Happy International Women’s Day! Celebrate with some recent picture-book biographies of these inspiring queer and queer-adjacent women!
What do I mean by “queer-adjacent”? Two things: First, when speaking of people in much earlier times, it can sometimes be hard to tell if they actually would fall under what we would consider the LGBTQ umbrella. They often didn’t use such terms for themselves. The best we can do is make evidence-based, educated guesses about whether their identities feel close to what we would consider LGBTQ today. Personally, I take a pretty broad view of who falls under the umbrella, but know that it’s not always possible or advisable to apply specific labels. Second, I am including one woman below who was not LGBTQ herself, but is known for her work as an ally to the LGBTQ community. I also consider that “queer adjacent.”
The below biographies came out (so to speak) in 2022 or 2023, but are far from the only ones about queer women. See my database for other picture book biographies of queer people, and filter by identity if you wish.
Click titles or images below for full reviews and purchase links.
Artist Rosa Bonheur is the subject of two recent picture-book biographies. No Horses in the House! The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur by Mireille Messier, illustrated by Anna Bron (Orca), is best for the younger end of the picture book age range. It’s a lightly fictionalized and condensed version of her life, focusing on her rejection of rules for women (They can’t be artists! They can’t wear pants!) and her desire to study the animals (particularly horses) that she most liked to draw. While it doesn’t go into too much detail, it conveys the gist of her significance with verve and fun.
Bonheur’s “lifelong partner” of 40 years, Nathalie Micas, is mentioned only briefly in a timeline at the end. I can understand leaving any romantic relationships out of the main text, in order to focus on the arc of Bonheur’s artistic development (especially in such a short book), but I would have liked to see something more about their relationship in the Author’s Note at the end, especially as this would have supported the book’s picture of Bonheur as a strong-willed, independent woman. Still, this is an account of Bonheur’s life that is definitely worth adding to any bookshelf of children’s biographies. Messier’s text deftly brings readers into Bonheur’s life and keeps the action moving (a notable feat when writing about a slow-moving activity like art). Anna Bron’s illustrations are lively and engaging while using a muted palette that evokes the 19th century.
A Storm of Horses: The Story of Artist Rosa Bonheur, written and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson (Crocodile Books), does offer more detail (though still at a level for picture book readers), in a straightforward and beautifully illustrated biography that also gives us a glimpse at her artistic methods and how she worked her sketches into a giant painting.
A section with “More About Rosa” at the end informs us that “Rosa chose to never marry. Instead, she lived with a beloved lifelong partner, Nathalie Micas.” After Micas died, she became “very close” with American painter Anna Klumpke, who lived with her until Rosa’s death. Sanderson also writes, “Many believe that Rosa was a lesbian, though she never spoke publicly about her preferences.” The use of the term “preferences” is unfortunate (see the GLAAD Media Reference Guide), but otherwise, this feels like a historically thoughtful assessment.
Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter, by Aida Salazar, illustrated by
Molly Mendoza (Scholastic), is a vibrant biography of Mexican revolutionary Jovita Valdovinos, who took the name “Juan” and led 80 soldiers into battle during the Cristero War for religious freedom. Author and Américas Award-winner Salazar is Jovita’s distant great-niece, and does great justice to her story, with an often lyrical turn of phrase and just the right amount of descriptive detail to inform but not overwhelm young readers. Just as spectacular are the illustrations by Eisner Award-honoree Molly Mendoza, bursting with movement, color, and emotion. While the book does cover some somber subjects, like murder and oppression, it also offers the inspiring model of a young hero who wasn’t afraid to break gender rules to fight for her people’s freedom.
While Jovita’s gender identity and sexual orientation are unstated (and to the best of my knowledge, unknown), I am choosing to include the book because she was clearly gender creative for her time.
Laverne Cox, by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Olivia Daisy Coles (Frances Lincoln Ltd.) is part of the bestselling Little People, Big Dreams series. It is a positive and well-intentioned look at the actor’s life from childhood, through her rising career, gender transition, achievement of many “firsts” for trans people, and her speaking up for “all the trans kids who came after her.” Despite Cox being the first in many ways, the book also nicely acknowledges the trans people who came before and after her.
A few parts of the wording might be improved, though, as I explain in my full review. Nevertheless, the book is affirming of transgender identities and the only picture book biography of this transgender leader and icon that I am aware of for this age group.
The Mother of a Movement: Jeanne Manford–Ally, Activist, and Co-Founder of PFLAG, by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Sam Kalda (Magination Press), is a moving biography of Manford by one of the leading authors of picture books about LGBTQ history and historical figures. While the book deals with some challenging subjects, like bias and hate, it does so in a way that children (particularly the older end of the picture-book range) should understand—and they do need to understand that such things exist in the world, so that they know how to prevent and oppose them. I’ll even say that every parent whose child has come out at any age should read it, as its story clearly but without preachiness offers Manford as a model of acceptance and active allyship. The book should be of great use in classrooms and libraries teaching about LGBTQ history, even as its theme of motherly love makes it a splendid title for home reading as well.
Folks may also want to check out two recent collective biographies that include queer women among queer people of other genders: the board book Little Black Lives Matter and the picture book Kind Like Marsha: Learning from LGBTQ+ Leaders.
