I Am Jazz is the 2014 children's book about transgender girl Jazz Jennings that was frequently challenged and banned in U.S. schools.
Written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas, the picture book draws on Jennings's real-life experiences. It presents a young child who feels like a girl despite being assigned male at birth and explains her identity in language intended for children and families.
The book became a frequent target of challenges because of its transgender protagonist and LGBTQIA+ content. Some schools removed or relocated it, while others used it to support gender-variant students and their families. The controversy reflected broader disputes over whether books featuring transgender characters belong in elementary-school libraries and classrooms.
I Am Jazz was not merely a fictional story invented without context: it was based on Jennings's life and public advocacy. It also received recognition, including placement on the American Library Association's Rainbow Project Book List in 2015. The book appeared on the ALA's Top 10 Challenged Books lists in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.