LGBTQ+, straight, young, and old, Pride Month is for everyone. This monthlong celebration is a time of festivities, parades, and remembrance for the LGBTQ+ community, their friends, families, and allies. Pride Month takes place every June, commemorating the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, which ignited the gay rights movement in the United States.
In honor of Pride Month, we’ve compiled a list of books to share with your kids, from preschool to young adults. Diversity and inclusion in storytelling is a vital way for gay kids to learn self-acceptance and pride, and to help straight kids learn empathy and become allies. As Sophia Arredondo, queer mother of two and the director of education and youth programs for GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network), previously told Mom.com, "I think a diversity of books is important, whether it's around LGBTQ identity or race and ethnicity or religion."
The right book at the right time can have the power to change lives. “The ability for a child to see themselves, a peer, or a family member reflected in a book is priceless,” Kieran Slattery, a fifth grade teacher who identifies as a queer transgender man, told Scholastic.com. “For some, it can be truly life-changing. It can mean the difference between feeling devastatingly alone to feeling like there’s a place for them in the world.”
Picture Books about the Power of Activism
1. Together We March
3. Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing
By Briana Macdonald
Nancy Drew meets Harriet the Spy in this action-packed and heartfelt debut middle grade following an overzealous amateur sleuth as she investigates a shocking family secret — and unravels the mystery of her developing feelings for girls. For ages 8 to 12.
Available on Amazon.
4. Beetle & the Hollowbones
By Aliza Layne, Colorist Natalie Riess and Kristen Acampora
“Action-packed yet heartfelt, short and sweet yet riveting.”—SLJ, Starred Review
An enchanting, riotous, and playfully illustrated debut graphic novel following a young goblin trying to save her best friend from the haunted mall—perfect for fans of Steven Universe and Adventure Time. Ages 8 to 12.
Available on Amazon.
Fantasy Books Starring Queer Characters
5. Sweet & Bitter Magic
By Adrienne Tooley
In this charming debut fantasy perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Girls of Paper and Fire, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom. Ages 12 and up.
Available on Amazon.
6. A Dark and Hollow Star
By Ashley Shuttleworth
The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones in this thrilling urban fantasy set in the magical underworld of Toronto that follows a queer cast of characters racing to stop a serial killer whose crimes could expose the hidden world of faeries to humans. Ages 14 and up.
Available on Amazon.
7. Chain of Iron
By Cassandra Clare
The Shadowhunters must catch a killer in Edwardian London in this dangerous and romantic sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Chain of Gold, from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Ages 14 and up.
Available on Amazon.
8. Storm the Earth
By Rebecca Kim Wells
Maren and her girlfriend Kaia set out to rescue Sev and free the dragons from the corrupt emperor in the explosive finale to the journey that began with the thrilling Shatter the Sky. Ages 14 and up.
Available on Amazon.
