each other crazy but in the end they are family and they should love and support each other.

Sam had someone to turn to and his sister listened with a open heart and an open mind.

The art in the book is simple and easy to follow. The emotions of each page are perfectly portrayed.

Thank you NetGalley #Sam #NetGalley

This picture book is a bit of a how-to story for kids who need language and encouragement or incentive (in the form of the best-case response) to speak their truth and put words to their experience.

I requested this book from Net Galley, hoping to have found a people-ing story that wasn’t at all awkward and clarified a question or possibility for children.

This not that story. It was a bit self-conscious (I wonder if it’s possible to have an identity-book that isn’t), but it also showed both active and tentative support (sibling and parent, respectively) without labeling or judging either one.

I think that generosity will help parents and other adults to share this book with children, even as the adults recognize their own attitudes and acceptance (or understanding) continue to evolve.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital copy of this book that they gave me to review.

2.5* Very simple and sweetly told but a little too twee in the portrayal of the utter acceptance. A bit more RL would have made this more believable.

This, unfortunately, from what I read, doesn't reflect RL America or the majority of Americans. I think you'd find more European and UK parents like Sam's, but not in the US.

I appreciated the intention and effort, and it's great that this is based on the author's son Samuel's situation, but it could be very misleading for a transgender child to read this and take it as gospel. It could actually be dangerous, even.

I think a rethink is needed by the publisher, as this needs to reflect some degree of realism, and not the idealistic/perfectionist case that's portrayed.

ARC courtesy of Penny Candy Books and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

This kind of picture book is difficult to review, given that it's based on a true and personal story. While I appreciate the intent and overall premise, I have problems with some of the execution.

The writing has some technical issues. I also wasn't sold on the dialogue and behaviour of the kids, especially Maggie. Too often, children in literature come across like little adults.

While it's wonderful that Sam's family was so accepting right from the start, I don't know how universal of an experience that is for transgender kids. I think this may have worked better as a non-fiction title, rather than as a picture book that appears to tells a fictional story, because it does little to address the resistance that some kids face within their own families when they reveal who they truly are. (I understand that the book says it's based on a true story, but if kids fail to read that little bit of information, they're likely to assume it's a fictional tale.)

The illustrations are really not my cup of tea. The perspective is odd at times, making the characters' bodies look like they have strange proportions.

Overall, I wasn't that impressed with this. Books tackling this subject are important, but I think this would've worked better as a biography rather than as a "based-on-a-true-story" picture book.

Sam! is the story of a transgender boy's journey through telling others that he' feels like a boy inside, not a girl named Isabel, as everyone else views him. His sister, Maggie, helps Sam come out to his parents, who ask him perhaps the most important question of all: "Does being Sam make you happy?" After Sam replies yes, the entire family begins referring to him by his chosen name.

Soon, Sam is able to come out at school, too. He does run into some difficulties, which helps keep the book realistic. At the same time, even hurtful commentary from others has less of an effect because he's finally free to live his life as he's always felt: like Sam, a courageous young boy.

The illustrations are emotive and help bring the story to life. They have an old school children's book vibe, but it works pretty well here. Some young readers may not connect with their more muted approach, but the text of the book is definitely a good starting point for having a conversation about transgender individuals of all ages.