Books about LGBTQ+ characters, families, and gender expression.
This hub is for rainbow families, gender-curious kids, and anyone stocking a shelf that is not a debate. LGBTQ+ life here is play, grandparents, crushes, and ordinary Tuesdays. It is not a special episode, and it is not only June.
We keep transgender books as its own hub so families looking for that specificity do not have to wade through a general list. This page still includes gender expression, because kids do not wait for our information architecture.
Joyful self-expression. Families that are already a family. Stories where the child on the page is not present to win an argument. We skip tragedy-as-the-point for picture books. We skip titles that treat two moms as the twist.
A starter picture-book pile lives in LGBTQ+ picture books for families. Teens who want a slow love story or a bar that lets them see a future should start with an inclusive YA shelf.
Leave the books in the regular pile. Read them on a random night. If a child asks a question you were not ready for, it is allowed to say you need to think, then actually come back. After the last page is the method for that pause.
Related guides: LGBTQ+ Picture Books for Families · Starting an Inclusive YA Shelf
33 books · Page 2 of 2 · Clear filters
Ages 3–8
My Princess BoyCheryl Kilodavis
He’s a Princess Boy. Inspired by the author’s son, and by her own initial struggles to understand, this heartwarming book is a call for tolerance and an end to bullying and judgments.
Ages 3–8
The Sissy DucklingHarvey Fierstein
Henry Cole's gently humorous illustrations give it a new vitality. This is a book to share with all children, to help them understand that each one of them is unique and valuable.
Ages 3–8
10,000 dressesMarcus Ewert
Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made of flowers, dresses made of windows. . . . Unfortunately, when Bailey's awake, no one wants to hear about these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary. "You're a BOY!" Mother and Father tell Bailey. "You shouldn't be thinking about dresses at all." Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey's imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together. And Bailey's dreams come true!
Ages 3–8
One of a kind like meLaurin Mayeno
It's almost closing time will Danny find the costume of his dreams in time? One of A Kind, Like Me / Unico como yo is a sweet story about unconditional love and the beauty of individuality.
Ages 3–8
When Kayla was KyleAmy Fabrikant
When Kayla Was Kyle is a picture book children of all ages will want to read because it addresses the increasingly emerging ideas around Gender Diversity. Amy Fabrikant is a writer, literacy coach, and LGBTQ safe school consultant.
Ages 3–8
Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?Sarah Savage
Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl? by Sarah Savage — a thoughtfully chosen inclusive book for young readers.
Ages 3–8
I am JazzJessica Herthel
Jazz always knew she was different from other kids. She had a girl's brain and a boy's body. This is her story. The story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere. From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boys' clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz's story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.
Ages 3–8
CalvinJ. R. Ford
In this joyful and impactful picture book, a transgender boy prepares for the first day of school and introduces himself to his family and friends for the first time. Calvin has always been a boy, even if the world sees him as a girl.
Ages 3–8
Gender-KramLouie Läuger
Now, we’re starting to understand it’s not that simple. That’s what this book is about: figuring out what gender means, one human being at a time, and giving us new ways to let the world know who we are.
