Self Portrait

Gr 9 Up–A transgender teen struggles with a self-portrait assignment in this introspective and meditative look at gender and identity originally published in the Netherlands. Jip, who lists their talents as blushing, frowning, and drawing, narrates their rather solitary days in an ongoing (unsent) letter to their crush. The diarylike letter includes a handful of drawings, which show that Jip is an adept artist, and is a mix of reporting the minutiae of each day and sharing deep, affecting memories of a life-changing friendship that opened the door to Jip wondering about their own gender. Used to being mistaken for a boy, Jip has always felt like the odd one out, with classmates routinely commenting on their appearance or speculating on their attractions. Jip isn’t sure how to answer if someone asks whether they are a girl or boy, thus getting hung up on the “self” part of the self-portrait assignment for school. Though told through short paragraphs never more than a few sentences long, Volbeda includes incredibly vivid descriptions of Jip’s classmates and settings, like the field where Jip routinely seeks solace or the spring break party that finally puts Jip together with their crush. Jip’s writing style is confessional and poignant, peppered with beautiful and artful turns of phrase, like calling people “wonder exterminators.” Jip may feel stymied by the art assignment, but easily crafts a vivid and revealing narrative self portrait as they dig deep to discover their true self.