Max was born a girl but feels and believes he is a boy. While his mother and father are supportive, school can be a challenging environment to navigate. This is an ideal, developmentally appropriate work to introduce the term and concept of transgender to young children and share with children who are trans. ( )

gentle; child's perspective on gender/transgender ( )

Call Me Max by Kyle Lukoff does a fantastic job of explaining what it means to be transgender to kids. The reader joins Max at school as he navigates a completely new terrain. His day is filled with explanations to other kids, choosing which restroom to use, and more. The illustrations are vibrant and welcoming, fitting for such a book. Call Me Max is an early chapter book, so not only do young kids get to learn about transgender children, but they're also introduced to a chapter picture book. I loved it and I can't wait to read what's next for Max and his friends. ( )

"A welcome title for classrooms, libraries, and PFLAG and other support organizations' collections." --School Library Journal Reviewer

"Writing in an empathetic, conversational style, Lukoff (When Aidan Became a Brother) offers an upbeat portrait of what’s possible: Max is able to ask for and receive the support he needs from the school and his parents (“the boys got used to having me in their bathroom,” he adds). Equally important, though, are eye-opening moments for Max: his new friend Teresa rejects his assertion that girls don’t like to climb trees and look for “gross bugs”; his friend Stephen firmly informs Max that, while he wears dresses, he identifies as a boy. Gender identity, Max realizes, is about everyone having the opportunity to be who they know they are." --Publishers Weekly