As a nanny, I am eventually faced with difficult conversations among parents and myself. “What do you teach your children about history, race, and discrimination? Do you allow your children to choose how they want to dress? How do you teach them acceptance?” These conversations come up all the time in the most surprising of ways and it’s important to teach future generations how to be themselves and how to show up for others. Sam Is My Sister is a new trans-affirming children’s book by author Ashley Rhodes-Courter that approaches the topic of transgender delicately so that children can understand.
Based on one family’s real-life experiences, Sam Is My Sister is about Evan, a child who loves to play with his brothers. They love to do everything together – fishing, climbing trees, and playing astronauts. Evan notices his brother Sam is starting to look different from him. He wants long hair and to wear a dress on the first day of school. As time goes by, Evan and his brother Finn start to realize why Sam wants to look like a girl – because Sam is a girl. Sam is transgender. Evan and Finn quickly realize that Sam still likes fishing, climbing trees, and trips to the moon. Sam is just able to be more herself.
This is a topic I and many families are faced with throughout our day to day lives. As children are observing the world around them, they are faced with so many questions that are beautiful and complex. Questions that are left up to us as adults to answer. Sam Is My Sister brings to life the important topic of transgender in a way that families can talk about together. The book gives parents, teachers, and caregivers tools on where to go if they too have a child who is transgender and how to move forward as a community. More than that, it teaches compassion and how to stick up for those who may be discriminated against because of their differences.
This is a book for families and schools everywhere! It is time we start teaching our children how to accept everyone for their differences and to stand up when someone is being treated unfairly. Although they may seem uncomfortable, these conversations are important and necessary. Sam Is My Sister will be released March 1st and is available for pre-sale on amazon. I urge you to order your copy so you too can begin having these discussions, creating understanding, and empathy about the differences that surround us all.
