Call Me Gray, written by Andrew Larsen and Bells Larsen and illustrated by Tallulah Fontaine. Kids Can Press, 2025. $23.99 ages 4 and up

 

""I look like a boy but 
sometimes I feel more 
like a girl." 

There. I said it. 

Dad doesn't say anything for what 
feels like a long time. 

"I didn't know you felt that way," 
he says. He takes my hands in his. 
"I'm glad you told me."

"Me, too," I say."

A father and our young narrator hold to the yearly ritual of building an ice rink in the backyard. This year has a different feeling ... not about the rink, about the narrator. Not being invited to Zena's sleepover has created some angst that needs to be explored. There is something that needs to be said. It takes great courage on the part of both. 

The father shares that being mixed up about things is a normal part of life; as is knowing what you want to be. As the day goes on and the rink building continues, the child asks other questions; finally explaining that while looking like a boy, the child feels more like a girl. Dad's response is warm and accepting. 

There is one more thing. It concerns being named. Is Dad happy with his? Only now, does the child suggest having another name ... Gray. Dad will do his best to remember. Their first skate together happens the same night as Zena's sleepover. Exhilarated and tired, the two finally head in for hot chocolate, after Dad uses Gray for the first time.