Father’s Day (or Fathers’ Day, if that’s how you roll) is almost here, so let’s round up some great books for and about kids with queer dads—and a few for the dads themselves! Humor, drag queens, STEM learning, and gentle lessons of families and love—these books have it all!
Most of the books here are from this year, but I’ve reached back in a few instances to ensure better representation. Click through for full reviews—and be sure to check my database for more!
Picture Books
Some Daddies, by Carol Gordon Ekster, illustrated by Javiera Mac-Lean Álvarez (Beaming Books). All daddies are different but all are special, says this book about many different types of dads. Some tell stories, while others listen to music, for example. The book goes on to explore many other contrasting things some daddies do at home and away, before concluding, “Every daddy is different. Every child is, too!” The illustrations include two-dad families and single dads, and dads (and kids) with a variety of racial and ethnic identities and physical abilities. Importantly, the book also acknowledges various ways of family formation, including chosen families.
Miss Rita, Mystery Reader, by Kristen Wixted and Sam Donovan, illustrated by Violet Tobacco (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Tori’s dad is going to be the Mystery Reader in Tori’s class, and Tori (who is nonbinary) has asked him to come as his drag persona, Miss Rita. Tori helps Daddy get ready by choosing brushes, a wig, a gown, and jewelry as Daddy applies blush, brows, gloss, and glitter. Tori wonders if the class will love Miss Rita as much as they do, though, and Daddy says he’ll dress like the rest of the class if Tori prefers. Tori then has a better idea, though, and shows up in their own sparkly, colorful outfit as Miss Rita’s assistant. A fun book, written with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
Bathe the Cat, by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by David Roberts (Chronicle Books). A hilarious book starring a Black two-dad family (still an unfortunate rarity in picture books), Bathe the Cat has a rhythm and silliness that will make kids want to read and reread. The story opens with a two-dad, two-kid, one-cat family getting ready for Grandma’s arrival. Papa is trying to organize everyone to tidy and clean, so he makes a list with magnetic letters on the fridge, assigning tasks like “mop the floor” and “scrub the dishes.” Papa himself will “bathe the cat.” The cat doesn’t want to be bathed, however, and quietly scrambles the list so the people get tasks like “feed the floor” and “sweep the dishes.” The family tries to comply, with chaotic results (but an ultimately happy ending).
Much as I love the overall story, readers should note that the first printing of the book has Papa exclaiming at one point, “I’ve lost my marbles,” but the publisher has informed me that because of the ableist implications of the phrase (meaning that a person is acting “as if they have become insane”), they will be changing it to “This is ridiculous” in the next printing, likely available in summer or fall of 2022.
Miguel’s Community Garden, by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy. A young boy (who happens to have two dads) wants sunflowers for his garden party, and sets off with his pet turtle to find them. “What do we know about sunflowers?” the text asks us. Subsequent pages each explain one characteristic of a sunflower (it “is tall,” “has yellow petals,” “has a round center,” etc.), then show Miguel encountering a plant that doesn’t quite match. (An artichoke has petals, for example, but they are green, not yellow.) Miguel finally spots the sunflowers, though, and in the final scene, he and his dads have a garden party with several other children, snacking on all of the fruits and vegetables mentioned earlier. This is a delightful book for early STEM learning, showing readers how to be careful observers of nature.
Tuesday Is Daddy’s Day, by Elliot Kreloff (Holiday House). A girl whose mom and dad are divorced feels lucky to have a room at both her mom’s house and her dad’s house, which he shares with his new partner, Harry. One day, though, when her mom picks her up from school on the day her dad was supposed to, she’s upset by this change in routine. It turns out, though, that the adults were working together on a happy surprise for her, and all is well in the end. This is a sweet story about a family working together in the best interests of the child, even after a divorce.
Adventures with My Daddies, by Gareth Peters, illustrated by Garry Parsons. A sweet picture book about a girl who loves having her dads read stories to her—especially the one about her adoption. Overall, the story is uplifting and empowering. One scene may give some readers pause, however: As the family reads a story together, set in India, the dads are pretending to be kings and the White dad is dressed in a turban and jacket reminiscent of India. Perhaps the child has Indian ancestry herself (her light brown skin makes this a possibility, as does the book’s original publication in the U.K., which has a large South Asian population), and the White dad is trying to show her that their storytime worlds can include that part of her heritage, too. Still, some may feel this is cultural appropriation—I point it out so you can do your own evaluation.
The Light of You, by Trystan Reese and Biff Chaplow, illustrated by Van Binfa (Flamingo Rampant). A two-dad family (including one dad, a trans man, who is pregnant) is welcoming a new baby! Each spread shows different members of the extended family and community bringing gifts and support—but also offers questions for readers to answer themselves, such as “Who welcomed and celebrated your small person?” and “What songs or music does your small person enjoy?” While the book will have special appeal to families with trans dads who gave birth and who have had precious little picture-book representation, the story is also general enough to appeal to any family wanting to show their children the joy and love with which they were welcomed into the world.
She’s My Dad! by Sarah Savage, illustrated by Joules Garcia (Jessica Kingsley). The child protagonist introduces readers to their dad, a transgender woman, and their fun and loving life together. They also share about their dad’s transition, but add that while that “sounded a bit scary at first,” their dad explained that “I will always be your dad and I will always love you very much.” Now, their dad smiles and laughs a lot more, the child observes. The explanation of their dad’s gender identity comes from a place of pride, confidence, and love.
Middle Grade
While picture books are sometimes a present for the parents as much as the kids (since they’re often read together), middle-grade ones may be more appropriate as presents for the kids, not for Father’s Day. Still, I’ve included them here since they’re thematically related—and really, why not have family reading time with kids of any age?
Different Kinds of Fruit, by Kyle Lukoff (Dial). Sixth-grader Annabelle’s plans for a boring year are upset by a new teacher with ideas for the curriculum and by new student Bailey, who is nonbinary, wears cool t-shirts, and isn’t afraid to stand up to the class bully. Annabelle soon develops a crush on Bailey, but isn’t sure what this means for her own identity. Her dad is oddly reluctant to talk about anything LGBTQ related, however. Annabelle eventually finds out that he is a trans man who has lived a “stealth” life for many years. (The book’s publicity material reveals this, so it’s not a real spoiler.) Newbery honoree and two-time Stonewall Award winner Lukoff weaves a light touch of humor into a thoughtful tale about human growth, relationships, and the intergenerational impact of bias and secrets.
On the Line, by Paul Coccia and Eric Walters (Orca). Thirteen-year-old Jordie’s parents are always fighting. He hopes they can resolve their differences and tries to focus on leading his school basketball team, but then his dad suddenly moves out and comes out as gay. Jordie finds support from his long-time friend Junior and from Tammy, a new girl playing on the boy’s basketball team. He’s still angry with his dad, though, and this isn’t helped by the homophobia he experiences and the gossip that spreads in their small, working-class town. His anger comes out in ways that could cost him his place on the team—and cost him his relationships with Junior and Tammy. Yet it is these relationships that ultimately assist him and help him realize his friends need him as much as he needs them.
Long Distance, by Whitney Gardner (Simon & Schuster). When one of her two dads gets a new job in Seattle, 9-year-old Vega isn’t happy about moving from the family’s home in Portland, Oregon. Her well-meaning dads sign her up for a summer camp designed to help kids make friends, but Vega goes only reluctantly, since her best friend, Halley, is back in Portland. Strange things are going on at the camp, however, starting with the oddly robotic counselors. Vega must partner with the other campers to figure out the mystery, even as she tries in vain to stay connected with Halley. She puts her astronomy skills to use as the others contribute their various STEM skills, but the camp’s secret is something none of them could have predicted. Quirky characters and a big dose of humor, plus incidental queer representation, make this graphic novel a delight.
Grown Ups
How We Do Family: From Adoption to Trans Pregnancy, What We Learned about Love and LGBTQ Parenthood, by Trystan Reese (The Experiment). Part memoir and part parenting guide, this thoughtful and inspiring book manages to tell a story that is specific to the author’s experience as a gay, trans dad while also offering universal advice on parenting, relationships, and more.
Coming Up for Air: What I Learned from Sport, Fame and Fatherhood, by Tom Daley (Hanover Square Press). This memoir by the most-decorated British diver of all time, Olympian, gay dad, and LGBTQ advocate Tom Daley, looks at the personal and professional experiences that have shaped him, organized around themes like perseverance, courage, and acceptance. He does not shy from sharing challenges he has faced, including mental health issues that hindered his diving, coming out, and starting a family with his husband, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black—but he also shows readers the positive lessons he has learned from each experience. Heartfelt and revealing.
Dads, by Bart Heynen (powerHouse Books). A gorgeous photo essay by Belgian-born, New York-based photographer and gay dad Bart Heynen, offering portraits of 40 gay dads (coupled and single) and their children around the U.S. We see families of various racial and ethnic identities, formed in different ways; children from infant to grown; and even a sense of queer community beyond individual families. Some of the photos include the family’s surrogate. A beautiful book that would make a wonderful gift for yourself or others.
