Where Are All the LGBTQ Kid Show Book Tie-Ins?

Many of us queer parents (myself included) bemoan the lack of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books, especially for younger tots. There’s one potential source for these books, however, that has not yet been fully tapped: tie-ins to the increasing (though still small) number of LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ television shows.

Going back a few years, one can find a book version of the 2005 Postcards from Buster episode “Sugartime,” in which rabbit Buster visits a two-mom family’s maple-sugar farm (an episode that drew condemnation from President George W. Bush’s Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings). This is also one of a very few LGBTQ-inclusive “early reader” books.

There’s not much after that, however. I wrote yesterday about Sesame Street’s steps towards queer inclusion. Sesame Street also has a plethora of books about its characters. Why not also have one about families, echoing the themes of the episodes I mentioned, which similarly shows families of many types, including ones with same-sex parents?

And Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins broke new ground with an episode last August, “The Emergency Plan,” that featured a two-mom family. Disney has produced books for some Doc McStuffins episodes already. I want one for “The Emergency Plan”! (And many existing Doc books are for “early readers,” where LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books have their greatest gap. This could help fill it!)

Similarly, Amazon’s Danger & Eggs includes an episode titled “Chosen Family,” set at a Pride Parade. The show is produced by Amazon, “Earth’s biggest bookstore,” for goodness sake. Where’s the book?

The Cartoon Network’s Clarence also includes a boy, Clarence’s friend Jeff, who has two moms. There are a few Clarence books to be found, and the Clarence Wiki says the moms are in comics #1 and #4, which seem to be collected in this volume. Near as I can figure, though, the book is “all new,” and although the moms are mentioned in passing at least once, they don’t really play a role. That could be good if you’re looking for a book that isn’t issue driven—but if you want a little more visibility for them, then we could still use book versions of the episodes “Jeff Wins,” where the moms are first introduced, and “Jeff’s Secret” (which is pointedly not his moms). The show is no longer airing, however, so we probably can’t expect much more here.

Similarly, in Nickelodeon’s The Loud House, the best friend of the main character has two dads, but neither their introductory episode, “Overnight Success,” nor “Attention Deficit,” where they play a major role for the first time, appears as one of the show’s book adaptations.

One could go on into the higher age ranges as well. Why isn’t there a young adult book series based on Freeform’s The Fosters, especially since the show is ending its run (though not without a spinoff), leaving many passionate young fans bereft? (Us older mom fans are bereft as well—so I’ll just note that YA books don’t preclude a grown-up book series focused on moms Lena and Stef, too.)

Still, the greater need at the moment is for books aimed at younger children. TV tie-in books are not a complete solution—there’s still a great need for separate, original storylines that reflect the vast diversity of LGBTQ families and individuals. But tie-in books seem like such an obvious thing to do, I see no reason not to push for them. Next time you praise a kids’ television show for its LGBTQ inclusion, therefore, make sure to ask, “Where’s the book?”

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