SAPPHIRE THE GREAT AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

This slice-of-life Canadian import
is more than just another “I want to get a pet” tale.

Nine-year-old Jeannie was promised a
hamster, but her father’s recent departure from the family has upset their
routines. When she finally gets to the pet store and chooses a white hamster
with blue eyes, she names it Harvey Owens, after her father. Meanwhile,
Sapphire the hamster just wants to be free. She (yes, unbeknownst to Jeannie,
Harvey/Sapphire is a female) escapes several times, but freedom is never what
she thinks it will be. With Dad gone, new family friend Anna Conda steps in to
help Jeannie’s mother out. A trans woman, Anna helps Jeannie to believe “you
are who you are,” assisting Jeannie and her older brother with the background
behind their parents’ separation: Their dad has fallen in love with another
person, who happens to be a man. Sapphire and Jeannie narrate alternating
chapters, and neither is completely aware of all that is going on around them.
Sapphire, especially, reports dialogue and action she does not fully understand,
adding an additional layer to this tale of understanding difference. Seen
through Jeannie’s unquestioning gaze, Anna is a sympathetic, fairly rounded
character, but she also comes across as a plot device. Additionally, she
concedes to Jeannie’s desire to learn her pre-transition name—a missed opportunity to
communicate to young readers this essential point of respect. Jeannie’s
family and Anna present white. Sapphire’s illustrated guide to hamster care adds a touch of fun.