Review: Call Me Gray

Call Me Gray

Authors: Andrew Larsen & Bells Larsen
Illustrator: Tallulah Fontaine

Kids Can Press, 2025

ISBN: 9781525311352 (jacketed hardcover)
9781525313523 (EPUB)

$23.99 CAD (jacketed hardcover)
$13.99 CAD (EPUB)

32 pages

Ages: 4 to 8 years old
Recommended library audience: School library

As a child and their father build a skating rink as their yearly tradition, the child tells their father that they weren’t invited to their best friend’s birthday party because they are not a girl. The child then steers the conversation into opening up about feeling different, but when their father misunderstands, they find the courage to broach the subject of their gender identity. Their father handles the situation with the tact that most queer children looking to come out to loved ones hope for—with quiet acceptance and love. Although Call Me Gray’s illustrations are simple, they fit the ambiance of calm acceptance in the story. This heart-warming picture book would be a great conversation-starter in a classroom discussion on identity and acceptance, and would therefore be a perfect fit for a school library’s social and emotional learning collection.