Revolutions and Revolutionaries in LGBTQ History Books for Tweens and Teens
Two similarly named books coming out this month offer tweens and teens a colorful look at some of the revolutions and revolutionaries of LGBTQ history.
Books for Kids
Drag Queens and Other Performers Take Center Stage in New Kids’ Books
I’m so excited about the plethora of LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books coming out in the next month or so as we head into Pride! I’ll be reviewing them over the coming few weeks—let’s start with a few about drag queens and other performers.
LGBTQIA+ Titles, Drag Queen Story Hours Challenged and Censored in 2019
Eight of the titles in the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) latest annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books were challenged or banned because of their LGBTQIA+ content. That’s unfortunately not surprising—but some other new trends this year add to concerns about censorship.
Plenty of Hugs (and a Two-Mom Family) in Sweet New Picture Book
A charming new picture book is a gentle celebration of the loving relationship between a toddler and parents. The family in it just happens to have two moms—and it gives us a rare picture-book depiction of a mom with a masculine-of-center gender expression.
Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Publishes Picture Book with a Joyful Nonbinary Star
Hairstylist, comedian, and television personality Jonathan Van Ness (of Netflix’s Queer Eye) has just added another title to his resumé—children’s book author. And the nonbinary star of his delightful new book shows young readers the power and joy of being themselves.
Lesléa Newman’s Sweet Passover Tale About a Boy, a Cat, and Finding a Family
You may know Lesléa Newman best as the author of Heather Has Two Mommies—but she’s also an award-winning author of Jewish children’s books, including a recent one that’s just right for the holiday of Passover, which starts this week!
Katharine Lee Bates, Author of “America the Beautiful,” Inspires a Picture Book
Katharine Lee Bates is best known as the author of “America the Beautiful”—but she was also a scholar, suffragist, and social activist, and lived for 25 years with fellow professor Katharine Coman. A new picture book illuminates her life and the inspiration for her most famous work.
In Memoriam: Tomie dePaola, Author of “Oliver Button Is a Sissy” and Much More
Prolific and honored children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola died today at age 85 after complications following a fall. Among his many works, DePaola, who was gay, wrote one of the earliest picture books to feature a boy who could be read as queer and “didn’t like to do things that boys are supposed to do.” The book was based on his own childhood experiences.
New Board Book Series Introduces the Youngest Children to “People of Pride”
Ellen DeGeneres and Harvey Milk are the subjects of two new board books offering the youngest children simple biographies of LGBTQ heroes. But are they really simple enough for the board-book age range?
New Edition of Middle-Grade Book on LGBTQ History and Activism Shows Celebration and Struggle
An updated and expanded edition of a Stonewall Honor-winning book for middle-graders on Pride and the LGBTQ-rights movement is just the thing for anyone wanting to bring some queerness into their COVID-19 homeschooling—but it’s also bound to be a much-read volume for years to come.