This is a really positive way to introduce transgender identities to children. It explains what it means to be trans in terms children can understand. I would recommend this book to anyone ready to introduce lgbtq+ topics to young children!

I received an ARC from NetGalley!

This is a great addition to trans literature and how misgendering someone is hurtful and not thoughtful.

We all know how important diverse representation in kid’s lit is in developing a child’s expansive world view but also in normalizing their own experiences. Humans naturally year to belong and feeling like you are “the only one” can bring about feelings of shame, anxiety, and loneliness. The children of transgender parents are an underrepresented group in general as well as in children’s literature. “He’s My Mom” is certainly filling a niche and doing so in an honorable and educational way.

I’m grateful to Sarah Savage, Netgalley, the publisher for providing an advance ecopy in exchange for an honest review. The words and thoughts shared are my own.

I love this book. This book plainly lays out ways for kids to talk about their transgendered parents. Everything is normal. It may have been odd at first, but mom is still mom, even if his pronouns are now he/him. I think this is good representation for libraries, but am well aware there will be a certain faction of people who think these should be banned from libraries. There is also a companion book called She’s my Dad, and I think they would make excellent additions to libraries, or to households with a transiting family member.

With the topics which are taught in the modern classroom, including Relationship and sex education and Citizenship, picture books and written books are need to normalise the different types of identity and to allow children to understand what specific identities mean.
This book should be in the curriculum to teach children about transgender individuals. This book has amazing art work with vibrant colours to attract younger readers. But this could also be used for Key stage 2 classes to help children understand at a basic level before they are discussed at a more complicated level.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from #netgalley , thank you. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was prepared for the worst on seeing the title, but while a little bit blunt it's a cute story about a boy and his trans man parent who he calls Mom or David. The main character mostly talks about adopting a dog and being excited to go on a camping trip that's family tradition, but manages to include a lesson on the importance of pronouns and includes some lovely trans acceptance from all family members mentioned. One briefly uses the wrong pronouns for his mom, but the kid quickly and simply corrects him and the cousin apologizes. I personally wouldn't use it as the only story for the topic of trans identity and life, as the continued use of Mom and the sentence to the effect of "my mom used to be a she, but now he's a he" could be triggering and dysphoric for a lot of trans readers, and physically transitioning to a binary gender shouldn't be made to seem like such a requirement as something that can be part of a trans person's identity, but it's nice to see a story that neatly includes a few key points as well as not making someone's queerness the one and only focus of a family story.

The book as a whole was very heartwarming and important :) also the pictures were really sweet!! It felt a little more like a guide for children than a children´s book to me, however, it is still very easy to read and it has a clear message.

People are not born being hateful, hate is something that sadly we learn. That is why such a simple book like this one should be essential for kids nowadays, especially when our society is getting (thankfully) more diverse ;)

David's experience may not be the same as other trans people (not everyone goes through surgeries for example), but to be fair every person has a different experience when it comes to transitioning and this book just shows one of them. There are some other things that are basic and that are included, such as correcting someone when they misgender, I think "He's my mom" did an amazing job developing that!

I hope that the next generation gets to read more books like this one! It makes me happy to see this kind of representation :)

I didn't love the text of this book, but I absolutely adore the message and the characters. I'd definitely take this one out of the library and read it to my child. A great intro for kids who have a friend or family member transitioning and want to understand what's happening and how to interact with someone post-transition.

In theory I like the concept of the book, but I don’t feel that it was executed very well here. I felt that the new dog was irrelevant to the overall story, whereas the conversation between family and transition was far more helpful & insightful. It was almost like two separate stories stitched together. The book has great potential but needs some editing I feel.

Thank you Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange of my honest review.
This was a wonderful book and I really loved reading it! I even shed some happy tears while reading. I think it is a perfect book for children to understand not only a transgender parent, but also all trans people.
The use of pronouns is essential, and I think the book reflects a very clear way that children can understand it, and how this misuse can often make the other person feel bad, just as Benjamin realized that his mom was really happy with her transition, he also noticed that his mom got very sad when people referred to his mother with the wrong pronouns, because David (Benjamin's mom) is a transgender man who uses the pronouns he / him, and is also very important what Benjamin does, because he corrects people when they use the wrong pronoun to refer to his mom.
I think it is an excellent book that allows us to introduce about gender expression for those little ones who are just beginning to read, as well as for older children who are in school, it would be wonderful if they were made to read it in class, even I'd say it would also allow adults to understand more about trans people.
The illustrations in the book were very beautiful.

I think this is a great intro for kids that covers a lot in a short amount of time in a way that kids can easily understand. At times I thought the phrasing of sentences was a little strange but overall I’m happy with it and am glad to have another book to give to parents when I get asked about gender topics on desk!

This slender book meant a lot to me, as I have two students who are being raised by two dads. It is only a matter of time until I have one or more students with a trans parent, and I’m happy to see that there is now a book for them and their classmates.

While He’s My Mom, the tale of a young man whose mother is now a man, does yeoman’s work for youngsters who want to understand other families, I think the book really fills a niche for young children whose parents are about to change gender; it reassures them that the important things will never change.

Joules Garcia’s hip illustrations and Bambi’s clearly being a teen or tween help to make this book useful for somewhat older kids than would otherwise be the case.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

He's My Mom! - by Sarah Savage

(Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions)

This book is needed now more than ever, and perfect for the target audience. I wish we'd had books like this when I was a kid. It breaks everything down into easy-to-read language, while explaining about a person transitioning, pronouns, and gender identity.

The pictures make it easier for kids (and adults) to follow, and will hopefully be easier to understand, especially if this is the first time someone is hearing about the subject.

I think this is a great way to introduce kids to families that may not look identical to theirs, but making them aware they just as valid while normalising it too. But also if their mum or dad is transgender, it might make it easier for them to understand, or explain to others.

The only thing I didn't understand in this book though is why they were introducing an adopted dog into a the storyline, for no reason, but not explaining about the other parent. I think that might be confusing for kids, but I do admit I loved seeing the pictures of the dog!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

This was a great story about a boy and his Mom who had recently transitioned to a man, called David. You can tell how much Benjamin (the boy) loves David and cares about his well-being and overall happiness. For example, Benjamin notices how much happier David is and mentions how David “feels sad and hurt when people use the wrong pronouns.”

The story breaks down in a simple way what David went through and felt before, during, and after transitioning, highlights important vocabulary (glossary included), and use of pronouns. The illustrations were so lovely and enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

"He’s My Mom" is a good introduction for children (really all ages) to understand a transgender parent or relative they may have in an easy, accessible way.

Don't mind me just crying little happy tears. Books like this are so important. It was super age appropriate while not glossing over anything. Highly recommend, not just for kids with trans people in their lives, but for all kids and really all people. Simple but extremely well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little book with pretty illustrations! It seems very useful to explain transitioning to young children.

I really appreciated that David keeps using the label "mom", as relabeling isn't necessarily part of transitioning. However, I would've liked a mention *somewhere* about how trans people don't necessarily go through surgeries. & when Bambi sais that his mom looks different on the outside but is the same on the inside? & that his mom is much happier now? YEEEES💛

I also thought the glossary and reading guide were a very nice addition to the book.

This picture book does a great job of introducing children to people who are transgender. The main character's mom is a transgender man. I think this representation of a diverse family is incredibly important. When children are introduced to these topics at a young age, it will benefit all of society in that it will reduce bullying of LGBTQIA+ peers and may even save lives.

Thank you NetGalley for the EARC of this book.

I was looking for a book that I could read to support our middle grade novel, which includes a transgender character. I, myself struggled with this topic as I wanted to go about teaching my students in the most accurate, thoughtful and respectful way possible. Thank goodness for this book.

'He's My Mom!' does a phenomenal job of educating people of all ages on what being transgender means. It also covers how to use pronouns and how harmful misgendering someone can be. It lead to some excellent conversations with my Year 8 classes.

I know that this book will change the lives of so many kiddos who don't always see themselves represented in texts. Thank you Sarah Savage for creating a book that I know will be a classroom staple for many years to come.

There have been a recent crop of smart, sweet, and simple books about being trans for kids, and He's My Mom slots in nicely among them. Featuring adorable pictures, clear explanations, discussion questions and more, this book is excellent for introducing the idea of a parent transitioning and would be fantastic for a child first learning about this in their own life, for that child to be able to explain their family to peers, and for all children to learn more about other people.

I got an ARC of this book.

I am a trans man and I recently acquired children. They are old enough that they did not have to have a big transition talk about me, but at one point in their life they did. My fiancé is a non-binary parent. They came out when their kids (my new kids) were young. The explanation went along the lines of “being called a girl is like having an itchy tag in your shirt. Being not a girl is like a fuzzy blanket”. The kids got it really quickly and started calling my partner “Fuzz”. The kids are now 16 and 18 and still call my partner Fuzz. That is not a name that my partner asked for, but it worked with the kids and it was really adorable so who was ever going to ask for a different one?

So I really loved how it let the kid and David decide what was best for them. It fit how I have always seen this conversation go. Not every trans person changes their name with their kid. I know hairy moms and dads in dresses. What works with the family works for the family. Judging the book for not having David relabeled as “Dad” doesn’t make sense when you actually are around kids of trans parents. Some parents relabel, some don’t. There is no right answer for what kids and parents should do when a parent comes out, outside of do what makes everyone comfortable.

The story itself seems a bit disjointed. The dog adoption plot really doesn’t line up with the rest of the book. It could have been cut entirely and the point of the book would have still worked perfectly. I would have missed the cute dog though. The dad was also completely missing from the story, which felt like a weird detail. There was no mention of where he was by anyone. I would have liked that explained instead of the dog being adopted. Even if it was “My dad and David are best friends, but now we live in different houses” or “Dad was too busy at work to go camping with us this year”. Anything to explain why he isn’t there. With such a focus on David, it felt weird that the dad was not mentioned at all.

The book is cute and fast. It is a picture book. The art itself isn’t super groundbreaking, but I loved how it was mostly realistic. I loved the pride flag details like in the photos near the middle of the book. I loved the cute dog. I loved how David changed a little bit as the book went on, like his facial hair grew in. It was a nice little detail.

My biggest issue with the book was honestly that the dog they JUST adopted that day was allowed off leash repeatedly. That is so dangerous. Please leash your dogs.