10 Recent, LGBTQ-Inclusive Books for Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Today is Multicultural Children’s Book Day, so I’m showcasing 10 recent picture books that are LGBTQ inclusive and celebrate a diversity of cultures!

In compiling this list, I’ve abided by the Multicultural Children’s Book Day site definition of multicultural children’s books as:

• Books that contain characters of color as well as main characters that represent a minority point of view.
• Books that are written by an author of diversity or color from their perspective. Search #ownvoices to discover diverse books written by diverse authors.
• Books that share ideas, stories, and information about cultures, race, religion, language, and traditions. These books can be non-fiction but still written in a way that kids will find entertaining and informative.
• Books that embrace special needs or even “hidden disabilities” like ADHD, ADD, and anxiety.
• Books that show IBPOC readers what is POSSIBLE–like a book that shows an Asian child as an astronaut, a child from Sudan as an actress, or a biracial child as a world leader.

The titles below are happily not the only LGBTQ-inclusive books that meet this definition, but they’re some of my favorites that have been published since my list for this event last year. For even more, search my database and use the various tags to filter by different racial, religious, and cultural identities!

Click the titles or images below for more details and fuller reviews.

Sugar Pie Lullaby: The Soul of Motown in a Song of Love, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud (Sourcebooks). Two-mom and two-dad families are among the varied family types shown in this jazzy little book by the award-winning Carole Boston Weatherford. Each page uses a line from a classic Motown hit to illuminate a gentle scene of family life. Weatherford, a poet as well as a prose author, weaves the lines together to form a whole, as parents and kids snuggle, read, bathe, dance, and more. Out 2/7/2023, but available for preorder.

Little Black Lives Matter, by Khodi Dill, illustrated by Chelsea Charles (Triangle Square). Queer icons Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, Billie Holiday, and Audre Lorde are among the Black lives celebrated in this rhyming book from the publisher of A is for Activist and Antiracist Baby. Johnson’s image, smiling at a child wearing a similar crown of flowers, even graces the cover (and an inside spread). The books is available as a board book or regular hardcover, and makes a great addition to bookshelves on Black lives, queer lives, and social justice.

Love without Bounds: An IntersectionAllies Book about Families, by Carolyn Choi, Chelsea Johnson, and LaToya Council, illustrated by Ashley Seil Smith (Dottir Press). Picture books about different types of families are increasingly common, but these authors, all women of color who met through their doctoral program in sociology, have given us a take on the subject that that feels particularly varied and intersectional, with a rarer—and emphatic—acknowledgment of chosen families.

A Song for the Unsung: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington, by Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders, illustrated by Byron McCray (Henry Holt). A moving biography of the Black, gay man behind the 1963 March on Washington, showing the intersection of his identities and how this impacted him. This testament to the man and his work, not only conveys the facts of his life but also helps readers emotionally connect with both him and the spirit of the era.

My Paati’s Saris, by Jyoti Rajan Gopal, illustrated by Art Twink (Kokila). A poetic story about the relationship between a Tamil grandmother and grandchild and the joy that can be found when children are allowed to express themselves freely, regardless of gender norms. A swirling, colorful delight, and notable for showcasing a gender creative boy without anyone questioning or teasing him.

My Fade Is Fresh, by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Kitt Thomas (Penguin Workshop). A young girl walks into her neighborhood barbershop, wanting “The freshest fade up on the block!” Others suggest different styles, which we see imagined or demonstrated on other clients, an empowering glimpse at the many shapes and forms Black hair can take. The girl is resolute, however. Finally, she gets the cut she wants and walks past the barbershop wearing a skirt and showing off her new fade as her self-confidence shines. A joyous, rhyming ode to Black hair and self-expression.

Miguel’s Community Garden, by JaNay Brown-Wood and illustrated by Samara Hardy. A young boy wants sunflowers for his garden party, and sets off with his pet turtle to find them. This is a delightful book for early STEM learning, showing readers how to be careful observers of nature. The fact that Miguel has two dads is happily incidental to the tale.

Chabelita’s Heart: El corazón de Chabelita, by Isabel Millán (Reflection Press). This bilingual (Spanish/English) book adds to the small number of picture book titles about young girls with crushes on other girls, and also gives us a look at Chicanx, Mexican, and Honduran cultures. With a queer protagonist of color who leans masculine of center, this story offers vital and often overlooked representation in a setting of familial support.

Kapaemahu, by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, and Joe Wilson, illustrated by Daniel Sousa. In the 15th century, four Tahitians journeyed to Hawaii, says the legend in this book. They were mahu, neither male nor female, but “a mixture of both in mind, heart, and spirit.” They shared their wisdom and healing skills with the Hawaiians, who built a monument in their honor. A beautiful, important book that not only offers indigenous representation, but also underscores the long history and deep importance of nonbinary people in certain cultures.

Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome, by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua (Simon & Schuster). Amy’s class has a new student from China named Lin! Amy wants to make friends, but Lin doesn’t reply when she tries to talk with him. She thus invites him to her family’s dumpling party to help him feel welcome. Two of the guests at the party are a two-man couple, and we see them in several scenes. While they don’t play a role in the plot, seeing them here in a book about being welcoming feels significant.