4 Kids’ Books About Harvey Milk to Celebrate Harvey Milk Day
Today is Harvey Milk’s birthday, now observed as Harvey Milk Day—so here are four books for children, from a board book to an early reader—that tell the story of this LGBTQ hero!
children’s books
Updated “It’s Perfectly Normal” Sex Ed Book: More LGBTQ Inclusive, But Gaps Remain
For two decades, Robie H. Harris’ It’s Perfectly Normal has been a bestselling book for tweens on puberty, sex, gender, and growing up. The last edition was LGBTQ inclusive—to a point. The latest edition, out today, is even more so. But has it done enough? I explore in detail.
“Daddy & Dada” Picture Book Celebrates Many Types of Families
A new picture book by a two-dad couple centers a child with two dads as she talks about her family and the many other types of families in the world around her.
Authors Put Personal Experiences into Two-Mom Picture Book Series
A series of seven books about a girl with two moms, which first launched 10 years ago, is now complete—a work of love by two sisters and a friend.
Two Paws Up for Delightful, Inclusive, and Engaging “Pride Puppy”
If you buy just one kids’ book for Pride this year, make it Robin Stevenson’s new Pride Puppy! It’s an alphabet book with a fun story arc, plus a seek-and-find game, all wrapped up in a package bursting with diversity across LGBTQ and other identities. The main family that we follow through the book includes a female parent and a nonbinary parent, their two kids, and of course their dog—but they’re just a few of the many characters portrayed here.
“Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, and They” Introduces Nonbinary Character to Popular Series
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.
“Two Grooms on a Cake” Is a Tasty Piece of LGBTQ History
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!
LGBTQ-Inclusive Kids’ Books: April Wrap-Up Video
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!
“Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope”
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.
“Prince & Knight: Tale of the Shadow King” Continues the Epic Story
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.