The book is first of its kind: a storybook about a family that embraces a transgender child. When she tells her parents this, they say 'be who you are.' That mantra is repeated throughout the book as Nick transitions towards girlhood- picking out dresses, growing her hair, and changing her name to 'Hope.' (That thought actually terrifies her.) She started publishing because she wanted to give her kids something that many families take for granted- a storybook that reflects them.Ĭarr is the mother of a transgender 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy, and her first book Be Who You Are (AuthorHouse, 2010, Illustrated by Ben Rumback), is an unprecedented addition to children's literature for more reason than one.īe Who You Are is a 32-page picture and story book about a child born male who grows up feeling more like a girl. I can almost guarantee you will not run out of things to talk about.This article shared 8995 times since Wed Apr 27, 2011Ĭhicago-based children's author, Jennifer Carr, didn't publish her first book in hopes of becoming famous. To all the gentlemen attending Snowball in a couple weeks, may the best bidder win an engaging evening at one of Chicago's finest restaurants.

There's no question Jennifer is a gorgeous young lady, and after spending some time with her, I'm convinced of her sweet demeanor and down to earth personality. This is The Junior Council's 25th annual event and will be again held at Chicago's historic Union Station Great Hall. In a cooperative effort to help raise money for The Junior Council (which benefits the pediatric AIDS and HIV unit at Lurie Children's Hospital), a date with Jennifer will be auctioned off at the black tie affair on February 2, 2013.

As a well-spoken 24 year old, Jennifer has the poise and grace of a role model any young girl should admire (and any gentleman can respect). Jennifer explained the main differences to me and how Miss Windy City is part of the Miss America pageant circuit. I for one had no idea there was a difference between Miss USA and Miss America. We met at Union Station and I got a chance to talk to Jennifer about what it's like to compete in pageants (and no, it's not like Miss Congeniality at all), where on earth do you get all those gowns, and how pageantry positively impacted her life. Yesterday, on a bizarrely warm January day, I met up with Jennifer to do some work in preparation for the upcoming black tie charity event, Snowball (hosted by The Junior Council). I was crazy interested in asking about the pageant life of this fellow Illinois State Redbird alum what I learned was fascinating. Most self proclaimed tom boys typically don't get into pageants, but Jennifer Carr did to 'meet more female friends' when she was in high school.

Be Who You Are by Jennifer Carr