There were so many great LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books and music albums this year that it was hard to choose a selection for this gift guide. Here are more than 60 that I feel stand out for their overall quality and/or the representation they offer.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, a young adult lesbian love story set in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1954, yesterday won the prestigious National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. In her acceptance speech, author Malinda Lo urged viewers to resist right-wing efforts to remove books about LGBTQ people and people of color from school and library shelves.
For Transgender Awareness Week, here’s a recap of some of the best children’s books published this year that have transgender protagonists or significant trans characters. Add them to your bookshelf or library for any day of any week!
Today is Transgender Parent Day, a time to celebrate and honor transgender parents! Here are some great children’s books that star kids with trans parents, a guide for kids with trans parents, and several memoirs by trans parents and/or their spouses/partners.
Calvin is a gentle first-person picture book about a transgender boy who transitions with the love and support of his family, teachers, and friends. Vanessa Ford, who co-authored the book with her husband JR, said in an interview that the book “shows the necessity of having a community around trans youth, that when one child transitions, others transition alongside that child, and that it takes a community to ensure that they are safe and protected.”
A cheery new picture book stars a girl who has a vision for the suit she wants to wear, complete with tie and slicked-back hair; another one stars a boy who loves to dance in a tutu!
Yes, this new book for tweens is inclusive of people of all genders who have periods! The positive, informative, and thorough guide is a great book, period.
For Indigenous People’s Day today, here’s an updated look at queer-inclusive children’s books that celebrate indigenous people and cultures—great for reading all year ’round!
All five shortlisted finalists for the National Book Awards for Young People’s Literature, announced today, focus on people with marginalized identities. Three of the five have queer protagonists. I’ve reviewed all three, so come and meet them again!
Chickens are inherently funny. Four hundred and fifty-six of them are hilarious. Add in their owner and his partner/husband who are trying to wrangle the pesky birds, a nonsense song that your children will love to repeat (you’ve been warned), drawings with fun details to discover, and a perfectly paced narrative, and you have all the makings of a children’s book hit.
