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Transgender books

Affirming stories about transgender characters and gender identity.

This hub is affirming stories about transgender characters and gender identity. The kid on the page is not there to win an argument. They are there to be seen. Families looking for that specificity should not have to wade through a general rainbow list, which is why this page exists beside LGBTQ+.

We look for stories where the plot is a life: a new sibling, a rainbow in the yard, a crayon that will not stay in the wrong wrapper. We skip debate books for this age. We skip tragedy-as-the-point in picture books.

Start with these

When Aidan Became a Brother is a trans boy getting ready for a baby. The plot is not “will the family accept him.” That part already happened. My Rainbow is a family making a rainbow for a trans daughter. Julián Is a Mermaid is gender expression and an abuela who gets there — also on the LGBTQ+ shelf, because kids do not wait for our taxonomy.

The picture-book guide LGBTQ+ picture books for families includes Aidan and Julián with notes on how to read them on an ordinary night.

How we write this

We do not infer gender identity from a name, photo, or narrative voice. If a page mentions that a character or creator is trans, it comes from the text or from public self-identification. If we got a tag wrong, email hello@inclusireads.com. We will correct the listing. One book cannot speak for a whole community. We will not pretend it can.

Related guides: LGBTQ+ Picture Books for Families

Audience

Age

5 books · Clear filters

Cover of When Aidan Became a Brother

Ages 3–8

When Aidan Became a Brother

Kyle Lukoff

When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl's room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of his life that didn't fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life. Then Mom and Dad announce that they're going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning--from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does "making things right" actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self. When Aidan Became a Brother is a heartwarming book that will resonate with transgender children, reassure any child concerned about becoming an older sibling, and celebrate the many transitions a family can experience.

$18.95$19.95
Buy on Bookshop
Cover of My Rainbow

Ages 3–8

My Rainbow

DeShanna Neal & Trinity Neal

With powerful text by Trinity and DeShanna Neal and radiant art by Art Twink, My Rainbow is a celebration of showing up as our full selves with the people who have seen us fully all along.

$17.99$19.99
Buy on Bookshop
Cover of I am Jazz

Ages 3–8

I am Jazz

Jessica 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.

$17.99$19.99
Buy on Bookshop
Cover of Calvin

Ages 3–8

Calvin

J. 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.

$17.99$19.99
Buy on Bookshop
Cover of Gender-Kram

Ages 3–8

Gender-Kram

Louie 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.

$17.99$19.99