The past year or so has seen several LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books that may have flown under your radar because the queerness of the characters is not a big part of the storyline. Check them out!
Charlie & Mouse
, written by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Emily Hughes (Chronicle Books) won the prestigious Theodore Seuss Geisel Medal in 2018 for being “the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English.” The sweet book, with echoes of the classic Frog and Toad tales, relates the adventures of two brothers throughout their day. Mouse is gender creative in his play, wearing both cowboy boots and a tutu. They also interact with their gay neighbors.
Little Pig Saves the Ship
, by David Hyde Costello (Charlesbridge), is an adorable tale of a pig too young to join his siblings at camp, but who spends the day with his two grandfathers instead. It is implied, but never stated, that the grandfathers are a couple (although they could be from different sides of the family).
In Harini and Padmini Say Namaste
written by Amy Maranville and illustrated by Tim Palin (Bharat Babies), Padmini’s two moms bring her to her first yoga class, where the teacher, Miss Janani, teaches her and her friend Harini about the history of yoga as a Hindu spiritual practice, and shows them some poses.
Tinyville Town: I’m a Veterinarian
, by Brian Biggs (Abrahms) is the fourth book in this cute preschool series and shows the town librarian going about his day after getting out of a bed where his husband is sleeping, then coming home to read in bed next to him at night. (Here’s my longer review and interview with Biggs.)
The boy protagonist of the bilingual My Dad is a Clown / Mi papá es un payaso
, written by José Carlos Andrés (Nube Ocho), has two dads, one a doctor and the other a professional clown. His doctor dad tells him they have the most important jobs in the world, because “One heals the body and the other heals the soul.” One day, the boy follows his clown dad to work to learn more about what it takes to be a clown. The bright, blocky illustrations by Natalia Hernandez are simple but distinctive.
Don’t let the penguins fool you. Harriet Gets Carried Away
, by Jessie Sima (Simon & Schuster), is nothing like And Tango Makes Three
, another queer inclusive book about aquatic avians. When the costume-loving Harriet dresses up like a penguin and goes to find party hats for her birthday, she ends up having an adventure with a group of actual penguins. Can she find the way back to her dads in time for the party? A simply joyful book that celebrates the power of imagination.
The Adventures of Honey & Leon
(Random House), by Alan Cumming (yes, the actor), with illustrations by‎ Grant Shaffer (his husband), is based on the pair’s real-life dogs, whom they imagined secretly followed them when they traveled around the world. The fictional Honey and Leon don a variety of disguises to make sure their dads stay out of harm’s way. Wordy enough that this is best for the older picture-book crowd.
The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig
, by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, and Caprice Crane, illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld (Little, Brown), is based on the true story of a two-man couple who adopt what they think is a mini-pig—but who eventually grows to 600 pounds. The tale is full of energy and will resonate with any parent with a mischievous child.
While these are all fun books to add to your collection or get from the library, all but one share something in common: male couples, not female ones. (This trend in the current crop of LGBTQ kids’ books was also noted by Alli Harper in a January piece at M Is for Movement.) That’s an imbalance that needs to be addressed.
And while the above books do show same-sex couples doing “everyday” and not specifically “queer” things, they’re really just a few of the many, many such stories that could be written about us in this vein, as both Harper and I have written.
Another commonality is that these are all books featuring same-sex couples, with no clearly transgender or gender expansive characters. There are a number of newish picture books that feature such characters, but most are “about” their being transgender or gender expansive. There are even fewer children’s books with trans or gender expansive characters doing everyday things or having adventures that don’t center around their gender identity. (Some do exist, notably several titles from Flamingo Rampant. Gayle Pitman’s A Church for All
and This Day in June
both include images of such characters, although they’re not protagonists. And Call Me Tree / Llamame arbol
, by Maya Gonzalez, has a gender-neutral protagonist.) To be sure, books about gender identity that can help children and parents navigate what it means to be trans or gender expansive can be literal lifesavers. But I can’t help think that a few everyday adventures that happen to have trans or nonbinary protagonists would be a nice addition to our shelves, too.
Enjoy the above books, then, even as we call for more.
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