These LGBTQ-inclusive picture books aren’t “about” being LGBTQ but simply feature LGBTQ people and families experiencing a variety of joys and challenges. The LGBTQ inclusion isn’t always obvious from the covers, so make sure you don’t miss these beautifully told and illustrated tales.
Everyday life
Won’t Go (Sumana Seeboruth, illustrated by Fotini Tikkou; Barefoot Books): The young protagonist of this board book doesn’t want to stop playing and go to dance class. As she stalls and finds excuses, her two dads offer gentle encouragement and a touch of playfulness to help her move on. The cheery images and simple text should be welcomed by families whose children also struggle with activity transitions.
Also available in Spanish as !No Voy!
Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book (María Dolores Águila, illustrated by Erika Meza; Dial): In this delightful counting book, a little girl and her family are enjoying menudo, a Mexican soup, at the “one cozy casita” of “two grinning abuelitos”— her grandfathers, who are a couple.
When the story counts up to 15, though, the bowl of menudo spills! The family takes “one deep breath” and starts again, not letting the setback stop them.
The Witching Hour (Jennifer Harris, illustrated by Adelina Lirius; Tundra): In the time between dinner and bed, anything can happen: play, baths, dancing — but also fusses and chaos. This whimsical tale looks at this “witching hour” in a family of witches who live in a treehouse: two moms and their two children. The rhythmic text is a joy, and the illustrations add a magical coziness likely to make this a bedtime favorite.
Family changes
The Pumpkin Seed (Poppy O’Neill, illustrated by Brizida Magro; Nosy Crow): A young girl doesn’t like the disruption to her family when her mom’s new (woman) partner moves in. But the adults give her time to process her feelings, and the love in the family grows just like their garden. A perfectly pitched, never preachy story with lovely illustrations.
Beatrice Looks for Home (Ron Grady; Nancy Paulsen): When Beatrice moves from a rural area to a distant city with her dads, she misses her Gram, who would often open her scrapbook and tell stories. One day, Gram sends a package with a camera, pencils, notebook and the advice that “New places can be hard but they can also mean adventures.” Beatrice is soon documenting the city’s sights — and even some new friends. When Gram visits, Beatrice is delighted to share the memories she’s captured.
The warm story acknowledges Beatrice’s uncertainty even as it models a way to handle change.
Danté Plays His Blues (Allen R. Wells, illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice; HarperCollins): When Danté and his mother lose their home, they move in with Danté’s uncles, a couple. The transition is hard for Danté, but Uncle Ron shows him how to play saxophone, while Uncle Joe advises, “Turn yo’ blues into yo’ muse.” Playing sax doesn’t solve his problems, but he sees his mother’s pride and feels content knowing that for the moment, the uncles’ house is his, too.
The book offers a thoughtful look at housing insecurity, dealing with change and finding a way to express one’s feelings.
The Fabric of Us (Aditi Anand; Candlewick): A girl and her Dad feel lost after her Papa, a tailor, dies (for reasons the book doesn’t explain) — until the girl has an idea for bringing back the sound of his sewing machine (and by extension, his presence). She and her dad gather fabric and thread, and craft a memorial piece for the man who always made things for others, never for himself. One senses that they will go on despite their grief.
Cues in the gorgeous mixed-media illustrations set the story in India, although the message is universal.
Self and connection
Leroy Has Something to Say (Emily Rosenthal, illustrated by My Phuong Thai; Bloomsbury): Leroy the ghost offers a yellow rose of friendship to each new family that moves into Rosebud Manor, but all are scared by his ghostly appearance and don’t understand his intent — until two girls and their two moms arrive.
One of the girls, who uses a tablet to talk, recognizes that Leroy is trying to communicate. She reaches out via the tablet, and they bond over their shared love of plants, a prelude to the whole family and Leroy happily gardening together. A charming story celebrating the different ways to communicate.
The Boy and the Flame (Beatrice Blue; Frances Lincoln): Lucien, a young boy with two dads, worries when things change: new food, the first day of school and making new friends. One night, however, a glowing fireplace ember transforms into a magical creature who leads him on a one-night journey through the seasons and the changes they bring, in a lush world populated with enchanting creatures. The flame explains that change must happen “so new adventures can begin.”
Back home, as one season shifts to the next, Lucien takes the words to heart.
Mural Island (Katie Yamasaki; W. W. Norton): Kengi loves to draw, but their constant drawing (on walls, bathroom mirrors, and more) annoys their parents, big sister and school principal, while Kengi is frustrated that many of their drawings were wiped away by others. One of Kengi’s teachers, however, suggests that Kengi visit Mural Island, a special place in the city where painters are free to paint what they will.
Each day’s work is painted on top of the last, and Kengi comes to appreciate being part of this communal, ever-evolving work of creation.
Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a two-time GLAAD Media Award-winning blog for LGBTQ parents, plus a searchable database of 2,000+ LGBTQ family books.