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Books & Beyond

Rainbow Reads: Picture Books & Parenting

By Lisa T.
June 16, 2020

LGBTQIA+ kids, teens, parents, and families: we see you! LGBTQIA+ authors and stories are in our collections. Your stories matter.  We have picture books and parenting resources for gender nonconforming kids, queer comics for all ages, books to support questioning kids and teens, and more.  We are here for you. You are valued members of our library community.  We want everyone to find and enjoy positive representations of themselves in our books and informational resources.

LGBTQIA+ Kids

Here are some new picture books featuring delightful and diverse characters marching to their own drummers:

Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale

What Riley Wore by Elana K. Arnold

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

When Aidan became a Brother by Juanita Kaylani

Bow-Wow-Meow by Blanca La Casa

 

LGBTQIA+ Parenting

We recommend these excellent new picture books to facilitate discussions of gender identity and to support gender non-conorming kids:

Who are you: The Kids Guide to Gender Identity by Brook Pessin-Whedbee

It Feels Good to be Yourself: A Book about Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn

Phoenix Goes to School: A Story to Support Transgender and Gender Diverse Children by Michelle Finch

We also have books in our parenting section — here are a few:

Raising the Transgender Child by Michelle Angello and Ali Bowman

Transgender Children and Youth : Cultivating Pride and Joy with Families in Transition by Elijah C. Nealy

We’ve learned a lot through reading informational books for teens, like A Quick and Easy Guide to They Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson.

LGBTQIA+ Families

Lastly, here are a few lighthearted books that that depict LGBTQIA+ families, as well as families of different races, cultural backgrounds, and sizes from single parents to extended families:  

Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Long

One Family by George Shannon

Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

Rainbow: A First Book of Pride by Michael Genhart.

For more award winning LGBTQIA+  titles for kids, teens and adults, check out the Stonewall Book Awards, awarded by the American Library Association Rainbow Round table honors books for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.  Or just ask your librarian! How can we help?