Sarah & Ian

Hoffman

Children’s Authors

Award-Winning Writers

Travels from: San Francisco, CA

Sarah & Ian Hoffman are the authors of Jacob’s New Dress, Jacob’s Room To Choose, Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, and They!, and Jacob’s Missing Book. Their books have won numerous awards, including the #72 spot on the ALA’s list of the Top 100 Most Banned Books of the Decade. Sarah (she/her) & Ian (he/him) speak widely about raising gender-expansive children, book bans, and creating a culture of kindness. As business partners and spouses, Sarah & Ian have been working together on building a better world for over 25 years. They live in San Francisco with their two children (when they come home from college), one cat, two bunnies, two chickens, and 60,000 bees.

Sarah & Ian's Featured Titles

Banned and Proud!

We’re children’s book authors who write books for little kids. Why would anyone ban our books? This talk for adults and older students looks at the many issues around book banning. Where is it taking place? Why is it taking place? How do libraries, public schools, and free speech interact? How do book bans affect kids? What does it feel like to be banned? And wait, did you say the Supreme Court is hearing a case involving one of your books???

Building a Culture of Kindness: One Book at a Time

Our signature talk for older kids and adults covers what inspired us to write our books. We discuss kids & gender identity, The Great Bathroom Debate, pronouns, our history as banned authors, and a review of the state of book banning in our country—and what we can all do about it.

Jacob’s New Dress

Appropriate for pre-K to second grade, this talk is centered around the true story of our son, Sam, a little boy who loved dresses. We discuss societal expectations, our family’s journey, and how we came to write our book. We do a read-aloud of Jacob’s New Dress, followed by a guided Q&A. Our emphasis is on cultivating an environment where students feel safe to express themselves, explore their identities, and appreciate and support others.

I Have to Pee, so Let Me Be!

What’s the worst part of the day for kids who don’t fit gender norms? Using the bathroom at school. This presentation centers around Jacob’s Room to Choose, our book about everyone being able to use the bathroom safely. We discuss how people react when they’re confronted with people who don’t look the way they expect, and how to navigate the world with respect and kindness. We lead a lively quiz on the history of public bathrooms—ranging from gross-out fun to surprising facts—showing that what we consider normal now has not been this way for very long at all. Adaptable for all ages.

Jacob’s Missing Book

Since 2020, there has been an unprecedented explosion of book banning across the United States. This presentation centers around Jacob’s Missing Book, which tackles the topic of school book bans from a kid’s-eye point of view. What happens when a child’s favorite book is taken away? How do teachers and librarians explain complex adult conflicts to kids? What is some important about stories that books are taken away? This talk will be made age-appropriate according to the audience.

Behind the Scenes: How We Became Authors and the Path to Getting Published

Where do our ideas come from? What is a writing day like for us? How do two people work together to write one book? How do we work with our illustrator, our publishers, our agent, and our fellow authors? This talk for students and adults can be tailored according to the needs of our audience.

Casual Chats

Lunchtime meetings with middle school and high school GSAs (Gay Straight Alliances or Gender Sexuality Alliances) or other small groups to chat about whatever is most interesting to students. We often include a version of such an informal gathering with older students between formal classroom presentations for all ages.

Presentations

Sarah & Ian love engaging with people of all ages about topics ranging from gender identity and expression to writing and publishing picture books to book bans. They enjoy presenting to kids pre-K through elementary school, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, and adults at schools, conferences, libraries, churches and synagogues. Their sessions for younger kids are typically 25-30 minutes, for older students typically 45 minutes, and for adults, our presentations are in the 45-90 minute range. Sarah & Ian are happy to design a session that fits the unique needs of your particular group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_deKR–u9gs

“Sarah & Ian’s visits to our class help us to cultivate an environment where students feel safe to express themselves, explore their identities, and appreciate and support others.” — Anjali Ramisetti, Katherine Delmar Burke School, 2025

“The first time I heard Sarah & Ian tell their story, I was in awe of them. Their loving, unconditional acceptance of their child is a model every parent should see. What a lucky child Sam is to get to grow up with Sarah and Ian as his parents!” — Susan Rahman, College of Marin, 2022

“Sarah and Ian were so thoughtful in providing just-right content for our kindergarteners all the way up to our older students. Their loving and honest stories, easy back-and-forth with one another, and humorous delivery of a delicate topic made this sensitive, yet oh-so-critical topic digestible and relatable. This is a conversation that I hope students, teachers, and parents will continue to have with more ease thanks to the Hoffmans. I’m so grateful to them for sharing their gift of their family’s journey, and their beautiful storytelling, with our entire school community.” — Kristine Keane, George Peabody School, 2021

“Sarah & Ian have a unique ability to capture the joys and challenges of raising a gender-nonconforming child. Their natural ability as storytellers, combined with their insightful reflections on their own journeys as parents, make them compelling speakers for a diverse range of audiences. Balancing humorous anecdotes with poignant realism, they build awareness, understanding, and acceptance of families and children navigating this challenging terrain.” — Joel Baum, Gender Spectrum Education and Training, 2020

“Sarah and Ian’s willingness to share the story of their family with my students has opened up new dialogue and understanding of children with diverse expressions of gender. The research they have completed with other families with children who cross gender “boxes” has been invaluable in helping teachers understand the perspectives of parents and caregivers, and how we can support them as educators. We always appreciate their openness and willingness to share time with us!” — Tracy Burt, Child Development and Family Studies Department City College of San Francisco, 2016

“I want to let you know how much I appreciate your books. The hope for grace they offer and the long tail of respect and understanding they will have on generations is a beautiful thing.” — Calvin Crosby, California Independent Booksellers Alliance

Jacob’s New Dress Teaching Guide, Welcoming Schools

Jacob’s Room to Choose Teaching Guides, Pride & Less Prejudice

Jacob’s New Dress Teaching Guide, Highland Literacy

Seattle Public Schools, Jacob’s New Dress Lesson Plan

Jacob’s School Play Teaching Guide

Sarah & Ian’s Book Banning Page

Sarah & Ian’s Events Page

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Jacob’s New Dress:
American Library Association, #72 on the list of The 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books of the Decade, 2021
Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature, Picture Book, 2017
Canadian Children’s Book Centre, 2015
Forward Reviews, One of the 10 Best Indie Picture Books of 2014
New England Book Festival, Runner-up, Children’s Books, 2014
Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California, Distinguished List, 2014

Jacob’s Room To Choose:
American Library Association Rainbow Book List Selection, 2020
National Council for the Social Studies/Children’s Book Council, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Selection, 2020
Foreward Indies, Finalist, Picture Books, 2019

Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, and They!:
Bank Street College, The Best Children’s Books of the Year, Five to Nine, 2022

Jacob’s Missing Book:
Cooperative Children’s Book Center CCBC Choices 2025