This week’s new LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books include a delightful trans-led chapter book from the incomparable Kyle Lukoff; a book for LGBTQ families (and others) exploring faith; and the U.S. edition of a funny tale about a girl, a unicorn, and her magical veterinarian dads.
Click titles or images for full reviews.
The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class: Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation, by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kat Fajardo (Little, Brown). Each volume in this multi-author chapter book series focuses on a different protagonist in the same third-grade class. This one, by Newbery Honoree, National Book Award Finalist, and two-time Stonewall Book Award winner Kyle Lukoff, features Sebastian Metzger, who loves learning about animals, wearing a bow tie, and talking with his imaginary chipmunk friend, Jimothy. The heart of the tale involves how he must own up and make amends when a library book in his care gets damaged. Sebastian is also a transgender boy, and although the book isn’t “about” him being trans, it does tell us something about his social transition and his feelings about his gender along the way.
Lukoff is one of the most talented writers of LGBTQ-inclusive books for young people. While this story is part of a lighthearted chapter book series, it still showcases his skill with character development and with presenting trans people as full human beings, neither ignoring the ways their trans identities have shaped their lives nor failing to show that they are more than just their transness. As with all of his books, this one is highly recommended.
The Love That Made You, by Grace Semler Baldridge, illustrated by Fran Alvarez (Beaming Books). This rhyming poem from parent to child is a rare title that may specifically appeal to LGBTQ families of faith. As the story plays out, we see a two-mom family (or mom and nonbinary parent family; one could see it either way) spending a day in the woods, interacting with nature and the other people they encounter. The narrator parent doesn’t know all the answers to big questions like “How did we get here?” or “Who made the earth grand?”, but tells the child that there is still meaning to be found in the world and a “Love” in the universe, noting, “Some call it religion,/faith, or divine/a God from above/as eternal as time.” People around the world find different ways to connect with this Love, the parent continues, including through prayer. Whether life brings tough days or joyous ones, the Love will be there, the parent reassures the child, telling them that the Love they give will find its way back to them—a call to be kind and giving to others. The Love links us all, the book says, and the parent asserts their ongoing love for the child.
Although alt-Christian singer-songwriter Baldridge is the child of an Episcopal priest, they take a wide approach that may appeal to people of many denominations and faith traditions. When they became a parent, they say in an Author’s Note, they wondered, “How can I explain God in a way that isn’t traumatizing but is potentially even reassuring?” For LGBTQ parents and other adults who may be more likely than others to have experienced trauma in conjunction with religion, that feels particularly important. Not that all LGBTQ parents will find meaning in faith, but for those who do, or who simply want to explore it with their children, this book is a much-needed and therefore recommended resource.
The Marvelous Doctors for Magical Creatures, by Jodie Lancet-Grant, illustrated by Lydia Corry (Crocodile Books). In this frolicsome tale about being true to oneself, Ava’s dads heal all types of magical creatures in their small town, “From dragons with sore throats to fairies with broken wings.” Ava loves helping them do so. One day, Ava brings in Glitterbug, a white unicorn with pink mane and tail who is complaining of a tummy ache. Her dads can’t figure out what’s causing the creature’s ills, however. Ava then spends a day observing Glitterbug and the other pastel-hued unicorns, and finally realizes that Glitterbug doesn’t like doing what the other unicorns do. Trying to fit in was giving Glitterbug a tummy ache, Ava opines. She’ll feel better “if she just tries to be herself.”
There’s more than one way to be a unicorn, her Papa observes, and Daddy agrees, noting that they themselves are not like other doctors. The lesson here is clear, but engagingly told. The fact that Ava has two dads is incidental to the story; Glitterbug’s search for self isn’t about an LGBTQ identity per se, but about being different in terms of interests and personality type. Nevertheless, LGBTQ young people are among the many who may find resonance with this tale, although its appeal is far broader.
