These are the books on my bookstore’s PRIDE display for kids this year:
| PICTURE BOOKS |
|---|
REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ community
“In Be Amazing, drag kid Desmond is Amazing walks you through the history of the LGBTQ community, all while encouraging you to embrace your own uniqueness and ignore the haters.”
REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ community
“Take pride in who you are! This inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community enlightens young readers on the true timeline of LGBTQ+ history around the world, the lives of important figures like Harvey Milk, and iconic events like Stonewall. “
REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ community
“In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today’s world. “
REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ community
“A glittering celebration of queer families puts Pride gently in perspective—honoring those in the LGBTQ+ community who fought against injustice and inequality.”
REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ community
“”Learn all about important leaders who represent, empower, and support the LGBTQIA+ community in this engaging board book perfect for proud leaders-in-training!”
REPRESENTATION: A wide range of queer figures who made a difference
“This groundbreaking, pop-culture-infused LGBTQ+ illustrated biography collection takes readers on an eye-opening journey through the lives of fifty influential queer figures who have made a mark on every century of human existence.”
REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ community
“A joyful alphabet book of LGBTQIA+ vocabulary for kids of all ages.”
REPRESENTATION: Gay character
“A fresh, charming picture book that shows there are lots of ways to be STRONG where an athletic kid tries to find his place to the world’s first openly gay professional strongman.”
REPRESENTATION: Gender identity + gender stereotyping
“An empowering and educational picture book that proves colors are for everyone, regardless of gender.”
REPRESENTATION: Sapphic characters
“A little girl stays home with Mama when Mommy goes off on a work trip in this tender, inviting story that will resonate with every child who has missed a parent.”
REPRESENTATION: Gay characters
“A gay retelling of the classic fairy tale–a scrumptious love story featuring ungrateful stepsiblings, a bake-off, and a fairy godfather.”
REPRESENTATION: Drag kids
“This irrepressible picture book celebrates drag kids, individuality, and self-confidence from the perspective of a fabulous wig!”
REPRESENTATION: Neopronouns + gender neutral pronouns
“They, she, he . . . all together, us! Join along in this vibrant board book’s joyful celebration of people and their pronouns.”
REPRESENTATION: Wide range of queer people
“Strike a pose. Blow a kiss. Mouth the words. A fun, sing-along book with a drag twist that encourage kids to embrace all the playfulness of drag culture written by a founding member of Drag Queen Story Hour.”
REPRESENTATION: Gay penguins
“This illustrated children’s book fictionalizes the true story of two male penguins who became partners and raised a penguin chick in the Central Park Zoo.”
REPRESENTATION: Transgender
“A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as “red” suffers an identity crisis”
REPRESENTATION: Gay characters
“Bathe the floor? Sweep the dishes? This riotous romp of a picture book follows a frantic family as they try to get some chores done—with no help from the family cat, who keeps scrambling the list of chores with hilarious effects. Get ready for a rollicking read-aloud with a truly purrfect ending.”
REPRESENTATION: Queer character (genderfluid, non-binary)
“The star of Julián Is a Mermaid makes a joyful return–and finds a new friend–at a wedding to be remembered.”
REPRESENTATION: Queer character (genderfluid, non-binary)
“A glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.”
REPRESENTATION: Transgender child
“The story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere.”
| MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS |
|---|
REPRESENTATION: A wide-range of queer people
“A timely and necessary read, The Stonewall Riots helps readers to understand the history and legacy of the LGBTQ+ movement, specifically the Stonewall Riots—a series of spontaneous, often violent demonstration by members of the gay (LGBTQ+) community in reaction to a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.”
REPRESENTATION: Sapphic characters
“In the wake of a destructive tornado, one girl develops feelings for another in this stunning, tender novel about emerging identity.”
REPRESENTATION: Transgender character
“When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.” Melissa thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever, but when her class will be performing Charlotte’s web play, she comes up with a plan.
REPRESENTATION: Gay characters
A poignant tale about the trials of middle school when you’re coming of age—and coming out. When Alan Cole's cruel brother Nathan finds Alan's secret—that Alan has a crush on a boy at school—he challenges both of them to complete seven nearly impossible tasks or Alan will be outed./su_column]
REPRESENTATION: Transgender parent
“A sixth-grader’s life is turned upside down when she learns her dad is trans.”
REPRESENTATION: A wide-range of queer characters—asexual + aromantic, transgender, saphhic
A young girl struggles to cope with her anxiety and attempts to adjust to the different changes she experiences as she enters eighth grade like trying to make friends and one of her moms being pregnant again after two miscarriages.
REPRESENTATION: A wide-range of queer characters—gay, sapphic, nonbinary characters
“Hiding in the janitor’s closet, Hector Munoz discovers he’s stumbled into a room that shouldn’t be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country—and opens the door to a life-changing year full of magic, friendship, and adventure.”
REPRESENTATION: Black gay main character
“In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy’s grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.”
REPRESENTATION: Sapphic characters
A highly illustrated middle-grade series about two fifth graders—Kenzie and Shelly—who’ve always dreamt about being roller derby superstars and starts recruiting people to be part of their five-person team (one of which happpen to be Kenzie’s neighbor and secret crush!).
REPRESENTATION: Gay characters
One boy—Brian—struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, and the other—Ezra— is one of the popular kids on the basket team. Both boys “have to to decide if they’re willing to risk sharing parts of themselves they’d rather hide. But if they can be brave, they might just find the best in themselves—and each other.”
REPRESENTATION: Transgender character
“A bold, heartfelt story about a trans girl solving a cyber mystery and coming into her own.”
REPRESENTATION: Gay Indian-American main character
“An incredibly charming, heartfelt middle grade debut about Rahul Kapoor, a gay Indian American boy coming into his own in a small town in the Midwest.”
REPRESENTATION: Sapphic characters
A young girl—Caroline— being born during a hurricane has a lot of bad luck—experiences a lot of bad luck, but her luck turns around when she meets the new student Kalinda and develops a crush on her. Now she has to confront her feelings for Kalinda and find the reason why her mother left.
REPRESENTATION: Transgender character
“A coming-of-age story about transgender tween Obie, who didn’t think being himself would cause such a splash.”
REPRESENTATION: Sapphic characters
“In this unabashedly queer middle grade debut, a week-long amusement park road trip becomes a true roller coaster of emotion when Dalia realizes she has more-than-friend feelings for her new bestie.”
REPRESENTATION: Genderfluid, transgender character
“Celi Rivera’s life swirls with questions. About her changing body. Her first attraction to a boy. And her best friend’s exploration of what it means to be genderfluid.”
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