'My History, My Gender, and Me' is lavishly adorned with warm coloured illustrations which truly open this book up for those of all ages.
The inclusion of many different cultures, eras, and examples of how gender identity and transgender individuals exist and impacted the community shows the Authors' dedication to equality and acceptance, which really shines through. In the descriptions, and the discussions of gender diverse individuals' integral parts within history, the author makes the read aware of pronouns usage and important contextual clues regarding gender presentation through the ages. This allows for a wider discussion to open up regarding identity, society, social and cultural norms amongst family and peers.

All in all, I find this truly embodies the meaning of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in every sense of the word. A perfect addition to any collection.

In My History, My Gender, Me, Cassandra Jules Corrigan begins with the question “are you a boy or a girl?” before recognizing that this may not be a simple question for some readers. This introduction also provides simple, helpful definitions of transgender and non-binary. Throughout the book, Corrigan writes in a first person perspective for ten historical figures who are considered transgender, non-binary, or intersex. They span a variety of time periods and are mostly lesser known, which provides a refreshing contrast to books about gender focused solely on western or well-known LGBTQ+ figures. Additionally, the people are from a variety of cultures and places such as Haiti and Lebanon. Illustrator Moe Butterfly provides colorful illustrations for each of the ten historical figures. Corrigan provides an author’s note, discussion questions, and glossary at the end of the book. The discussion questions are appropriate for children, teens, and even adults.

Personal note: As a trans non-binary person, I only knew one of these ten historical figures (Marsha P. Johnson)! Corrigan clearly set out to educate about lesser known trans, non-binary, and intersex individuals. For example, I did not know about the Suontaka of Finland descibed at the beginning of the book. I appreciate that the Suontaka person states “we have existed for thousands of years” in a time when trans people like myself are seen as following a new trend.

Age recommendation: Upper elementary and beyond. While this book could work for younger children, I would suggest the board book Being You: a First Conversation About Gender by By Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, as it asks kids questions directly and consistently throughout the book. My History, My Gender, Me is ideal for youth who already have a basic understanding of gender and want to learn more about the history of trans, non-binary, and intersex people.

This book is a historical look at various transgendered people in time. It was very interesting to read Most of these people are not found in other biographies for children. The artwork was decent, but I really don’t like the cover. I think it would distract rather than attract readers.

This is such an inclusive snapshot of different transgender historical figures. I love the diversity of different cultures throughout history. This would be very approachable to help younger audiences understand different gender identities. It’s very important to have easy to understand materials like this available to children during times where this type of information is being restricted and is under constant attack. Maybe if people grow up having examples of transgender people throughout history and from different backgrounds, then it will lead to more tolerance and acceptance of these identities in modern society.

Absolutely wonderful! I was afraid how the author would handle such a controversial topic, but I think they succeeded. Heck, i even learned something!

2.5/5 Stars

While I did learn some new facts from this book and enjoyed the artwork, I had difficulty figuring out who the audience would be! I could see my middle school students using this for a research project, but not wanting to read it because it feels like it’s for younger children. However, if I read this to my 5 year old, I know she would have a lot of difficulty with the vocabulary but love the art.

There were quite a few moments where the language really threw me off. It felt very clunky and contains many phrases that the Transgender community is moving away from, such as “assigned gender at birth.” It read like someone was paraphrasing research they had done but without the mastery of the subject material.

While I wouldn’t purchase this book as is, it does have promise. I feel like a few more tweaks and editing would go a long way!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. My thoughts are my own.

Fantastic book highlighting the societal contributions of transgender, inter-sex and non-binary individuals throughout history and around the world. It drives home the point that gender fluidity is not at all a new phenomenon which I think is a powerful message considering the current political climate. I think this would be a very useful book to have on hand for children as they emerge into their own gender identities. I have a feeling it will face school bans in the United States, but I'll be sure to get a copy for my 5 year old nephew when it comes out.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and Cassandra Jules Corrigan for the opportunity to read the eARC of this book.

Fantastic children's history of gender. I love this and will definitely be buying it for my library.

Inspiring and educational!! I definitely wasn’t taught much of this in school, sadly. So encouraging to hear about all these stories!

I did really love this book about trans people in history. There are many more than we realize and we know of these people for different reasons. In some places, we know about them because, even so long ago, they were accepted and admired for themselves. In some places we found out later, possibly even after death. My favorite was a very accomplished doctor who never would have been allowed to practice medicine as a woman. So many unique people with so many accomplishments!!
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This book is an excellent introduction to transgender history for small children! I wish there were more pages and a section at the end like "check out these other resources!"

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

This book is wonderful for anyone looking for more history into gender and it's fluidity. Transgender and third gender are not new things and this book gives solid examples of those who came before us.

"My History, My Gender, Me by Cassandra Jules Corrigan" is a super cute and fun way to learn about trans history in a really accessible way.

This is a very informative picture book about transgender and non-binary figures all throughout history. The authors do an excellent job of including many different gender identities and explaining each figure's role in history.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Hm. There are some language choices here that I don't necessarily love, and while I'm reading this book as an ARC and know that things may change, I can only go based off what I've read.

It feels like an odd choice to write these little snippets as first-person, though at this point I can't remember if the first of Corrigan's books that I read did the same thing. I was feeling a little iffy about that, but then we get to one of the exercises in the book which asks young readers to draw a trans, intersex, or nonbinary person. In my version, the phrasing runs thus: "You can use one of the characters from this book as inspiration, or make up a story for a new character you invent!"

But... these aren't characters. These are real people who exist outside the book. For reference, this book includes people like Marsha P. Johnson, Romaine-la-Prophétesse, Lucy Hicks Anderson, and more. There were a few other places where the language felt a little haphazard, but this really stands out to me. For a book that is supposed to be about history to call its subjects "characters" and conflate invention with history doesn't sit right with me at all. There were enough other odd things in here (though I won't quote too extensively as I know galleys can change) that I have deeply mixed feelings. I'm very much in favor of teaching children about history in a way that isn't whitewashed and Bowdlerized, but the implications here really bothered me. I'm not even sure that the author (as opposed to the publisher) made this choice, but it seems to me a very poor one. I'm limiting my review to NetGalley as a result.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. My thoughts are my own.

This was interesting! It was nice to read about a lot of different gender identities and historical figures with varied gender identities, but I think a kid reading this would benefit from having a bit of a background/context in trans and non-binary identities to capture what was being said and relate it to ideas of gender. 3.5/5

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! I can even find the words to accurately express how much I utterly adore this book. Every kid needs to have access to this book, whether they're queer or not. Not only is this book important, it's highly interesting. I learned a lot that I didn't know from reading this book, and I was engaged from beginning to end. I know for certain that it will be the same for young readers everywhere. I'll end by just saying this: GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW AND SHARE IT!!!!

This is an excellent and much-needed children's book that introduces several historical figures throughout the centuries who were a variety of gender-non-conforming identities. Each gets a few sentence biography and explanation of their gender and a portrait.

It is an excellent reminder that trans people exist, have existed for centuries, and will exist in the future, no matter what some people would have us believe.

It is a little repetitive to read straight through the whole book, in much the same way it is to read through any collection of biographies, but it's great for reading a few here and there and coming back to read more.

The portrait illustrations are welcoming and colorful and complement the text well.

This would be wonderful for any child interested in historical figures or gender-non-conforming people. Or, really, for any child, because every child should be exposed to trans people beyond what they might hear on the news.

*Thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for providing an early copy of this book for review.

An informative look at the history of transgender/gender queer people throughout history that proves we have always been here. It is perfectly tailored towards children and shows the history well. The art looks amazing and would do a good job of keeping kids engaged.

This was such a cute and simple book that was so insightful. As someone who has an ENTIRE collection of diverse children books, this is the first that I have read that discusses gender identity in a way that a child can understand (and maybe the only way some adults can). I enjoyed that this book spanned century and just reiterated that gender identity is not a new thing. It has always been around and is everywhere. I love the pictures, the history, and the message!