This week’s haul of new LGBTQ family books includes some truly great reads for both grown-ups and kids, including a biography of the queer woman who transformed children’s literature; a book for Christian families looking to support their trans and nonbinary kids (or those wondering why they should); a baking book by a chef-illustrator pair whose names you may know separately; and more.
Click titles or images for full reviews!
For Children
Good Books for Bad Children: The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom, by Beth Kephart, illustrated by Chloe Bristol (Anne Schwartz Books). You may not know the name Ursula Nordstrom, but chances are, you know the books she helped bring to fruition, including Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon, Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy, and many more. This upbeat and inspiring biography by Beth Kephart takes us through Nordstrom’s childhood, her years as a transformational editor, and her retirement, “where she lived with Mary Griffith, the woman she loved.” That’s right: The editor with arguably the most influence on the shape of children’s literature over the past century was a queer woman. Read my full review for some additional facts about Nordstrom and queer authors, plus a bonus connection to a fairly recent LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ book you may know and love.
David Atherton’s Baking Book for Kids: Delicious Recipes for Budding Bakers, by David Atherton, illustrated by Harry Woodgate (Candlewick). What happens when David Atherton, the gay, 2019 winner of The Great British Bake Off, teams up with Harry Woodgate, whose book Grandad’s Camper, about a girl and her queer grandpa, earned major awards in both the U.S. and U.K.? Good things—including tasty recipes and incidental queer inclusion in the illustrations.
To See Clearly: A Portrait of David Hockney, by Evan Turk, (Harry N. Abrams). A lovely and lyrical book about the power of art to capture beauty and of an extraordinary (and gay) artist who challenged himself to find it and see it in different ways.
For Grown-ups
Raising Kids beyond the Binary: Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children, by Jamie Bruesehoff (Broadleaf Books). This extraordinary book is not just a thorough, practical guide for Christian parents about how to support and affirm transgender and nonbinary children, although it is that. It is also not just a guide for how Christian churches, leaders, and communities can create welcoming congregations, although it is that. Overarching both of these components is a transformational exploration of why supporting these young people lies at the heart of what it means to be a Christian and to make the body of Christ present in our world. I have a lot more to say about it in my full review.
Baby Bank: A Lesbian Romantic Comedy, by Sarah Robinson (self-published). Mila Torres is a successful D.C. divorce attorney who moonlights as a stand-up comic. She’s 35, pansexual, single, and pretty happy with her life. That is, until her gynecologist suggests that she consider freezing her eggs just in case she wants kids later. Mila suddenly realizes she wants a kid now, partner or no. Of course, there are complications, including a new love interest who just happens to be her donor’s sister. (That’s in the jacket blurb, so it’s not really a spoiler.) Despite a few errors and coincidences that strain belief (see full review), it’s a fun read, and conveys a happy sense of how ties of both genetic and chosen families mix and mingle for many people today.
