Most of us LGBT parents will agree, I think, that we need more LGBT-inclusive children’s books — and more inclusive books across various dimensions of diversity. That’s why I’m so excited that a wonderful group of writers and publishers has created the “We Need Diverse Books” campaign to “to raise our voices into a roar that can’t be ignored.” All they need now is people’s participation.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: In a children’s fairy-tale story, a noble young man may marry a princess, but chooses her brother the prince instead. That’s right, it’s the plot of King and King, Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland’s 2003 picture book. It’s also a major part of Daniel Errico’s The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived, a recent addition to the LGBT-inclusive children’s book genre. Does the new book bring anything new to the table?
A new picture book by Sarah and Ian Hoffman, Jacob’s New Dress (Albert Whitman, 2014), is welcome addition to the small but growing number of books for and about young gender nonconforming and transgender children.
I asked my son to share some of his favorite books, in honor of this week’s Read Across America — the National Education Association’s annual celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and the excitement of reading. Here’s what he picked, along with his reasons for doing so.
One of the more delightful recent picture books featuring a child with LGBT parents is Elisabeth Kushner’s The Purim Superhero, about a child with gay dads celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim. I wrote about the book last year when it was first published — and am pleased to see that PJ Library, a project that sends free children’s books to Jewish families, is offering free copies of the book to subscribers who request it.
The American Library Association (ALA) on Monday announced its annual Stonewall Book Awards for LGBT-inclusive children’s and young adult books, as well as its more extensive Rainbow List of notable titles. What did they choose this year?
Same-sex penguin pairs aren’t a new phenomenon. At least four male pairs have hatched eggs together. But a zoo in Israel reported recently that a pair of female penguins are building a nest. Suki and Chupchikoni “have clearly set up house together, creating a scrape into which they collect nesting materials,” reports Haaretz. Zookeepers originally thought
A Catholic educators’ group responsible for developing Catholic school curricula based on the Common Core State Standards has removed three books from its first-grade plan because they include same-sex and/or divorced parents.
Lesbian mom trivia question: What was the first children’s book in the U.S. to feature lesbian moms? Hint: It’s probably not what you think.
My son’s a middle-grade reader—beyond picture books, although not quite ready for young adult fare. LGBT-inclusive books for this age group seem to get less coverage than picture books and young adult ones, but here’s a nice new list—along with a longstanding one.
