LGBT Children’s Lit for Parents and Allies
How can you teach equality? Reading children's books that are inclusive of LGBT families is an essential strategy both for supporting the self esteem of children from these families and for teaching children that diversity is a natural and beautiful thing. Below are some great examples.
Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman depicts the gentle, nurturing relationship of a lesbian couple and their daughter.
10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert is an excellent story about Bailey, who in her dreams is a young girl adorned in with beautiful dresses. Unfortunately, when Bailey wakes up, nobody wants to hear about her dreams because she is anatomically a boy, and her family says she shouldn't think about dresses at all. However, Bailey meets an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey's dreams. Eventually they start making dresses together that represent Bailey's dreams coming to life.
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell is based on the true story of two male penguins from the Central Park Zoo who raised a baby penguin together.
Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen tells a tender story about Chloe, who is sad because her Uncle Bobby is marrying his partner. At first she is afraid that she will not be special to him anymore, but ends up discovering that she now has two uncles who love and cherish her.
Heather has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman was originally published in 1989 about two lesbians who decide to have a child. It was attacked by the US Senate, and even stolen from library shelves, but has now paved the way for other books.
Carly: She's Still My Daddy by Mary Boenke is about a father's transition from Carl to Carly. This is one of the few books written for young children about having a transgender parent.
A Name on the Quilt: A Story of Remembrance, by Jeannine Atkins is the story of a family that gathers together to make a panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt in memory of a beloved uncle.
Whether you are an ally who wants to raise your child with an open mind or an LGBT parent who wants to share a more rounded, healthy version of families with your child, these books all provide a great starting place. Hopefully, we'll continue to see more publishers get behind this burgeoning evolution in children's literature.
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