LGBT History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It is observed during October in the United States, to include National Coming Out Day on October 11.
My post today is a celebration of LGBT History Month! I have noticed that my kids are very accepting of LGBT and I love that. If anyone makes an off-color comment about LGBT they are quick to pounce and say, “there’s nothing wrong with that!” And then they glare accusingly at the person. There’s even a LGBT club at their middle school.
But I remember when my oldest, Grasshopper and Sensei, was so confused in kindergarten when she found out that her classmate had two moms. She was befuddled in middle school too, when she found out that her new friend had four moms.
I think that exposure to LGBT goes a long way towards acceptance and I humbly offer these great books as a way to expose kids to all different kinds of families. How about you? What are your favorite LGBT books for kids? Are your kids surprised or accepting when it comes to LGBT? Thanks for sharing!
Todd Paris of Lucky Punch Boxing wears rainbow wraps in celebration of LGBT History Month!
5 Great Books for Kids in Celebration of LGBT History Month
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
Stella has a Papa and a Daddy and a lot of other supportive family members but she just doesn’t have a mama to bring to school for her Mother’s Day class celebration. Stella has two dads. Howie has two moms. Everyone else seems to have a mother. What will Stella do? She has a great idea! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Laura Cornell
Heather has a lot of things that come in pairs: arms, legs, pets … and moms! She has Mama Jane and Mama Kate. When she starts kindergarten, she realizes that she might be the only one without a daddy. But when her class draws a picture of their family, Heather realizes that every family is special and that it doesn’t matter how many mommies or daddies your family has. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Made By Raffi by Craig Pomranz, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain
Raffi knits a gift for his father even though the other children think that knitting is for girls. When the school pageant needs a costume for the prince, Raffi has the solution. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole
Families come in all different sizes and shapes in nature too! This is a true story about two male chinstrap penguins out of forty-two chinstrap penguins in the Central Park Zoo who become a family. There are over ten million chinstrap penguins in the world. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Lumberjanes Vol. 1 (Beware the Kitten Holly) by Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis, illustrated by Brooke Allen
It’s very subtle and I personally wouldn’t have realized that two of the girl characters fall in love but I found out on Lee Wind’s great newsletter (which has more great book suggestions for LGBTQ). [graphic novel, ages 8 and up]
Author Noelle Stevenson talks ‘Lumberjanes,’ ‘Nimona’ and her online roots:
With Mal and Molly, we really wanted to show a relationship between these two people as it was developing organically between two very young characters who may not know exactly who they are yet or what this is.
Even just young love in general; you don’t know what you’re doing at that age. This is maybe the first time you’ve ever had this with anybody, and we just wanted to show that in a very sweet and thoughtful way.
We wanted to kind of set up this safe place that was sort of set apart from the rest of the world. No one here is going to react to Mal and Molly with homophobia. No one’s going to judge their relationship. From LA Times
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p.s. Related posts:
LGBTQ Book Lists for Kids
Understanding Transgender with LGBTQ+ Books for Kids
10 Groundbreaking LGBTQ Children’s Books
Favorite Children’s Books Featuring a LGBTQ Character
Meet Asian Pacific American Hero Margaret Cho
Meet Asian Pacific American Hero Prabal Gurung
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BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Thanks for sharing your recommended reads on this important topic! 🙂
Thanks Renee!!
For MG, I really loved Alex Gino’s George–very moving.
For YA, I liked None of the Above by IW Gregorio–it’s thought-provoking and worth reading, but I didn’t love the voice
Hi Maria,
Thanks so much for your great book recommendation!! I haven’t read it but I’m glad there is a great MG book on this topic!! You don’t see too many MG books covering LGBT.
This is an important topic. So many people are conflicted about this or maybe just need to learn more. I think the more we gain an understanding the more we learn to accept one and other.
Hi Erik,
It’s funny but my kids think LGBT is no big deal. They are very accepting of that lifestyle and are quick to support it if anyone makes an off color remark. They will say, “There’s nothing wrong with being gay!!” I love that. They each have friends with two moms. It’s older generations that have less exposure and therefore less acceptance I feel like. It was a shock for me and my husband when we moved to a gay part of town when we first moved to Boston but gradually, we got used to it and became friends with our neighbors who were mostly gay men. I’m glad I had that experience to draw from.