Are your kids getting too old for picture books but not quite ready to tackle middle grade titles? Try these two new, absolutely adorable LGBTQ-inclusive titles with nonbinary representation, aimed at beginning readers!
Hocus and Pocus and the Spell for Home, by A. R. Capetta, illustrated by Charlene Chua (Candlewick), is a charming and magical chapter book with adorable protagonist pups and incidental nonbinary inclusion.
Hocus and Pocus can’t seem to be adopted from the Shelter for Slightly Magical Pets, even though Hocus can see two minutes into the future and Pocus can turn bad feelings into bubbles (which he eats!) Perhaps this is because they keep making mischief to assure they get adopted together. One day, however, they see a witch named Jinx demonstrate a potion to help a tortoise find a home, and they cleverly find a way to get taken to Jinx’s house! They cause magical mayhem, however, and embroil Jinx’s three apprentices (including one who uses they/them pronouns). Can they fix the mess they created? And will they finally find a home?
This tale is a breath of fresh air after too many chapter books with stiff dialog and/or weak plots. There’s a clear dramatic arc, nice characterizations, and an engaging world of magical realism, along with adorable illustrations.
Additionally, all of the human characters introduce themselves with their pronouns as if this was the most natural thing in the world (which it should be). And while there’s only one clearly queer character here—Jinx’s apprentice Tam—Jinx herself gives me queer vibes. Maybe it’s her cargo overalls. This is the first book of a planned series, however, so perhaps we’ll learn more about how Jinx identifies (or meet other queer characters) in future volumes. Regardless, this is a highly recommended title.
Batcat: Sink Or Swim! (Batcat #2), by Meggie Ramm (Amulet), is the second graphic novel adventure of Batcat, the adorable half-bat, half-cat! This time, Batcat heads to the Mermaid Lagoon for some “me time” away from their (nice but occasionally annoying) roommate Al the Ghost. At the beach, however, they find the mermaids in an uproar because someone is stealing the colors from their tails! When the mermaids tempt Batcat with a bag of their famous fish tacos, Batcat agrees to help them discover the source of this horror—leading to a confrontation with a sea serpent, a ghost pirate, and more sort-of-but-not-really-spooky denizens of Spooky Isle.
The book leans into its silliness, making it a great choice for new chapter book readers up through middle-grade graphic novel aficionados (though it would be a fun family read-aloud, too). Under the humor, however, are subtle messages about friendship, confronting one’s fears, and looking below someone’s surface. Batcat’s nonbinary identity is incidental to the main story, but backmatter includes “Non-binary Facts” (drawn in the same graphic style as the rest of the book), as well as a few pages on how to draw Batcat and Al.
As I said about the first volume in the series, I’m often skeptical of animal analogies about LGBTQ people in general—but Batcat is such a fun series that it just might work. As a cisgender person, I recognize my limits in assessing analogies about nonbinary folks, but author/illustrator Meggie Ramm is nonbinary themself, so I’ll trust that Batcat will resonate with at least some nonbinary readers (among others). I found the book to be a delight, and recommend it heartily.