Jacob and Sophie are back! The gender-creative children we met in Jacob’s New Dress and Jacob’s Room to Choose appear again in a third book of the series, as we’re introduced to a new character who uses “they” pronouns.
The first legal marriage of a same-sex couple in the United States wasn’t in 2004, when Massachusetts began allowing them to wed. It was in 1971—and a new picture book tells the story of this little-known event in queer history!
Hold on to your bookshelves! May and June are absolutely loaded with new LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books, and I’ll be reviewing them here. Before that happens, however, I made a one-minute video wrap-up of the ones I reviewed in April. Have a look to see if you missed any!
Penelope is “no ordinary kid.” Penelope is a ninja—strong and smart, with ninja moves. It’s hard to be a ninja with a name like “Penelope,” though, when everyone calls you “cute.” And no one sees that Penelope is a boy—so he has to tell them, in an affirming new picture book that is also a true story, written by the real boy’s mother.
Loved the romantic fairy tale of Prince & Knight, the 2018 picture book about two young men battling a dragon and falling in love? Their tale continues in a new book out today.
It’s Lesbian Visibility Day, so here’s a look back at a children’s book from 1996, written by two lesbian grandmothers, that asks and answers the question, “What’s a lesbian?” It feels rather dated and clichéd now, but is earnest and full of heart. Enjoy this blast from the past, which reminds us that the history of lesbian parents (and queer families generally) goes back further than we might think.
Today is Earth Day, and yes, there’s a queer-inclusive kids’ book for that! Brand-new this month, this middle grade book showcases the work of 25 young female and nonbinary activists from around the world, all on the front lines of fighting for our planet.
Kyle Lukoff, author of the Stonewall Award-winning When Aidan Became a Brother and the Max and Friends series (both about transgender boys), has just published his first middle grade novel. That in itself should be enough for you to go read it immediately. If you need more convincing, though, or just want to know a little more about it, however, here’s a review.
While the number of LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books for most age ranges has seen exponential growth in recent years, early chapter books with LGBTQ characters remain exceedingly rare. There’s a new one out this week, though: a fun and fantastical story about a girl and a piece of popcorn that comes to life. Oh, and the girl has two dads, but that’s happily incidental to the tale.
It’s Nonbinary Parents Day—so whether you go by maddy, baba, mapa, moppa, nibi, zeze, or any other parental name, may you bask in celebration! Here are a few picture books with nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit parents and other adults (or ones that could be read as such) that may help add to the fun!
