Banned Books Week may be over, but the need for quality, inclusive books continues. That’s why I’m proud to announce that the Mombian Database of LGBTQ Family Books now has more than 1400 items in it, with over 200 added this year! Search and filter for what you want, and read my in-depth reviews!
What’s Here
The Mombian Database is the largest, most current, searchable database of LGBTQ books for ages 0 to 12, with extensive reviews, and also includes LGBTQ parenting books, kids’ music, and more.
More than half of the items in it are picture books (including board books), followed by middle-grade books, books for grown-ups about LGBTQ families, and early readers/chapter books. There are also some children’s music albums, toys and games, and documentaries about LGBTQ families.
Not all of the items in the database are recommended; as with any genre, both accuracy and literary/artistic quality vary. I offer reviews to guide you, and include books that I am critical of so that you will know to assess them carefully. Nevertheless, many are excellent and some are superb; others may be less stellar in some ways but still offer important representation.
When I launched the database in January 2021, it had just over 500 items. The growth has been mostly in works published since then, although I’ve also filled in some older ones. I add all of the LGBTQ-inclusive books I know of for ages 0 to 12, barring ones of exceptionally poor quality (and ones that are not affirming of LGBTQ identities). If you are an author or publisher of any type and would like your book(s) to be considered, please contact me. (For more on what’s not in the database, see the footnote.*)
What’s the Landscape
The number of LGBTQ-inclusive family books, particularly picture books, has increased dramatically in recent years, and the range of LGBTQ and intersectional identities shown has also grown, though we still have far to go in some areas. We still need to see more families entirely of color, more transgender and nonbinary parents, more children’s biographies of LGBTQ people who do not yet have biographies for that age range, more stories about human kids of LGBTQ parents getting human siblings (and not just analogies with pets), and more stories where the characters’ LGBTQ identities are incidental to the tale, among other things, though we’ve seen some progress lately. Still, the overall quality has increased along with the volume and breadth of subjects. (I even created a “STEM” tag for books with science, technology, engineering, and math themes.)
LGBTQ-inclusive books and books about other marginalized identities may continue to be banned in record numbers, or caught in sweeping “Don’t Say Gay/LGBTQ” laws. We need to change that. (Here’s a resource from GLAAD and EveryLibrary to help do so.) I am heartened, however, by the many new titles that continue to be published (I’m already excited by much of what’s coming in 2024), and by the authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians, teachers, and others who continue to connect readers with them.
Many LGBTQ parents and parents of LGBTQ children still often have difficulty finding books that represent their families and/or identities; the same is true for allied parents and others wanting to ensure LGBTQ representation in their homes and schools. I built this database for you. I hope you’ll keep coming back to see what’s new as it grows further.
*I don’t cover young adult books since I’m only one person and need to sleep. Also, my blog is focused on parents and resources for them; older teens are usually choosing their own books. Kids’ movies/TV are a whole other adventure, and I have not yet added them—but see this post for an overview through early 2020, my Children’s films, Children’s television, and Children’s videos blog post categories, and in addition to Mombian, the Insider database of LGBTQ characters in cartoons (through June 2021), and the Wikipedia page on LGBTQ representation in children’s television (which, as with any Wikipedia article, is a good starting point, but should always be double checked).