Yes, LGBTQ-inclusive picture books, like LGBTQ people, just keep coming out. Some of the latest: a lift-the-flap board book, an ode to parents who perform (and working parents of all types), two tales of self-acceptance and self-growth, and two biographies of queer musicians, one contemporary and one historical.
Click titles or images for full reviews, and visit my Database of LGBTQ Family Books for even more titles!
Family and Community
Love Grows Everywhere, by Barry Timms, illustrated by Tisha Lee (Frances Lincoln). The title is the message of this sweet, rhyming book that shows families, friends, and neighbors demonstrating their love to each other in many different ways, and evoking parallels to the natural world and the nurturing of plants. A queer couple is among the people shown.
The title was originally released as a regular hardback picture book and now is out as a lift-the-flap board book, where flaps with hidden images underneath add to the fun of this joyous volume.
Good Night, Break a Leg: Life with Broadway Dads, by Bret Shuford, illustrated by Elena Hager (Penguin Workshop). This cheery picture book was in the works when Shuford, a Broadway performer and dad, died from cancer in January 2026. Shuford’s husband, former New York City Ballet principal dancer Stephen Hanna, with whom he created the popular Broadway Husbands social media account, is championing the book as a way to honor Shuford’s legacy. The story, inspired by the family’s real life, is told from the perspective of a boy whose Papa and Dada may seem normal and boring—until they help the child get ready for bed, then leave the house to perform on stage for others. The lively tale shows that there are ways to balance career and parenthood without sacrificing the big things that matter: a happy, cared-for child who is inspired to live out his dreams because he sees his parents living out theirs.
Self-Acceptance and Self-Growth
Felix Finds His Polish, by Eric Rosswood, illustrated by Nathalia Takeyama (Beaming Books). A young boy colors his nails during a class painting project, but wonders what others will think, especially the class guest, a visiting firefighter. He finds unconditional support, however—even in an unexpected place, making this an upbeat story of self-expression and gender creativity.
Henry Gets Homesick, by Seamus Kirst, illustrated by Catherine Collingridge (Magination Press). In this supportive book from the press of the American Psychological Association, a young boy learns to cope with homesickness during his first sleepaway camp. The fact that he has two dads is incidental to the tale, which models best practices and offers gentle reassurance to both children and their adults.
Biographies
Chappell Roan: A Who HQ Illustrated Biography, by Olivia Luchini and Who HQ, illustrated by
Cinthya Álvarez (Penguin Workshop). This cheery biography of the pop star begins with her childhood, where she loved to dress up in costumes and show her imagination and creativity. We then see her growing music career and perseverance through setbacks and challenges. The book also mentions her realization that she was a lesbian, “which means that she falls in love with other women,” and her decision to uplift other members of the LGBTQ+ community by inviting local drag queens to perform with her. While in some ways this is a very straightforward biography, appropriately simplified for the age group, it does a nice job of showing Chappell’s evolution as a person, not just a performer, and why she inspires so many.
Tchaikovsky (Little People, Big Dreams), by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Elena Hager (Frances Lincoln). Part of the extensive Little People, Big Dreams series of picture-book biographies, this volume tells the story of musician and composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. As a child, Pyotr found that music helped him let his feelings out. Sent to law school by his family, he continued writing music, including for “a schoolmate he cared deeply about. The music said all the things he felt but couldn’t say out loud.” The illustration shows him singing to the other boy. The book paints an evocative picture of how Pyotr found inspiration in stories and filled his music with emotion, and urges young readers who can’t find words for how they feel to remember young Pyotr and how he expressed himself through music.