Looking for LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books? Try some classics that are available free online.
Open Library, a project of the non-profit Internet Archive, has the goal of creating one Web page for every book ever published—but also has a free e-book lending library that includes these children’s books featuring LGBTQ parents. (Mostly lesbian and gay, but if I’ve missed something, please leave a comment.)
Once you register for a free Open Library account, you can borrow up to five titles for two weeks each. Click the “e-book” link next to “Borrow” on each book’s page. You can read them right in your browser or by using the free Adobe Digital Editions software. Only one borrower can check out a book at any given time, so please be considerate and return them as soon as you’re done. (See their Help page if you need assistance.)
As with all LGBTQ-inclusive books of earlier eras, I advise parents to read through these before sharing them with your children. Many include characters who make negative comments about gay or lesbian parents. Even though the books take steps to counter such comments, some children may still be frightened by them. Make your own decision based on your kids’ ages, temperaments, and experience.
- Zack’s Story: Growing Up with Same-Sex Parents, by Keith Elliot Greenberg; photographs by Carol Halebian. 1996. In this non-fiction book, an eleven-year-old boy describes life with his mother, divorced from his dad, her new partner, and his upcoming new sibling. Add this to the small list of books about a child being raised by a same-sex couple after one of them divorces a different-sex spouse. Zack describes everyday activities, vacations, and Pride parades, as well as how he dealt with a classmate who used the term “faggot.” It still feels fresh and relevant.
- Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite. 1990. One of the earliest children’s books to feature same-sex parents, it holds up well, except for the euphemistic “roommate.” Like Zack’s Story, it features a child with divorced different-sex parents, one of whom is now in a same-sex relationship.
- Heather Has Two Mommies, by Lesléa Newman. 2000. This is the 10th anniversary edition of the work first published in 1989, and which has come to epitomize LGBTQ-inclusive picture books. I much prefer the 25th anniversary edition that came out last year, for reasons I explained in my review, but Heather is a classic regardless.
- Gloria Goes to Gay Pride, by Lesléa Newman. 1991. Gloria and her two moms go to a Pride parade, where they meet other families and people from their neighborhood. A few spectators make negative remarks, but the overall tone is positive. The story holds up remarkably well, despite somewhat dated illustrations and use of the term “Gay Pride” rather than the more current “LGBT Pride.”
- Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and their Families, photographs by Gigi Kaeser; edited by Peggy Gillespie. 1999. Not a “kids’ book” per se, but this photo essay about our families is a great resource for parents and kids to browse together. Children may also especially like the passages from other children speaking about their families.
- Two Moms, the Zark, and Me, by Johnny Valentine. 1993. Another book from Alyson Wonderland, the publishing house that also put out Heather and Daddy’s Roommate. A boy visits the zoo and gets separated from his moms. He encounters a homophobic couple who tell him his moms’ relationship is “a sin” and try to place him with different-sex parents. In the end, the mysterious Zark, a friendly dinosaur-like creature, helps him reunite with his moms. I really don’t like this book at all. The mere idea of being taken away from one’s real parents and given to others is rather horrific and likely to frighten most kids. I mention the book here mostly for parents who may be interested for historical purposes. Let’s revel in how far we’ve come in terms of LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books.
Additionally, Open Library contains Free to Be…a Family, the 1987 book based on Marlo Thomas’ television special of the same name (and a sequel to her Free to Be…You and Me). It doesn’t have clearly LGBTQ content, but its theme of celebrating all kinds of families will certainly resonate. Packed with stories and songs (which become poems on the page), it could be used as a jumping-off point for creating your own verses.
Happy reading!