“Adventures with My Daddies” Is Storytime Fun
A sweet new picture book about a girl who loves having her dads read stories to her (especially the one about her adoption) is uplifting and empowering.
children’s books
25 Recent Picture Books with Transgender and Nonbinary Characters
Today is the Transgender Day of Visibility, so I’m celebrating by rounding up 25 (!) picture books with transgender and/or nonbinary characters that have been published in 2020 and 2021 alone. (I’ll also show you how to find older trans-inclusive kids’ books and ones for and about trans parents.)
“Sam Is My Sister” Shares a Boy’s Perspective of Having a Trans Sibling
In a new picture book by the real-life mother of a transgender daughter, a young boy isn’t quite sure what’s happening when his younger sibling, whom he thought was a boy, begins to want long hair and to wear dresses. The whole family learns together in this story that adds to the small number of picture books about transgender children and their siblings.
“The Little Library” and Its Nonbinary Librarian Are a Big Delight
I’ve long said we need more LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books where the characters’ LGBTQ identities are incidental to the plot. A new picture book in a popular series takes just that approach with a delightful tale of a boy who “is a slow and careful reader” and a librarian (who happens to be nonbinary) helping him find just the right book for his interests.
Queer-Inclusive Kids’ Books for Passover (and an Idea for One About Easter)
Passover, the Jewish holiday celebrating freedom from slavery, starts this weekend—and yes, there are a few (very few) queer-inclusive picture books about the holiday. There are none that I know of about Easter, alas (but I’ll share an idea for one)!
A Gay, Black Boy Finds a Liberated Childhood
Life can be scary for a young, gay, Black boy growing up in a society full of fear and intolerance. The star of a new graphic novel, however, has the love of family, friends, and educators to help him navigate the challenges as he finds his empowered voice.
An LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex-Ed Book Encourages Teens to Think Meaningfully About Sex, Relationships, and Consent
A new, LGBTQ-inclusive, sex-positive sex-ed book for teens encourages readers to develop critical thinking skills around some of the “big questions” about sex, consent, relationships, and themselves.
School Districts in Two States Say Perfectly Appropriate Picture Book About a Transgender Boy Is Inappropriate
In the past month, school districts in two states have tried to ban Call Me Max, a delightful picture book about a transgender boy by a transgender author, calling it “not appropriate” for the children who heard it read to them. This would be awful at any time, but at a moment when trans youth are under threat from anti-trans bills in at least 24 states, it feels like the tip of a much bigger iceberg.
OurShelves Connects LGBTQ Families with Diverse Books and Advocates for More
When lawyer, policy advocate, and community organizer Alli Harper and her wife had their first child, they did what many LGBTQ parents do: looked for children’s books that showed two-mom and other diverse families. The difficulty of finding more than a handful, however, led Harper to launch a nationwide service that is connecting readers with these books while also pushing the publishing industry to create more.
“The Bare Naked Book” Is an All-Gender-Inclusive Celebration of Bodies
A celebratory and body-positive book for young children discusses all the different parts of a human body, from hair and nose to nipples and genitals—and is marvelously inclusive of all genders and a wide range of skin tones, physical differences, and body types.