Madame Martine is the latest picture book from Sarah Brannen, the author and illustrator whose gay-inclusive children’s book Uncle Bobby’s Wedding sits on many of our shelves. It doesn’t have any explicitly LGBTQ characters this time, but it’s a charming tale and I’m happy to support an LGBTQ-inclusive author even on other projects, especially when they’re as charming as this one.
What do you do if you’re sure a gremlin is sneaking into your house at night, but your moms don’t believe you? That’s the dilemma for a girl named Emlyn, star of Emlyn and the Gremlin, a fanciful new picture book in which the fact of her two moms is merely incidental to the tale.
I wrote recently about a new Kickstarter campaign by Flamingo Rampant, which will launch a book club for new LGBTQ and two-spirit picture books, committed to making half of them by and about people of color. I was happy to see the project mentioned at Slate — but the article incorrectly says that the last children’s book featuring same-sex parents who are not White was Asha’s Mums, published in 1990. That’s not true. Although the number is small, and we desperately need more, there have been a few.
Today is the birthday of both Harry Potter and his creator, author J.K. Rowling. I’m an unashamed Potterhead, for many reasons, and was thrilled to see results of a new academic study indicating that reading the Harry Potter series can help reduce prejudices.
The past few years have been sorely lacking in quality, LGBTQ-inclusive picture books. There have been some, but they’ve been few and far between. Author and educator S. Bear Bergman aims to change that with the launch of a subscription-based book club that will deliver a new LGBTQ and two-spirit picture book to your home or school every other month.
Go to almost any LGBTQ Pride parade these days, and the number of strollers rivals the number of motorcycles. Somewhat older children march with their families, schools, or religious groups. Unlike other holidays, however, Pride has had few children’s books written about it—but there are two: one that is more than two decades old, by
The Princes and the Treasure is the second children’s book this year, and the third in existence, to feature a gay prince. Let’s take a look.
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.
