Here are some of our favorite children’s books that depict LGBTQ+ led families. We hope you enjoy! If you need help talking about your family with your child, friends, or community, we offer short-term parent and family coaching to help you find the right words.
Ages 1-3:
Love Makes a Family, by Sophie Beer – This fun, inclusive board book celebrates the one thing that makes every family a family…and that’s LOVE.
All Kinds of Families, by Suzanne Lang – Lots of nontraditional family structures are celebrated in this super-fun and super-accessible board book! Kids will love finding their own family represented, no matter if they have two moms, one grandpa, or just a cousin named Doug.
The Family Book, by Todd Parr – This book celebrates all kinds of families in a funny, silly and reassuring way. It includes adoptive families, step families, single-parent families, two-mom and two-dad families, and families with a mom and a dad.
Families Can, by Dan Saks – This is for families: families who cook together and families who sing together, families with lots of members and families with a special few, families who live together and families who live separately–for all families. Celebrate the differences that make each family unique and the similarities and love that connect us all together.
Ages 3-5:
Heather Has Two Mommies, by Lesléa Newman – This ground-breaking story was one of the first pieces of LGBTQ children’s literature to garner broad attention.
Who’s in My Family?: All about Our Families, by Robie H. Harris – The warm, humorous, family-filled illustrations; friendly conversations between the two siblings and matter-of-fact text will help young children feel that whoever is in their family, it is perfectly normal and totally wonderful.
ABC A Family Alphabet Book, by Bobbie Combs – Have fun with the kids, moms, dads and pets in this delightful book that celebrates LGBTQ families as it teaches young children the alphabet.
1, 2, 3: A Family Counting Book, by Bobbie Combs – Have fun with the kids, moms, dads, and pets in this delightful book that celebrates LGBT families as it teaches young children to count from one to twenty.
Donovan’s Big Day, by Lesléa Newman – The story captures the joy and excitement of a wedding day while the illustrations show the happy occasion from a child’s point of view.
Ages 4-8:
A Tale of Two Mommies, by Vanita Oelschlager – This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same-sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it’s clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest issues are the everyday challenges of growing up.
Stella Brings the Family, by Miriam B. Schiffer – Stella’s class is having a Mother’s Day celebration, but what’s a girl with two daddies to do? It’s not that she doesn’t have someone who helps her with her homework, or tucks her in at night. Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported every day. She just doesn’t have a mom to invite to the party. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.
Tuesday Is Daddy’s Day, by Elliot Kreloff – A charming look at the many forms a happy family can take—whether she’s with Mommy at her house, or with Daddy and his partner Harry at their apartment, this little girl always knows she’s loved.
Felicia’s Favorite Story, by Lesléa Newman – It’s bedtime, but before Felicia goes to sleep she wants to hear her favorite story, the story of how she was adopted by Mama Nessa and Mama Linda. And so Felicia’s parents tell her how they flew off in a big silver airplane to meet the baby girl who was waiting for them, and how they loved her from the first first moment they saw her.
The Different Dragon, by Jennifer Bryan -The author wrote this when they longed to read their children bedtime stories that mirrored the reality of their “playful, average” two-mom family. At the time she was also beginning to work as a PreK-12 consultant, helping schools address issues of gender and sexuality. Early Elementary teachers use The Different Dragon to teach students about the joy of telling stories, the value of being true to oneself, and the problem with stereotypes— even of dragons.
Ages 6-8:
In Our Mothers’ House, by Patricia Polacco – Marmee, Meema, and the kids are just like any other family on the block. In their beautiful house, they cook dinner together, they laugh together, and they dance together. But some of the other families don?t accept them. They say they are different. How can a family have two moms and no dad? But Marmee and Meema?s house is full of love. And they teach their children that different doesn?t mean wrong. And no matter how many moms or dads they have, they are everything a family is meant to be.
Here is a true Polacco story of a family, living by their own rules, and the strength they gain by the love they feel.
Real Sisters Pretend, by Megan Dowd Lambert – This warm, engaging story, which unfolds entirely through the conversation of two adopted sisters, was inspired by the author’s own daughters, whom she overheard talking about how adoption made them “real sisters” even though they have different birth parents and do not look alike.
Ages 10-14:
Nothing Ever Happens Here, by Sarah Hagger-Holt – Izzy’s family is under the spotlight when her dad comes out as Danielle, a trans woman. Izzy is terrified her family will be torn apart. Will she lose her dad? Will her parents break up? And what will people at school say? Izzy’s always been shy, but now all eyes are on her. Can she face her fears, find her voice and stand up for what’s right?
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