Last Friday, I posted that award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, who also happens to be a queer mom of color, had been named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She was inaugurated yesterday by the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden. Watch the video, which includes a speech by Woodson in which she thanks her partner and their children, and a conversation between Woodson and Hayden.
Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, who identifies as queer and is raising two children, has been named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and the Library of Congress.
This year saw a great crop of books by, for, and about LGBTQ families. Here are some of my favorites. Make them yours (and your children’s), too!
Want six children’s books that include gender diverse characters from a variety of racial and ethnic identities? Want them to revolve around family celebrations in many types of families? Micro-press Flamingo Rampant’s second collection of books has what you need!
Ten years ago, Dottie’s Magic Pockets became the first live-action series created especially for kids with LGBTQ parents. A music album followed. Now, its creators are back with a companion book to their song “Who’s in Your Family?” (and you can get a “super secret” early-bird perk)!
A mom and her real-life daughters bring us a children’s book with the story of two girls whose mom is dating a woman. Some of the very first LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books had a similar theme, but it’s one that’s taken a back seat to more recent depictions of long-term same-sex parent couples. Here’s why it’s a theme worth reviving.
A new children’s book not only features a gender-creative child, but also gives us a whimsical tale about how he saves his town from a magical monster.
Looking for books, videos, or music albums for your children that feature LGBTQ families? Want some memoirs by LGBTQ parents or our adult children to read yourself? Need a guide to this adventure we call LGBTQ parenting? A book on LGBTQ-inclusive schools? Baby books? Check out my revamped Mombian Shop, which has spiffy new organization and even more items!
The recent events in Charlottesville—and the ongoing struggle our country has with racism and other forms of oppression—underscore the importance of raising children who are accepting and inclusive of all, and have the strength to stand against the actions of those who are not. Here are a few reading ideas.
I wrote this for my Mombian newspaper column at the end of June; I’m reposting it here in honor of Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling’s birthdays today.
June 26 is an auspicious date. Not only did the U.S. Supreme Court issue its marriage equality decision on that day in 2015, but 20 years ago, on June 26, 1997, the world first learned of a boy named Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione. I’ve read J. K. Rowling’s series three times to myself and once out loud to my son (who then re-read it on his own a few years later), and wanted to mark the combined anniversary with a few lessons from Harry Potter for LGBTQ families.
