25 LGBT-Themed Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month
As LGBT Pride month winds down, here are 25 LGBT-themed children’s books to continue the celebration of our diverse families.
The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law released research in 2013 showing that an estimated three million LGBT individuals have likely had a child and that 2 percent of Americans (roughly six million people) had an LGBT-identified parent.
As lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships become more accepted, so do our family units, as can be seen with the increasing number of children’s books focusing on the topic. As schools across the country are closing for summer vacation, and LGBT Pride month is coming to an end, we’ve created a list of 25 LGBT-themed children’s books to continue the celebration our diverse families. Check them out below.
The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived
 
Cedric grew up poor and honest on a pumpkin farm, and dreamt of becoming a knight. One day he showed his courage by tricking a would-be carriage thief, and earned the chance to make his dream come true. After years of training, Cedric set off to find an adventure of his own by battling a fire-breathing dragon to save a prince and a princess. However, it’s after the adventure that Cedric revealed that he’d like to marry the prince, and not the princess. The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived is a modern fairytale which sets out to prove that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is choose for yourself how your fairytale ends!
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The story of Rosaline incorporates LGBT themes in a fun, fairytale adventure through the woods. To find her sweetheart, Rosaline must first get by a tricky witch, a hungry wolf, and a well-intentioned fairy godmother! This picture book for children and adults alike emphasizes the value of being true to yourself.Â
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Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let’s draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can’t be red, no matter how hard he tries! Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He’s blue! This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.
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The Family Book celebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.
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When a queen is ready for retirement, she nags her son to get married in order to ascend the throne. The prince is presented with numerous eligible princesses, but none of them seem to interest him. Then he meets Princess Madeleine and immediately becomes smitten…with her brother, Prince Lee.
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Stella’s class is having a Mother’s Day celebration, but what’s a girl with two daddies to do? It’s not that she doesn’t have someone who helps her with her homework, or tucks her in at night. Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported every day. She just doesn’t have a mom to invite to the party. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.
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Zak’s Safari: A Story about Donor-Conceived Kids of Two-Mom Families
 
When the rain spoils Zak’s plan for a safari adventure, he invites the reader on a very special tour of his family instead. Zak shows us how his parents met, fell in love, and wanted more than anything to have a baby—so they decided to make one. In the first half of the book, Zak teaches us about his biological origins. Using simple but accurate language, we learn about sperm and egg cells, known-donors, donors from sperm banks, and instructions called genes that make up who we are. Zak’s enthusiasm, combined with his scientific curiosity and gratitude for his inherited “awesome genes” make him the perfect tour guide for this contemporary conception story. The second half of the book celebrates family. Gorgeous illustrations depict Zak and his two moms living the adventure of everyday life: eating meals together, playing at the beach, going for nature hikes and hanging out with friends and family. Zak’s Safari aims to provide a starting place for many future conversations with your kids about their conception story and donor.Â
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Moms, dads, sisters, brothers — and even Great Aunt Sue — appear in dozens of combinations, demonstrating all kinds of nontraditional families! Silly animals are cleverly depicted in framed portraits, and offer a warm celebration of family love.
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When celebrating a special Christmas tradition things go awry. Papa, Dad, their amazing kid, and one fabulous grandmother work together and implement a plan to save Christmas for a child they have never met.
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Nate loves aliens and he really wants to wear an alien costume for Purim, but his friends are all dressing as superheroes and he wants to fit in. What will he do? With the help of his two dads he makes a surprising decision.
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From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl’s brain in a boy’s body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn’t feel like herself in boys’ clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz’s story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.
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Square Zair Pair is a children’s picture book about embracing our differences. The story takes place in the magical land of Hanamandoo, a place where square and round Zairs live. Zairs do all things in pairs, one round with one square. But one day when two square Zairs pair for the first time, the others reject them before realizing different pairs of Zairs make their village stronger.
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When a worm meets a special worm and they fall in love, you know what happens next: They get married! But their friends want to know—who will wear the dress? And who will wear the tux? The answer is: It doesn’t matter. Because Worm loves worm.
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Two Dads: A book about adoption
Having Two Dads is double the fun! A beautifully illustrated, affirming story of life with Two Dads, written from the perspective of their adopted child.
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At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.
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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.”
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Adopting our two Dads: A story about the Leffew family
 
This third book from the Some Families series is based on the true story of the Leffew family, daddy Brian, daddy Jay, Daniel and Selena. We follow them through the story of their adoption and learn how this family was formed.
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A Peacock Among Pigeons is an LGBT-themed hardback children’s book that tells the tale of learning how to stand out when you can’t fit in. This children’s story teaches the importance of celebrating our differences and learning to love the feathers you live in.
Peter the peacock doesn’t know how it happened, but he found himself growing up in a flock of pigeons. Surrounded by a world of grey, he found himself feeling less than his peers and was embarrassed by his feathers. After he fails to blend in, he decides that it’s time to learn to fly on his own. Along the way, he meets new bird friends from all different flocks that teach him a lesson he will never forget.
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Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together. Shares the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.
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This is in the same style as Mommy, Mama, and Me, but with two dads. Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its daddies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together. Share the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.
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In the magical kingdom of Evergreen, beautiful Princess Elena is suddenly whisked away by an old woman. Undefeated champion Gallant and shy bookworm Earnest go on a quest to find “the greatest treasure in the land” so one of them can save and marry the princess. Â Along the way, Earnest and Gallant realize “the greatest treasure in the land” is not what they expected.Â
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Dyson loves pink, sparkly things. Sometimes he wears dresses. Sometimes he wears jeans. He likes to wear his princess tiara, even when climbing trees. He’s a Princess Boy. Inspired by the author’s son, and by her own initial struggles to understand, this is a heart-warming book about unconditional love and one remarkable family. It is also a call for tolerance and an end to bullying and judgments. The world is a brighter place when we accept everyone for who they are.
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Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story
This is a delightful story of little girl with two moms as she learns how to be nice to her cat. Follow along as Emma gets in trouble trying to play with Meesha Kitty and cheer as she learns to treat him with care.
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William wants a doll – to hug, to feed, to tuck in, and kiss goodnight. “Don’t be a creep, ” says his brother. “Sissy, sissy, ” chants the boy next door. His father buys him trains and a basketball – but not the doll that William really wants. Then one day, someone comes along who understands why William should have his doll.
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There’s so much to do now that Uncle Mike and Steve are getting married. Follow Andy on this enjoyable journey as he talks about his uncle’s wedding, how it affects him, and the things he gets to do in preparation for the ceremony. You’ll laugh and smile as you read this adorable story about marriage and family. *Full disclosure – This book was written by me.*
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Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood
 
Finally, for those of you who are not parents, but are interested in starting a family of your own, check out my book, Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood. It compares adoption, foster care, surrogacy, assisted reproduction, and co-parenting to help people make the best decision that’s right for them. It includes real-life examples, legal tips from the National Center for Lesbian Rights, advice from other same-sex couples, and much more! Happy reading and Happy Pride!
Author’s Note: While it is getting a little easier to find LGBT children’s books, racial diversity in these book still has some catching up to do, especially when it comes to the inclusion of African American characters. A campaign called #WeNeedDiverseBooks was created a few years ago to address the lack of diversity in literature in regards to race, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, religion, etc. To learn more about this campaign, visit weneeddiversebooks.org.
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Book descriptions and images via Amazon
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The White House is coming under fire for its “alternative” depiction of the events of January 6, 2021—an episode many have described as an insurrection, a riot, or an attack on the U.S. Capitol and on American democracy.
“President Trump took decisive action to pardon January 6 defendants who were unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples,” the White House said on its new webpage detailing January 6, which it also called “A Day That Will Live in Infamy.”
“They were not protected by the leaders who failed them. They were punished to cover incompetence,” the White House claimed.
In one passage — misleading and disputed by the public record — the White House alleged: “The Democrats masterfully reversed reality after January 6, branding peaceful patriotic protesters as ‘insurrectionists’ and framing the event as a violent coup attempt orchestrated by Trump—despite no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government.”
READ MORE: House GOP Math Gets Brutal After Republican’s ‘Sudden’ Death and Another Hospitalized
“In truth, it was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election, ignoring widespread irregularities, and weaponizing federal agencies to hunt down dissenters, all while Pelosi’s own security lapses invited the chaos they later exploited to seize and consolidate power,” the claim continued. “This gaslighting narrative allowed them to persecute innocent Americans, silence opposition, and distract from their own role in undermining democracy.”
The White House’s J6 webpage also claimed that then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi “repeatedly” acknowledged responsibility for “catastrophic security failures” including “not having the National Guard pre-deployed, despite intelligence warnings and President Trump’s offers of troops that were ignored.”
The Speaker of the House does not have control over the National Guard, and numerous reports show that Trump made no formal offer to deploy troops on January 6, according to Politico.
Critics took issue with the webpage and many of the White House’s claims.
Axios’ Trump White House reporter Marc Caputo called it an “alternative Jan. 6 history.”
Spectrum News’ national political reporter Taylor Popielarz charged that the White House was attempting “to rewrite what actually happened on Jan. 6, 2021.”
Mediaite contributing editor Sarah Rumpf wrote that the “new White House website contains so many disgusting lies about #January6 it’s hard to know where to start.”
“Relax,” suggested The Bulwark’s Will Saletan. “You’re not living in an authoritarian country. Except for the part where the president seizes unprecedented powers. And the part where he orders sham prosecutions. And the part where his White House rewrites the history of his coup attempt.”
Attorney Drew M. Capuder called it “one of the most evil and dishonest things I have ever seen.”
READ MORE: GOP Pushes Vote on Showerheads as Millions Struggle With Rising Cost of Living
The Cato Institute’s David J. Bier simply described it as “pathological.”
Political scientist Michael D. Swaine offered an extensive response:
“A despicable, shameful distortion of reality by a lawless, rogue white house,” Swaine wrote of the White House’s January 6 website. “Yes, January 6th will live in infamy, as an effort to violently overthrow the results of a legitimate election by a criminal politician and his goons.”
“The truth is crystal clear, based on January 6th and many actions since then,” he continued. “Trump has become an illegitimate leader who should be impeached, tried, convicted, and removed from office. He has violated the Constitution and engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors. He will go down in history as by far the worst US president. Under him, the United States is being turned into an authoritarian, rogue nation.”
Swaine urged Americans to “stand up and speak out,” and he warned that it’s “time to act on the basis of the laws and ideals of the nation and get rid of Trump and his quislings.”
“An absolute disgrace,” declared HuffPost’s White House correspondent S.V. Dáte. “Stalin-level propaganda. The people who put this together — on OUR dime — should be ashamed of themselves.”
NBC News, reporting on the White House’s new January 6 webpage, wrote that “Trump is rewriting the narrative around the Capitol siege.”
“In the months after the attack,” NBC added, “Americans generally agreed on what had just happened; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called it a ‘terrorist attack.’”
READ MORE: How Trump Might Seize Greenland: Report
Image via Reuters
President Donald Trump followed his weekend military incursion into Venezuela with comments that suggested warnings to several other countries, including Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Iran, and Greenland.
Some Europeans and the leaders of several of the countries he mentioned, appear to be taking him seriously.
“Trump’s rhetoric, including his suggestion over the weekend that Washington may have to ‘do something’ about cartels that are ‘running Mexico,’ is reviving fears in Mexico City,” Politico reported.
Trump said the government of Cuba might just fall on its own, but, as The Washington Post reported, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio “went further, indicating that the United States might be willing to give it a push.”
With Trump having targeted Greenland for months, some of the territory’s leaders are now concerned it could be at risk.
READ MORE: House GOP Math Gets Brutal After Republican’s ‘Sudden’ Death and Another Hospitalized
“Danish officials think they know how Donald Trump might seize Greenland,” The Atlantic reported.
“In a late-night Truth Social post, the president announces that the Danish territory is now an American ‘protectorate.’ Because neither Denmark nor its European allies possess the military force to prevent the United States from taking the island, they are powerless to resist Trump’s dubious claim. And as the leading member of NATO claims the sovereign territory of another state, the alliance is paralyzed. Arguing that possession is nine-tenths of the law, Trump simply declares that Greenland now belongs to the United States.”
According to The Atlantic, this hypothetical scenario has been discussed by Danish officials and security experts in recent months. It “may have seemed faintly ridiculous,” but after Trump’s incursion in Venezuela, including his “ensuing insistence that the United States now ‘runs’ Venezuela—it seemed far less so.”
“For months, Danes have anxiously imagined an audacious move by the Trump administration to annex Greenland, whether by force, coercion, or an attempt to buy off the local population of about 56,000 people with the promise of cutting them in on future mining deals. Now those fears are spiking.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has “argued that the president’s threats are credible.”
“Unfortunately, I think the American president should be taken seriously when he says he wants Greenland,” she told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR).
But The Atlantic warned, “if the U.S. goes down that road, NATO will effectively cease to exist the moment the first military personnel enter Greenlandic territory.”
READ MORE: GOP Pushes Vote on Showerheads as Millions Struggle With Rising Cost of Living
Image via Reuters
President Donald Trump’s military incursion into Venezuela and his demand for “total access” to that sovereign nation’s vast resources of oil, are “close to outright plunder” and an example of his “taking his corruption international,” says The New Republic‘s Greg Sargent.
“It’s often said that one of Donald Trump’s biggest innovations in American politics is to confess to his corruption right out in the open,” Sargent writes. “Over the years, Trump has frequently confirmed the truth of that diagnosis. But during remarks to reporters on Sunday about his invasion of Venezuela, he gave this a new spin, taking his corruption international in a fresh way.”
Trump was asked what he needs from Delcy Rodríguez, who is now Venezuela’s acting president, after U.S. military forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to the United States to stand trial.
READ MORE: House GOP Math Gets Brutal After Republican’s ‘Sudden’ Death and Another Hospitalized
“We need total access—we need access to the oil and to other things in their country,” Trump told reporters. When asked about Venezuela’s oil reserves, Trump declared, “We’re gonna run everything.”
Sargent writes that Trump is now following “the Putin model: Authoritarian rule that enables smash-and-grab oligarchy by those in the regime’s good favor. Trump is making it unusually explicit that in this sphere of influence, Trump-approved oligarchs will be enriched by our regional spoils.”
In comments to Sargent, TNR’s Casey Michel put it another way: “Putin envisions a world in which a small group of imperialists loot their portions of the globe as they see fit. Trump has been envious of this model for a long time. He’s implementing it himself in the Western hemisphere.”
Sargent also suggests that Trump’s claim to be anti-war is now wrecked.
“As TNR’s Michael Tomasky explains, he’s fine with wars that are about ‘raw power in service of plunder and conquest.'”
READ MORE: GOP Pushes Vote on Showerheads as Millions Struggle With Rising Cost of Living
Image via Reuters
House GOP Math Gets Brutal After Republican’s ‘Sudden’ Death and Another Hospitalized
How Trump Might Seize Greenland: Report
‘Close to Outright Plunder’: Trump ‘Taking His Corruption International’ Says Columnist
‘Stalin-Level Propaganda’: White House Ripped for ‘Alternative’ J6 History in New Report
‘Stalin-Level Propaganda’: White House Ripped for ‘Alternative’ J6 History in New Report
How Trump Might Seize Greenland: Report
‘Close to Outright Plunder’: Trump ‘Taking His Corruption International’ Says Columnist
House GOP Math Gets Brutal After Republican’s ‘Sudden’ Death and Another Hospitalized
GOP Pushes Vote on Showerheads as Millions Struggle With Rising Cost of Living
News6 hours agoHouse GOP Math Gets Brutal After Republican’s ‘Sudden’ Death and Another Hospitalized
News2 hours agoHow Trump Might Seize Greenland: Report
News5 hours ago‘Close to Outright Plunder’: Trump ‘Taking His Corruption International’ Says Columnist
News20 minutes ago‘Stalin-Level Propaganda’: White House Ripped for ‘Alternative’ J6 History in New Report
