This terrific batch of recent LGBTQ board books offers affirmation, love, and Pride—and includes the first two LGBTQ-inclusive novelty books with interactive sliders, spinners, and more!
There are in fact now more than 100 LGBTQ-inclusive board books in total; filter my Database of LGBTQ Family Books by the “Board Book” tag to see the rest—and click the titles or images below for full reviews of these recent titles.
If It’s Pride and You Know It …, by Andy Passchier (Nosy Crow), gives us a Pride-themed version of the classic song, along with interactive sliders, spinners, and pull-outs sure to engage young readers (and maybe even their adults). The vivid rainbow hues and author/illustrator Andy Passchier’s cheery families exude queer joy,
Busy Pride, from Campbell Books, illustrated by Tommy Doyle, follows a child and two moms as they prepare for and attend a Pride parade. Sliders and prompts (“Can you find…?”) make face paint appear, extend the parade, make the singer sway, and more. It’s cheery and fun, with sweet sense of community.
Pride Is Love, by Dano Moreno, illustrated by Nakul P. (Random House), is a warm and joyous board book that focuses on the internal meaning of pride, even as it takes us to a more literal Pride celebration. In it, a girl tries to make a chain of daisies as she and her dads walk outside. When the chain breaks, however, the dads offer gentle lessons about resilience, speaking up, and being kind. The girl tries again, and the family, wreathed in flower crowns, make their way to a Pride parade of celebration and love.
You’re Fabulous As You Are, by Sophie Beer (Hardie Grant), is another cheery and inclusive board book by the author/illustrator, this one with an affirming message of self-love, especially for queer kids and those with queer parents. Both children and parents in the book have a variety of gender expressions (and, we may assume, gender identities).
You Are My Rainbow, by Michael Joosten, illustrated by Monge Lua (Little Simon), is a rhyming poem from parent to child about all the ways the child brightens their world. Families with two moms and two dads (and possibly a grandmother couple) are among those shown.