Kids Books to Read for Pride Month
Book Roundup - Kids Books to Read for Pride Month
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Kids should read books about LGBTQ+ Pride for several important reasons:
Representation and Visibility: Reading books about LGBTQ+ Pride provides representation and visibility for children who may identify as LGBTQ+ or have LGBTQ+ family members or friends. Seeing characters who reflect their own experiences and identities in literature can help validate their feelings and foster a sense of belonging and acceptance.
Promoting Understanding and Empathy: LGBTQ+ Pride books introduce children to diverse perspectives and experiences, helping them develop empathy and understanding for people who may be different from themselves. By reading about characters who navigate issues related to gender identity, sexual orientation, and acceptance, children can gain insight into the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and learn to respect and celebrate diversity.
Challenging Stereotypes and Discrimination: Books about LGBTQ+ Pride challenge stereotypes and combat discrimination by portraying LGBTQ+ characters in positive and affirming ways. These stories promote acceptance and inclusion, encouraging children to question harmful stereotypes and biases and celebrate the unique identities and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Fostering Open Communication: Reading LGBTQ+ Pride books with children provides opportunities for open and honest conversations about topics such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and acceptance. These conversations help children develop critical thinking skills, expand their understanding of human diversity, and learn to communicate respectfully about sensitive issues.
Building Allyship and Support: LGBTQ+ Pride books empower children to become allies and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and equality. By learning about the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, reading about diverse LGBTQ+ individuals and families, and exploring themes of acceptance and inclusion, children can develop the knowledge, empathy, and compassion needed to stand up against discrimination and support LGBTQ+ friends and peers.
Encouraging Self-Expression and Authenticity: LGBTQ+ Pride books celebrate authenticity and encourage children to embrace their true selves. These stories affirm that it's okay to be different and that everyone deserves love, acceptance, and respect for who they are. By reading about characters who are proud of their identities and live authentically, children are inspired to embrace their own uniqueness and express themselves without fear or shame.
In summary, reading books about LGBTQ+ Pride is essential for promoting understanding, empathy, acceptance, and inclusion among children. These books provide representation and visibility for LGBTQ+ individuals, challenge stereotypes and discrimination, foster open communication, build allyship and support, and encourage self-expression and authenticity. By incorporating LGBTQ+ Pride books into their reading repertoire, children can learn valuable lessons about diversity, respect, and the importance of celebrating everyone's unique identity and experiences.
Rainbow A First Book of Pride by Michael Genhart
A must-have primer for young readers and a great gift for pride events and throughout the year, beautiful colors all together make a rainbow in Rainbow: A First Book of Pride.
This is a sweet ode to rainbow families, and an affirming display of a parent's love for their child and a child's love for their parents. With bright colors and joyful families, this book celebrates LGBTQ+ pride and reveals the colorful meaning behind each rainbow stripe in a simple and engaging format for young readers. Readers will celebrate the life, healing, light, nature, harmony, and spirit that the rainbows in this book will bring.
You Need to Chill! by Juno Dawson
A delightfully endearing debut picture book by bestselling author and activist Juno Dawson in which a sister proves to be an LGBTQ ally when answering everyone's questions about where her brother Bill has gone.
When Bill can't be found at school one day, the imaginations of the other children run wild. Is he on vacation? Is he lost in the park? Has he been eaten by a shark? It's up to Bill's sister to explain that everyone needs to chill.
Juno Dawson's debut LGBTQ children's book is a witty and fun-filled rhyming story about family, identity, and acceptance. Bold, joyful, and warm-hearted, this inclusive children's book's message shines through on every page.
Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
This fun, inclusive board book celebrates the one thing that makes every family a family . . . and that's LOVE.
Love is baking a special cake. Love is lending a helping hand. Love is reading one more book. In this exuberant board book, many different families are shown in happy activity, from an early-morning wake-up to a kiss before bed. Whether a child has two moms, two dads, one parent, or one of each, this simple preschool read-aloud demonstrates that what's most important in each family's life is the love the family members share.
We are the Rainbow by Claire Winslow
What does the rainbow mean to you? Learn the meanings behind the colors of the LGBTQ+ pride flag! Shaped pages reveal each color of the rainbow as you read.
The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess
Playing off "The Wheels on the Bus," this nursery rhyme book from a founder of Drag Queen Story Hour is a fun, freewheeling celebration of being your most fabulous self.
If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It by Lil Miss Hot Mess
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.
If you’re a drag queen and you know it, let it show by winking, shaking your bum, laughing real big, twirling around, and more! Join a cast of fabulous drag queens as you sing along to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in this playful celebration of expressing your brightest and boldest self. A perfect companion to The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish written by a board member of Drag Queen Story Hour.
Whoever You Are by Josephine Wai Lin
Quiet and loud, soft and strong. You being you, there’s no way to be wrong…
Every day, parents come home from the hospital with a brand-new human being. What if we made vows to our babies to love them no matter what? What if the world didn't rush in to judge our little ones and instead made them feel truly seen and supported.
With bright, vibrant illustrations and exuberant rhythm and rhyme, Whoever You Are is the ultimate vow every baby will love to grow up hearing.
ABC Pride by Elly Barnes and Louie Stowell
A is for Acceptance! B is for Belonging! C is for Celebrate!
ABC Pride introduces young readers to the alphabet through the colourful world of Pride.
Children can discover letters and words in a fun and engaging way, while also learning more about the LGBTQIA+ community and how to be inclusive.
Every letter of the alphabet is paired with bold illustrations to support language learning, and a handy list of discussion points at the end gives adults the appropriate tools to spark further conversations and discussion around the topic.
ABC Pride offers a simple yet powerful way to explain gender, identity, and ability to young children, while introducing and supporting diverse family units. An ideal book for little learners to explore together with a caregiver, as well as in a classroom environment.
The Pronoun Book by Chris Ayala-Kronos and Melita Tirado
They, she, he . . . all together, us! Join along in this vibrant board book's joyful celebration of people and their pronouns.
How do you know what someone wants to be called? Ask!
This lively board book features eye-catching illustrations of a diverse cast of people and simple text that introduces their pronouns, perfect for readers both young and old.
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy, but Heather doesn’t have a daddy. Then something interesting happens. When Heather and her classmates all draw pictures of their families, not one drawing is the same. It doesn’t matter who makes up a family, the teacher says, because “the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another.” This delightful edition for a new generation of young readers features fresh illustrations by Laura Cornell and an updated story by Lesléa Newman.
Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio
"Some babies are born into their families. Some are adopted. This is the story of how one baby found his family in the New York City subway."
So begins the true story of Kevin and how he found his Daddy Danny and Papa Pete. Written in a direct address to his son, Pete's moving and emotional text tells how his partner, Danny, found a baby tucked away in the corner of a subway station on his way home from work one day. Pete and Danny ended up adopting the baby together. Although neither of them had prepared for the prospect of parenthood, they are reminded, "Where there is love, anything is possible."
Love is Love by Michael Genhart
It's love that makes a family.
When a boy confides in his friend about bullies saying he doesn't have a real family, he discovers that his friend's parents―a mom and a dad―and his two dads are actually very much alike.
Dr. Michael Genhart's debut story is the perfect resource to gently discuss discrimination with kids. This sweet and straightforward story shows that gay families and straight families and everything in between are all different kinds of normal. What makes a family real is the love that is shared.
