It’s International Lesbian Day and LGBTQ History Month, so here are some picture book biographies of lesbians you should know!
Enjoy these with your kiddos—you might even learn something new about these women, too, as I have. I’ve taken a little liberty with the older historical figures Katharine Lee Bates and Gertrude Stein, who may not have used the term “lesbian” themselves, but can at the very least be seen as sapphic foremothers.
Click the titles or images for more details—and see my database for more kids’ books featuring lesbians as well as books for grown-ups about lesbian-headed families (and books about other queer folks, too)!
For Spacious Skies: Katharine Lee Bates and the Inspiration for “America the Beautiful,” by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Olga Baumert (Albert Whitman). Katharine Lee Bates is best known as the author of “America the Beautiful”—but she was also a scholar, suffragist, and social activist, and lived for 25 years with fellow professor Katharine Coman. This picture book illuminates her life and the inspiration for her most famous work. It also mentions “the home she shared with Katharine Coman” and an afterward calls their relationship “a close companionship,” though it was likely more than that.
A Portrait in Poems: The Storied Life of Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas, by Evie Robillard, illustrated by Rachel Katstaller (Kids Can Press). This biography of Gertrude Stein and “her partner Alice Toklas” focuses on their life together in Paris, collecting paintings, hosting salons, and in Gertrude’s case, writing. Quirky and charming, just like its subjects. Best for the older end of the picture-book age range.
When You Look Out the Window: How Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Built a Community, by Gayle Pitman, illustrated by Christopher Lyles (Magination Press). LGBTQ-rights pioneers Lyon and Martin helped transform San Francisco and its LGBTQ community. The picture book begins with them falling in love, buying a house, and observing the lack of rights for women and gay people in their neighborhood. “So we worked to change that,” they say.
I Am Billie Jean King, by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos (Dial). The cartoon-y images belie a thoughtful biography (told as a first-person autobiography) of the tennis star, her rise to the top of the sport, and her fight for gender, socioeconomic, and racial equality. It also discusses her realization that she was gay and that she was “one of the first openly lesbian sports figures”.
Billie Jean King (Little People, Big Dreams), by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Miranda Sofroniou (Frances Lincoln). A simple and cheery biography like the rest of this series, taking us from King’s childhood through her tennis career and fight against gender inequities in sports. It also mentions and depicts her partner Ilana Kloss. An afterward also notes she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work on both gender equality and LGBTQ rights.
Ellen DeGeneres (People of Pride), Little Bee Books, illustrated by Victoria Grace Elliott. This board book tells readers a little about Ellen’s life, from her early stand-up performances to her sitcom, coming out as gay, her show’s cancellation, and her eventual return to television with a successful talk show. It ends with a mention of her marriage to Portia De Rossi, the ways she works for “equality and fairness,” and her receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Some of the vocabulary (“trailblazer,” “scholarships,” “eventually,” “performance”) feels above the board book age range, however.
Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites, by Debbi Michiko Florence and Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Yuko Jones (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). A biography of Japanese-American chef and restauranteur Niki Nakayama, from childhood to the opening of her Los Angeles Michelin-starred restaurant, n/naka. The authors use the structure of kaiseki, a traditional Japanese multi-course meal that tells a story, to highlight moments—and foods—along her journey. Back matter notes her marriage to Chef Carole Iida-Nakayam.
Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman, by Sharice Davids and Nancy K. Mays, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (HarperCollins). A powerful autobiography by one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress and the first openly lesbian Native American to hold such an office. A story written to inspire, and likely will, serving as a mirror for those who share one or more of Davids’ identities and for anyone whose path takes them places they didn’t expect.
Megan Rapinoe (Little People, Big Dreams), by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Paulina Morgan (Frances Lincoln). A cheery book that shows the evolution of Rapinoe’s realization that she is gay while she also climbs the ladder of soccer superstardom. There are a few points that could use some clarification for young readers, but the main premise, that “by being truly herself on and off the field, little Megan became one of the most beloved soccer players in the world—and the best possible Megan she ever dreamt to be,” is a necessary message that resonates loud and clear.
