Door by Door: How Sarah McBride Became America’s First Openly Transgender Senator

From a very young age, Sarah McBride (b. 1990) knew both that “she wanted to change the world” and “who she was inside.” Interested in U.S. presidents early on, she soon got involved in state government as a youth volunteer, and later ran for—and became—her college’s student body president. Along the way, “she didn’t understand why her body didn’t match her brain and heart,” but after beginning to better comprehend her experience, and seeing other trans people coming out, she eventually did so herself: “I am transgender. I am a woman. I am Sarah.” Starting with her Delaware childhood and moving through her election as the first openly transgender state senator, this light biography by Pincus plots out key parallels in McBride’s formative years, centering a real-life figure both following her heart and “opening the doors of opportunity for all.” McKean Gimbel’s muted color palette of pinks, greens, and purples tends toward portraiture; background figures are portrayed with varying skin tones. Back matter includes a note from Sarah McBride and an author’s note. Ages 4–8. (May)