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

Gr 2-5–This heartwarming biography begins with McBride’s childhood and goes through her win as state senator. The book’s framework is to pivot during key moments of her life between her two truths, which Pincus makes clear from the first page: McBride’s love of politics and her realization that she, assigned male at birth, was a girl. With roughly 30 words per page, the story is easily a read-aloud for classes and Gimbel’s illustrations show her pathway into politics and inner struggle to come out as transgender. The full-color illustrations are at times whimsical (McBride received a podium for Christmas as a child to practice speeches) and during darker moments of the story are sparse emotional snapshots (such as the image of McBride crying in her sleep as a college student). Additionally, the images show racial diversity in the schools she attended, at her university, and in her political forays, and diverse ability, with a child in a wheelchair watching election results. The book has a short author’s note, a brief note from McBride, a glossary of political terms, an explanation on how to be an ally to transgender people, and a bibliography.