The very odd “What’s ‘gay’?” asked Mae (2018) written by Brian McNaught and illustrated by Dave Woodford, tracks a conversation two children have with a variety of birds about the meaning of the word ‘gay.’ Beyond the awkward set-up—Mae asks her cousin Ray what ‘gay’ means and birds respond—the text […]
Felicia’s Favorite Story (2002), written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Adriana Romo, nestles one family’s origin story in a snapshot of their bedtime routine. At the story’s opening, two moms clean their kitchen as their daughter, Felicia, plays with a puzzle. Soon it is the little girl’s bedtime. Mama […]
Queer-affirming children’s book Large Fears (2015) is the product of a collaboration between writer Myles E. Johnson and illustrator Kendrick Daye. Each two page-spread is a vignette combining prose-poetry, photographs, black and white sketches, and color blasts that provide readers with access to the witty, whimsical, controlled chaos of young […]
Tiger Flowers (1994)*, written by Patricia Quinlan and illustrated by Janet Wilson, is an emotionally engaging story told from the point of view of a boy who loses his uncle and his uncle’s partner from illnesses related to HIV/AIDS. The warm and accessible picture book directly engages HIV/AIDS but has […]
Best Best Colors/ Los Mejores Colores (1999), written by Eric Hoffman, illustrated by Celeste Henriquez, and translated by Eida de la Vega, is the story of a young boy named Nate who has recently decided only one color, friend, and mom can be his “best best.”
Flying Free (2004), written by Jennifer C. Gregg and illustrated by Janna Richards, is a sweet story told from the point-of-view of a firefly after it’s captured by a little girl. The child, Violet, is excited to show her catch, the firefly, to her two moms. Violet plans on using […]
Love is in the Hair, published in 2015 by Flamingo Rampant, is written and illustrated by Syrus Marcus Ware. The sweet story, perfect for bedtime, focuses on a little girl, Carter, with light brown skin and a big smile. Carter is about to become a sister, and is unable to […]
A Princess of Great Daring (2015), written by Tobi Hill-Meyer and illustrated by Elenore Toczynski, is about a transgender girl named Jamie and her friends. Jamie has not seen her friends all summer and plans on telling them about her gender identity. Her two moms drop her off at her […]
As the mother of a four-year-old who attends a Montessori school, I was excited to see this accessible biography about Maria Montessori! Dr. Montessori developed a pedagogical approach that empowered students to take control of their environments and their behaviors while simultaneously foregrounding the importance of community. This short biography, […]
City Life (2010), written by Jeannelle Ferreira and illustrated by J. Cecelia Haytko, is a self-published book told from the point-of-view of a child with two moms. As her moms tuck her into bed at night, the little girl’s thoughts drift to everything she might do with her moms the […]
Raise Them Righteous 