Looking for a picture book that explains important moments and people in LGBTQ+ history? Or an uplifting story that explores acceptance and diversity? The carefully selected children’s books are our featured titles for the LGBTQ Writers in Schools 2023-24 school year. Full of history, fun, and LGBTQ+ joy, these books introduce are perfect for young readers.
Titles are alphabetical by author.
Drawing on Walls
Truly devoted to the idea of public art, Haring created murals wherever he went.
From Matthew Burgess, the much-acclaimed author of Enormous Smallness, comes Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring. Often seen drawing in white chalk on the matte black paper of unused advertising space in the subway, Haring’s iconic pop art and graffiti-like style transformed the New York City underground in the 1980s. A member of the LGBTQ community, Haring died tragically at the age of thirty-one from AIDS-related complications. Illustrated in paint by Josh Cochran, himself a specialist in bright, dense, conceptual drawings, this honest, celebratory book honors Haring’s life and art, along with his very special connection with kids.
Matthew Burgess is the author of eight children’s books, including Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring, and most recently, The Red Tin Box and Sylvester’s Letter. An Associate Professor at Brooklyn College, Matthew also serves as a contributing editor of Teachers & Writers Magazine. He lives with his husband in Brooklyn and Berlin.
Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!
Someday girls like us will be able to wear whatever we want. People will call us by the names we choose. They’ll respect that we are women. The cops will leave us alone and no one will go hungry.
Sylvia and Marsha are closer than sisters. They are kind and brave and not afraid to speak their truth, even when it makes other people angry.
This illustrated book introduces children to the story of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the two transgender women of colour who helped kickstart the Stonewall Riots and dedicated their lives to fighting for LGBTQ+ equality. It introduces children to issues surrounding gender identity and diversity, accompanied by a reading guide and teaching materials to further the conversation.
Dr. Joy Michael Ellison transforms their expertise in queer and trans history into picture books that bring the past to life, build compassion, and support contemporary social movements.
Calvin
In this joyful and impactful picture book, a transgender boy prepares for the first day of school and introduces himself to his family and friends for the first time.
Calvin has always been a boy, even if the world sees him as a girl. He knows who he is in his heart and in his mind but he hasn’t yet told his family. Finally, he can wait no longer: “I’m not a girl,” he tells his family. “I’m a boy–a boy in my heart and in my brain.” Quick to support him, his loving family takes Calvin shopping for the swim trunks he’s always wanted and back-to-school clothes and a new haircut that helps him look and feel like the boy he’s always known himself to be. As the first day of school approaches, he’s nervous and the “what-ifs” gather up inside him. But as his friends and teachers rally around him and he tells them his name, all his “what-ifs” begin to melt away.
Inspired by the authors’ own transgender child and accompanied by warm and triumphant illustrations, this authentic and personal text promotes kindness and empathy, offering a poignant and inclusive back-to-school message: all should feel safe, respected, and welcomed.
JR and Vanessa Ford are award-winning authors who happen to be the parents of a wonderful transgender child. Their children’s book, Calvin, won the 2022 Lambda Literary Award for Best Children’s or Middle-Grade Book. Vanessa was a classroom teacher for 14 years in DC Public Schools and has continued to work in the field. Our family’s advocacy has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Magazine and NPR and we were founding members of The Human Rights Campaign’s Parents for Transgender Equality Council. They live with their two children outside of Boston.
Molly’s Tuxedo
Molly’s school picture day is coming up, and she wants to have a perfect portrait taken to hang on their wall. Her mom has picked out a nice dress for her, but Molly knows from experience that dresses are trouble. They have tight places and hard-to-reach zippers, and worst of all, no pockets! Luckily, she has the perfect thing to save picture day–her brother’s old tuxedo!
But mom doesn’t want her to wear a tuxedo in the photo; she thinks Molly looks best in the dress. Can Molly find the courage to follow her heart and get her mom to realize just how awesome she’d look in a tux? This book highlights a gender nonconforming main character and is published in partnership with GLAAD to accelerate LGBTQ inclusivity and acceptance.
Vicki Johnson is a children’s book author, and a former band nerd, White House staffer, and nonprofit director. She was a 2022 Lambda Literary Fellow. Born and raised in rural Georgia, she is a proud first-gen graduate of Smith College and Emory Law School, and a current MFA student at VCFA. Johnson is a single parent and currently lives in a historic log cabin in West Virginia where she tends to her three cats, two dogs, and one college kid.
When Aidan Became a Big Brother
When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.
Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning–from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does making things right actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.
When Aidan Became a Brother is a heartwarming book that will resonate with transgender children, reassure any child concerned about becoming an older sibling, and celebrate the many transitions a family can experience.
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers, including the Newbery honor title “Too Bright To See” and the Stonewall award winning “When Aidan Became A Brother.” He spent eight years as a school librarian and now writes full time.
Explosion at the Poem Factory
A funny story, full of wordplay, brings poetry alive as never before!
Kilmer Watts makes his living teaching piano lessons, but when automatic pianos arrive in town, he realizes he’s out of a job. He spots a “Help Wanted” sign at the poem factory and decides to investigate — he’s always been curious about how poems are made.
The foreman explains that machines and assembly lines are used for poetry these days. So Kilmer learns how to operate the “meter meter” and empty the “cliché bins.” He assembles a poem by picking out a rhyme scheme, sprinkling in some similes and adding alliteration.
But one day the machines malfunction, and there is a dramatic explosion at the poem factory. How will poetry ever survive?
Kyle Lukoff’s funny story, rich in wordplay, is complemented by Mark Hoffmann’s lively, quirky art. The backmatter includes definitions of poetic feet, types of poems (with illustrated examples) and a glossary of other terms. An author’s note explains the inspiration for the story.
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers, including the Newbery honor title “Too Bright To See” and the Stonewall award winning “When Aidan Became A Brother.” He spent eight years as a school librarian and now writes full time.
When We Love Someone We Sing to Them
When We Love Someone We Sing to Them reframes a treasured cultural tradition to include LGBTQ experience. In this book, we learn about the Mexican tradition of singing to family and loved ones through one boy who naturally assumes the tradition includes him and his experience.
Watch a tradition expand as limitations are lifted to include everyone, all the way to remembering Xochipilli, the Mesoamerican deity of creativity, song, and dance.
A perfect book to bring tradition and inclusion into the conversation and support our LGBTQ young ones in knowing that they belong and always have, while providing pride in both our Mexican heritage and our LGBTQ culture and history as families.
A bilingual story with illustrations (English/Spanish).
Ernesto Javier Martínez is an award-winning Chicano/Puerto Rican writer and educator, best known for the the animated kids movie Daniel Visits a New Neighborhood: The Movie (PBS KIDS, 2022), the short film La Serenata (HBO Max, 2019), and the bilingual queer children’s book, When We Love Someone We Sing to Them. He teaches at the University of Oregon.
‘Twas the Night Before Pride
This joyful picture-book homage to a day of community and inclusion–and to the joys of anticipation–is also a comprehensive history. With bright, buoyant illustrations and lyrical, age-appropriate rhyme modeled on “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” it tackles difficult content such as the Stonewall Riots and the AIDS marches. On the night before Pride, families everywhere are preparing to partake. As one family packs snacks and makes signs, an older sibling shares the importance of the march with the newest member of the family. Reflecting on the day, the siblings agree that the best thing about Pride is getting to be yourself. Debut author Joanna McClintick and Pura Belpré Award-winning author-illustrator Juana Medina create a new classic that pays homage to the beauty of families of all compositions–and of all-inclusive love.
Joanna McClintick is a social worker at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Center in Manhattan, and writes children’s books and songs. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
My Moms Love Me
“A hug from Mommy, warm and tight.
A squeeze from Mama feels just right.
This is how my mommies say,
‘We love you, baby, night and day!”‘
Two mommies share a perfect day with their little one in this joyful picture book! From visiting animals on a farm and sharing a car ride sing-along, to a sudsy bath-time and bedtime snuggles galore, love and warmth beam out of every page. Rhyming, rhythmic text from author Anna Membrino is the perfect storytime read-aloud, paired alongside luminous, glowing illustrations from artist Joy Hwang Ruiz. With the lyrical sweetness of favorites like I Love You Through and Through and Guess How Much I Love You, this picture book is the perfect way to celebrate love for LGBTQ+ families!
Anna Membrino (she/they) is the author of thirteen books for children, including the bestselling Big Shark, Little Shark early reader series and the I Look Up To... board book series for toddlers. Their latest picture book, My Moms Love Me, is a celebration of queer moms.
Chabelita’s Heart/El Corazón de Chabelita
Chabelita’s hopes come true when Jimena, the new student whose eyes sparkle like stars, sits next to her. The more they learn about each other, the more they like each other and the more time they spend together. When Chabelita shares her special bow tie with Jimena on picture day, everybody knows that they like each other.
With the support of family and the reflection of important role models, Chabelita’s Heart shows two kids as they grow into themselves and understand that “girls can like girls.” Experiences of immigration/deportation, indigenous eco-activism, Mexican LGBTQ activism, as well as Mexican and Honduran culture serve as the backdrop highlighting the intersectionality of LGBTQ people.
Isabel Millán is the author and illustrator of Chabelita’s Heart/El corazón de Chabelita, a queer bilingual children’s picture book. She is a queer Chicana with a PhD from the University of Michigan, and teaches courses on gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, and children’s literature at the University of Oregon. Millán’s research and publications focus on queer of color children’s literature and autofantasías.
Not a Cat: A Memoir
Between his opening greeting and the bookend closing page on which he stalks away after taking no questions, Gato wants to make one thing perfectly clear: Although he has four legs, two ears, and a long, long tail, the word “cat” does not define him. His identity is his alone to describe and determine. With the help of Danica Novgorodoff’s laugh-out-loud illustrations, he takes us on a tour of his adventures, accomplishments, and daily activities that makes mincemeat of our first impressions. He wears a sweater and a leash, so is he a dog? He runs in pastures, so is he a horse? He likes flowers, so is he a bee? He swims, so is he a duck? He has flown in airplanes and ridden in subways, so is he a person? Maybe he’s all those things, but what he truly is, he wants us to know, is Gato.
To underline the story’s message of empowerment and self-identity, the back cover and backmatter include photos of the real Gato (Winter Miller’s cat) doing everything he claims and more. Signs on walls, headlines in newspapers, New Yorker cartoon homages, and sight gags on every page reward repeated readings and will make this book the first one that parents reach for at bedtime.
Raised by activist feminist parents and schooled by Quakers, Winter Miller is surprisingly amusing. She is an award-winning playwright. Not a Cat is her first children’s book. A former journalist, Winter wrote for The New York Times, and is profiled in The New Yorker, Bomb, New York Magazine, and NPR.
Kind Like Marsha
Kind Like Marsha celebrates 14 amazing and inspirational LGBTQ+ people throughout history. Fan favorites like Harvey Milk, Sylvia Rivera, and Audre Lorde are joined by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, and more in this striking collection. With a focus on a positive personality attribute of each of the historical figures, readers will be encouraged to be brave like the Ugandan activist fighting for LGBTQ+ rights against all odds and to be kind like Marsha P. Johnson who took care of her trans community on the New York City streets.
Sarah Prager is the author of four books on LGBTQIA+ history for young people: Queer, There, and Everywhere; A Child’s Introduction to Pride; Rainbow Revolutionaries; and Kind Like Marsha. She has presented on this topic to over 200 groups across eight countries.
Bling Blaine: Throw Glitter, Not Shade
Blaine’s a boy who loves to shine . . . well actually, he loves to sparkle. Whether it’s his uniform, his book bag, or even his baseball cap, Blaine’s all about the bling. But when his bling rubs some people the wrong way, and the bullying begins, Blaine–along with the entire school–starts to lose his shine. Can Blaine’s friends bring back his glimmer and gleam by glittering up their own wardrobes? This delightful story proves that anyone can love bling, and that happiness comes when allies band together to throw glitter–not shade.
Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in LGBTQIA+ literary nonfiction picture books. Rob took early retirement from teaching and now writes full time.
The Mother of a Movement: Jeanne Manford
The Mother of a Movement is a true story of parental support and unconditional love. It tells the story of Jeanne Manford, the founder of PFLAG. When her son Morty was beaten by New York City officials for handing out pro-gay leaflets, Manford wrote a powerful letter to the New York Post to complain about how Morty was treated. In the letter she came out as the mother of a gay son. The letter was published. Morty invited his mother to march with him in the June 1972 Christopher Street Parade. While marching, she had the idea to form a group to help parents and families of LGBTQ+ people. That was the beginning of PFLAG.
Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in LGBTQIA+ literary nonfiction picture books. Rob took early retirement from teaching and now writes full time.
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
Pride is a beacon of (technicolor) light. –Entertainment Weekly
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. Award-winning author Rob Sanders’s stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno’s evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable – and undertold – story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.
Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in LGBTQIA+ literary nonfiction picture books. Rob took early retirement from teaching and now writes full time.
A Song for the Unsung
On August 28, 1963, a quarter of a million activists and demonstrators from every corner of the United States convened for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was there and then that they raised their voices in unison to call for racial and economic justice for all Black Americans, to call out inequities, and ultimately to advance the Civil Rights Movement.
Every movement has its unsung heroes: individuals who work in the background without praise or accolades, who toil and struggle without notice. One of those unsung heroes was at the center of some of the most important decisions and events of the Civil Rights Movement.
That hero was a quiet man, a gay African American man. He was Bayard Rustin.
Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders’s A Song for the Unsung, featuring illustrations from artist Byron McCray, is an inspiring story that answers one of our nation’s greatest calls to action by honoring one of the men who made it happen.
Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in LGBTQIA+ literary nonfiction picture books. Rob took early retirement from teaching and now writes full time.
Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution.
A powerful and timeless true story that will allow young readers to discover the rich and dynamic history of the Stonewall Inn and its role in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement–a movement that continues to this very day. In the early-morning hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn was raided by police in New York City. Though the inn had been raided before, that night would be different. It would be the night when empowered members of the LGBTQ+ community–in and around the Stonewall Inn–began to protest and demand their equal rights as citizens of the United States
Movingly narrated by the Stonewall Inn itself, and featuring stirring and dynamic illustrations, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution is an essential and empowering civil rights story that every child deserves to hear.
Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in LGBTQIA+ literary nonfiction picture books. Rob took early retirement from teaching and now writes full time.
The Meaning of Pride
Every year in June, we celebrate Pride! But what does Pride mean? And how do you celebrate it?
This inspiring celebration of the LGBTQ+ community throughout history and today shows young readers that there are many ways to show your pride and make a difference.
Whether you want to be an activist or an athlete, a poet or a politician, a designer or a drag queen, you can show your pride just by being you!
Rosiee Thor began her career as a storyteller by demanding to tell her mother bedtime stories instead of the other way around. She spent her childhood reading by flashlight in the closet until she came out. She lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and an abundance of plants.
It’s Pride, Baby!
Just as the stars light the entire world–
You shine.
Join a queer family as they celebrate Black Pride in Washington, D.C. From painting posters to walking in a Pride Parade with neighbors to watching fireworks, this special day is packed with fun.
Allen R. Wells’s poetic text perfectly captures the expansiveness of a parent’s love, while Dia Valle’s joyful art bursts off the page. Here are words that children in every family–no matter its color, size, or shape–need to hear.
We are so proud of you!
Allen R. Wells is an author and engineer with passion for telling stories that center Black and queer characters. His narrative radiate an overarching theme of understanding, beauty, and joy. Through his words, Allen invites readers to join in the celebration of resilience, fostering a richer connection with humanity.
