Comedian John Oliver made headlines this week with a new children’s book, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, released in response to A Day in the Life of the Vice President by Charlotte Pence, daughter of Vice President Mike Pence, and illustrated by his wife Karen. In Oliver’s version, Marlon falls in love with another boy bunny. But it’s hardly the only LGBTQ-inclusive children’s book starring animal characters.
A new middle-grade book, just released today, is told through a series of letters from a 10-year-old girl with two moms to her soon-to-be-born sibling, during a momentous year for both marriage equality and her favorite basketball team.
Two of my favorite LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books of recent years are Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth’s works on sexuality and reproduction, What Makes a Baby? and Sex Is a Funny Word. Now, the two want your input for their next volume.
Many of us queer parents (myself included) bemoan the lack of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books, especially for younger tots. There’s one potential source for these books, however, that has not yet been fully tapped: tie-ins to the increasing (though still small) number of LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ television shows.
The first book for LGBTQ families in Eastern Europe is building on the success of a January giveaway and launching an Indiegogo campaign to get the book into the hands of more children.
A gorgeous, beautifully written new graphic novel about a genderqueer prince breathes new life into old tropes. Learn more and take a sneak peek at some of the pages.
Several authors of queer-inclusive kids’ books are making their stories available free—one just for today!
Author Jacqueline Woodson, recently inaugurated National Ambassador for Children’s Literature and a queer mom, won the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for books that have made “a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” Several other LGBTQ children’s books and their authors were also honored at the ALA’s annual Youth Media Awards today.
The 2018 Rainbow Book List of librarian-recommended, LGBTQ-inclusive books for children and young adults is now out, with almost 50 titles from 18 publishers. At the same time, the list highlights gaps in specific areas of LGBTQ content and the ongoing problem of getting the word out about queer-inclusive kids’ titles.
A recent article calls for more picture books featuring characters with same-sex parents—specifically, ones that are less issue-driven and more about our everyday stories. That’s an approach I’ve been uplifting for years, and I couldn’t be happier to see others pick up the call. Her piece has inspired me to offer some additional thoughts on the state of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books.
