Children deserve to see families like theirs in the books they read. They also deserve stories where LGBTQ+ characters get to have adventures, make friends, be silly, fall in love, explore who they are and simply exist without their identity always being the problem that needs solving.
Whether you’re looking for a book featuring two mums, two dads, trans or non-binary characters, different ways of creating a family, Pride history or simply a joyful story that challenges gender stereotypes, there are more options than ever.
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We’ve brought together a wide selection below, including books specifically about LGBTQ+ identities and families as well as books exploring the many other identities and experiences that can intersect with being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Books Featuring Two Mums, Two Dads and LGBTQ+ Families
ABC: A Family Alphabet Book – Bobby Combs
An alphabet book featuring LGBTQ+ families going about ordinary family life. It offers younger children representation while helping make different family structures an unremarkable and everyday part of learning.
All Kinds of Families – Sophy Henn
The animal kingdom contains an enormous variety of family structures, and this book uses them to explore just how diverse families can be. It’s a playful way to introduce young children to the idea that there has never been just one way to make a family.
And Tango Makes Three – Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo who formed a pair and raised a chick called Tango together. It’s a gentle story about family and caregiving that has become one of the best-known LGBTQ+ children’s picture books.
And That’s Their Family – Kailee Coleman
Families come in an enormous variety of combinations, and this book celebrates that difference. It’s a useful addition for conversations about why another child’s family might not look or work exactly like your own.
And That’s Why She’s My Mama – Tiarra Nazario
A warm celebration of motherhood that recognises that what makes somebody a parent extends far beyond one particular biological relationship. It can open conversations about the many different ways people become and experience being parents.
A Mother’s Day Surprise – Lindsay B
Mother’s Day can look different in families with more than one mum. This story offers representation for children navigating celebrations and occasions that are often presented through a very narrow idea of what a family looks like.
Daddy, Papa and Me – Lesléa Newman
The companion to Mommy, Mama and Me follows a young child spending the day playing, baking and having fun with Daddy and Papa. It’s a simple, affectionate portrayal of everyday family life that’s particularly suited to younger children.
Families Can – Dan Saks
A gentle celebration of the many different things a family can be. Its inclusive approach makes it useful for introducing family diversity without presenting one structure as the default.
Families, Families, Families! – Suzanne Lang and Max Lang
Animal families of all shapes, sizes and combinations appear throughout this colourful picture book. Its central message is simple: if people love and care for one another, there are lots of ways they can be a family.
Happy Together – Julie Marie
A celebration of family, happiness and the connections between the people who care for us. It provides another opportunity to introduce different family structures as an ordinary part of children’s worlds.
Heather Has Two Mommies – Lesléa Newman
When Heather starts school, she begins learning about all the different families represented in her classroom. The story celebrates family diversity while reassuring children that there isn’t one particular combination of people that makes a family a family.
I Have Two Moms – Colleen LeMaire
A simple story celebrating everyday life in a family with two mums. It can be particularly valuable for younger children who want to see a family structure resembling their own represented in their books.
Just Like My Family – Ashley Molesso
A celebration of the many ways families can look, live and love. It helps children recognise their own experiences while discovering that other people’s families may work differently.
Keesha and Her Two Moms Go Swimming – Cheril N. Clarke and Monica Bey-Clarke
Keesha heads out for a swimming adventure with her two mums. Rather than making her parents the problem or lesson of the story, the book allows a family with two mums to enjoy an ordinary childhood experience together.
Keesha’s South African Adventure – Cheril N. Clarke and Monica Bey-Clarke
Keesha and her family return for an adventure that combines LGBTQ+ family representation with travel and exploration. It’s another opportunity for children with two mums to see themselves represented in stories that aren’t solely about explaining their family.
Kenny Lives With Erica and Martina – Olly Pike
Kenny lives with his mums, Erica and Martina, but prejudice from somebody in the neighbourhood creates problems for the family. The story provides an accessible way to introduce children to LGBTQ+ families and challenge homophobia.
Love Makes a Family – Sophie Beer
This colourful board book shows families doing everyday things together, from waking up in the morning to splashing through puddles. LGBTQ+ families appear naturally alongside other family structures in a simple celebration of care and love.
Mommy 2 – Merline Tanise
A children’s book centred around a family with two mothers. It offers another opportunity for children growing up in LGBTQ+ families to encounter families like theirs in stories.
Mommy, Mama and Me – Lesléa Newman
This warm board book follows a toddler through everyday activities with Mommy and Mama, from playing together to getting ready for bed. With simple text and illustrations, it’s a lovely way to introduce LGBTQ+ family representation to babies and toddlers.
My 2 Mums & Me – Eleni Prineas
Another story centred on a child growing up with two mums. The book provides positive family representation while helping children understand that families can be formed in many different ways.
My Daddies! – Gareth Peter
A joyful celebration of a child’s relationship with their two dads, brought to life through imagination and storytelling. Together, they can head on incredible adventures without ever having to leave the comfort of home.
My Family, Your Family – Kathryn Cole
Children are introduced to different families and encouraged to recognise both their similarities and differences. It’s a helpful starting point for talking about family structures without positioning one as more legitimate than another.
My Maddy – Gayle E. Pitman
This picture book celebrates a child and their gender-nonconforming parent, Maddy. It gives children language for a parent who may not fit neatly into the labels of “mum” or “dad” while keeping love and connection at the heart of the story.
My Magic Family – Lotte Jeffs
A colourful celebration of family diversity that explores the many people and relationships that can make a family special. It encourages children to recognise that their family doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s to be worthy of celebrating.
My Mums Love Me – Anna Membrino
A loving celebration of the relationship between a baby and their two mums. Its simple format makes it particularly suitable for babies, toddlers and families beginning to build an inclusive bookshelf.
My Perfect Family – Alisha Burns
A celebration of LGBTQ+ family life that helps reinforce a simple message: a family doesn’t have to fit somebody else’s definition to be right for the people within it.
My Two Mums – Bryony Irving
A story celebrating life with two mums and the love they share with their child. It offers children straightforward representation of a family that may look like their own.
Our Mimmies and Us Go Camping – Karen Tunicliffe Young
A family with two mums heads off on a camping adventure together. The story provides everyday LGBTQ+ family representation while focusing on the fun and experiences the family shares.
Plenty of Hugs – Fran Manushkin
A warm picture book following a child through a day with their two mums. Its focus is on affection, family routines and the security of being surrounded by people who love you.
She’s My Dad – Sarah Savage and Joules Garcia
A child introduces readers to her transgender parent and explains that although other people may have questions, she knows exactly who her dad is. It’s a warm way to introduce trans parents and family diversity to younger children.
The Different Dragon – Jennifer Bryan
A bedtime story shared between a child and one of his mums turns into an adventure involving a dragon who doesn’t want to behave the way dragons supposedly should. It combines LGBTQ+ family representation with a gentle message about being yourself.
The Family Book – Todd Parr
This bright, accessible picture book introduces children to lots of different ways families can look and live. It includes LGBTQ+ families alongside single-parent, adoptive, large, small and other family structures.
The Girl with Two Dads – Mel Elliott
When Pearl discovers that her new friend Matilda has two dads, she imagines how exciting their household must be. As their friendship develops, she discovers that although Matilda’s family might look different from hers, everyday family life isn’t necessarily all that different.
The Great Big Book of Families – Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith
Families can have different numbers of parents, live in different homes, eat different foods and spend their time in all sorts of ways. This book explores that diversity in an accessible way and gives children plenty to discuss.
The Pirate Mums – Jodie Lancet-Grant
Billy’s two mums aren’t exactly ordinary: they’re sea-shanty-singing, adventure-loving pirates who can sometimes be a little embarrassing. This funny, colourful story celebrates having two mums while exploring something plenty of children can relate to: wishing your parents would occasionally be a bit less… well, them.
The Zero Dads Club – Angel Adeyoha
Not every family has a dad, and that’s perfectly okay. This story helps challenge the assumption that every family needs to contain a mum and a dad while giving children with different family structures some much-needed representation.
Under the Love Umbrella – Davina Bell
This beautifully illustrated story explores the invisible “umbrella” of love that surrounds children even when the people who care about them aren’t physically beside them. Its illustrations include a range of families, making inclusion part of the world of the book.
We Are Family – Patricia Hegarty
Different families go about their lives in this inclusive picture book, showing children a range of family structures and experiences. Rather than presenting one family model as the default, it celebrates the things families share alongside the many ways they can differ.
Who’s Your Real Mum? – Bernadette Green
Elvi has two mums, but her friend Nicholas is determined to find out which one is her “real” mum. Elvi responds with increasingly imaginative clues before the story gently challenges the idea that biology determines who counts as a child’s real parent.
LGBTQ+ Grandparents and Wider Family
Donovan’s Big Day – Lesléa Newman
Donovan has a very important job to do at a very special wedding: his dads are getting married. The excitement of getting ready for the ceremony is told from Donovan’s perspective, making this a lovely celebration of weddings, family and love.
Grandad’s Camper – Harry Woodgate
Grandad used to travel and explore in his campervan with his husband, Gramps, but things haven’t been the same since Gramps died. His granddaughter encourages him to return to the camper, creating a gentle story about love, grief, memories and new adventures.
Julián at the Wedding – Jessica Love
Julián attends a wedding between two brides, where he meets Marisol and the pair head off on their own imaginative adventure. LGBTQ+ love forms part of the joyful backdrop rather than becoming a lesson.
Uncle Bobby’s Wedding – Sarah S. Brannen
Chloe loves spending time with her Uncle Bobby, so she’s worried when he announces that he’s going to marry his boyfriend, Jamie. The story gently explores her fear that their relationship might change while showing that welcoming somebody new doesn’t mean losing someone you already treasure.
Uncle Jasmine – Claire Walsh
A story offering LGBTQ+ representation within the wider family rather than focusing only on parents. Books like this can be particularly valuable for children with queer aunts, uncles and other important adults in their lives.
Gender Identity and Trans and Non-Binary Characters
10,000 Dresses – Marcus Ewert
Bailey dreams of beautiful dresses but is told by the people around her that boys aren’t supposed to wear them. The story explores gender identity, creativity and the importance of finding people who recognise and celebrate who you are.
A House for Everyone – Jo Hirst
Children at a playhouse express themselves in different ways, introducing young readers to a range of gender identities and expressions. The story emphasises that everyone deserves space to be themselves.
A Kid’s Book About Pronouns – Dr Courtney Wells and Lee Wells
A child-friendly introduction to what pronouns are, why they matter and why we shouldn’t assume which ones somebody uses. It can be a useful starting point for conversations at home or in educational settings.
Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope – Jodie Patterson
Based on the author’s family, this story follows Penelope, a transgender boy who knows exactly who he is even when other people don’t yet understand. It’s a warm story about identity, confidence and being listened to.
Bye Bye Binary – Eric Geron
A playful board book that challenges the expectation that babies and children need to fit neatly into a pink-or-blue gender binary. It’s particularly suited to families looking to introduce expansive ideas about gender from an early age.
Hooray for She, He, Ze and They – Lindz Amer
A joyful introduction to pronouns and the many words people may use to describe themselves. It encourages children to approach language and identity with curiosity, respect and celebration.
I Am Jazz – Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Based on Jazz Jennings’ childhood experiences, I Am Jazz tells the story of a transgender girl who knew from a young age that she was a girl. Written for younger readers, it offers a straightforward introduction to transgender identity.
My Culture, My Gender, Me – Cassandra Jules Corrigan
Gender doesn’t exist separately from the rest of who we are. This book explores gender alongside culture and identity, making space for experiences that may not fit neatly into Western ideas about gender.
My Own Way – Jay Hulme
Why should certain clothes, colours, toys or activities belong to a particular gender? My Own Way playfully challenges these expectations and encourages children to explore what they enjoy and how they want to express themselves.
My Rainbow – DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal
Inspired by the authors’ family, this story follows a mother creating a rainbow-coloured wig for her transgender daughter. It beautifully combines gender affirmation, Black family life, autism and the importance of helping children express themselves in ways that feel right.
My Sister, Daisy – Adria Karlsson
A child learns that the sibling they previously understood as a brother is actually their sister, Daisy. The story explores both Daisy’s identity and the adjustment that can happen within a family when somebody transitions.
Phoenix Goes to School – Phoenix Finch and Michelle Finch
Based on the experience of a transgender child, this story follows Phoenix as she prepares for school. It explores some of the worries a trans child might have while emphasising support, friendship and being recognised as yourself.
The Pronoun Book: She, He, They and Me! – Cassandra Jules Corrigan
An accessible introduction to pronouns and some of the different ways people may describe themselves. It encourages children to respect the words other people use for themselves.
They Call Me Mix – Lourdes Rivas
This bilingual book introduces readers to a non-binary teacher and their experiences with gender. It can help children understand gender-neutral pronouns and why respecting someone’s identity matters.
What Is Gender? How Does It Define Us? And Other Big Questions for Kids – Juno Dawson
A more detailed exploration for older children beginning to ask bigger questions about gender, identity and society. It provides a useful jumping-off point for conversations that go beyond simply defining individual identities.
When Aidan Became a Brother – Kyle Lukoff
When Aidan’s parents are expecting another baby, he wants to make sure his new sibling feels understood and supported. His own experience as a transgender boy informs a thoughtful story about family, gender and becoming an older sibling.
Who Are You? The Kid’s Guide to Gender Identity – Brook Pessin-Whedbee
An interactive introduction to gender that encourages children to think about bodies, identity and expression. Rather than telling children who they are, it creates space for them to explore what feels right for them.
You Need to Chill! – Juno Dawson
Bill keeps being asked where his brother has gone, but there’s a simple explanation: Bill doesn’t have a brother anymore; she has a sister. Told with humour and warmth, the story explores transition while firmly reminding everyone else that sometimes they really do just need to chill.
Gender Expression and Being Yourself
A Damsel Not in Distress – Bethan Stevens
Not every princess needs rescuing. This playful story turns familiar fairy-tale expectations upside down and gives children a heroine with the confidence and ability to take charge of her own story.
Carlos, The Fairy Boy – Juan A. Ríos Vega
Carlos loves fairies and wants to express himself in ways that don’t necessarily match other people’s expectations of boys. His story encourages children to challenge gender stereotypes and embrace the things that bring them joy.
I Am Not a Prince – Rachael Davis
Hopp loves dressing up and dreams of being a princess rather than the prince other people expect. A colourful fairy-tale-inspired story about self-expression and having the freedom to decide who you want to be.
I’m a Girl! – Yasmeen Ismail
A young character knows she’s a girl, even though other people repeatedly make assumptions about her based on how she looks and behaves. The story playfully challenges gender stereotypes and reminds readers that somebody’s interests don’t determine their gender.
Jamie – Olly Pike
A story about being yourself and challenging the expectations other people place upon you. It gives children space to think about identity without suggesting everyone needs to fit neatly into predetermined roles.
Julián Is a Mermaid – Jessica Love
After seeing a group of glamorous mermaids on the train, Julián is inspired to create his own mermaid outfit. The resulting story is a beautiful celebration of imagination, gender expression and the joy of having someone you love embrace you exactly as you are.
My Paati’s Saris – Jyoti Rajan Gopal
A young child is captivated by Paati’s beautiful saris and the feelings they inspire. The story celebrates cultural connection, clothing and gender-expansive self-expression through a warm relationship between a child and grandparent.
My Shadow Is Pink – Scott Stuart
A child notices that while the other boys seem to have blue shadows, his is unmistakably pink. Told in rhyme, the story explores gender expectations, difference and the importance of being supported to enjoy the things that make you happy.
My Shadow Is Purple – Scott Stuart
Rather than fitting neatly into pink or blue, this story’s central character has a purple shadow. The book explores identity beyond binary expectations while encouraging children to embrace the things that make them who they are.
Peanut Goes for Gold – Jonathan Van Ness
Peanut is a non-binary guinea pig with an enormous personality and a love of gymnastics. The story celebrates determination, individuality and doing things in your own wonderfully distinctive way.
Pink Is for Boys – Robb Pearlman
Pink is for boys. And girls. And so are blue, green, yellow and every other colour. This bright picture book challenges the idea that colours, clothes and activities need to be divided according to gender.
Princess Penng & The Pea – Olly Pike
A queer and inclusive reworking of a familiar fairy tale. It offers children a version of the genre in which traditional expectations around gender and relationships don’t necessarily dictate the ending.
Sparkle Boy – Lesléa Newman
Casey loves things that shimmer and sparkle, from bracelets to glittery skirts. When other people question his choices, the story explores gender expression and the importance of family members supporting children to enjoy what they love.
The Boy and the Bindi – Vivek Shraya
A young boy becomes fascinated by his mother’s bindi and asks whether he can have one too. This beautifully illustrated story brings together culture, family and gender expression while celebrating a child’s curiosity.
The Perfect Princess – Natalie McDermid
A princess story that challenges some of the assumptions traditionally attached to princesses and gender. It’s part of a wider collection of children’s books rethinking who gets to occupy familiar fairy-tale roles.
The Princess Without a Crown – Claire Walsh
A story challenging narrow expectations of what princesses are supposed to look like and how they should behave. It’s another way to encourage children to question the gender rules embedded in many traditional stories.
What Does a Princess Really Look Like? – Mark Loewen
A child considers what being a princess really means and discovers that there is far more to it than appearance. The story encourages children to question restrictive ideas about gender, beauty and what a princess is “supposed” to be.
What Weslie Wore – Samuel Langley-Swain
Weslie enjoys wearing clothes that make them happy, regardless of what other people expect. The story encourages children to think beyond gendered clothing rules and celebrate self-expression.
Stories About Queer Love
Chabelita’s Heart: El corazón de Chabelita – Isabel Millán
A bilingual children’s story centring queer Latinx experience. It offers representation that recognises sexuality alongside culture rather than treating LGBTQ+ identity as something that exists in isolation.
Cinder and Ella – Barbara Slade
A queer take on familiar fairy-tale themes, offering children an alternative to the heterosexual romances that dominate many traditional stories.
King & King – Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland
A young prince is expected to find a princess to marry, but none of the princesses he meets are quite right for him. Then he meets another prince, offering a playful queer twist on the familiar fairy-tale ending.
Maiden Voyage – Jaimee Poipoi, Adam Reynolds and Chaz Harris
An inclusive fairy-tale adventure bringing LGBTQ+ representation into a magical story. It expands the kinds of characters who get to experience adventure, romance and happily-ever-after.
Nen and the Lonely Fisherman – Ian Eagleton and James Mayhew
Nen is a merman who loves exploring the world above the sea, where he eventually encounters a lonely fisherman. Beautiful illustrations accompany this gentle love story, which offers children a queer reimagining of familiar mermaid tales.
Prince Henry – Olly Pike
This inclusive fairy tale places queer love within the familiar world of princes, castles and happily-ever-afters. It’s a useful alternative to traditional stories where heterosexual romance is automatically treated as the only possible ending.
Promised Land – Adam Reynolds and Chaz Harris
A fairy tale featuring same-gender love and adventure in a magical kingdom. It gives young readers the sort of sweeping queer romance that has historically been missing from traditional children’s fairy tales.
The Prince and the Frog – Olly Pike
Another queer reimagining of traditional fairy-tale conventions. The book helps broaden the kinds of relationships children encounter in the stories they grow up with.
When We Love Someone We Sing to Them: Cuando Amamos Cantamos – Ernesto Javier Martínez
A bilingual story exploring family, tradition and a boy’s feelings for another boy. It brings together queer identity and cultural heritage while showing that LGBTQ+ stories exist across languages and communities.
Worm Loves Worm – J.J. Austrian and Mike Curato
Two worms are in love and decide to get married, but everyone around them suddenly has questions about how their wedding is supposed to work. Their wonderfully simple solution is to create a celebration that works for them.
Pride, LGBTQ+ History and Learning About the Community
A Is for Activist – Innosanto Nagara
Although not solely an LGBTQ+ book, this alphabet book introduces children to activism, equality and social justice. It can be a useful companion to conversations about LGBTQ+ rights and the wider movements for social change.
A Song for the Unsung – Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders
A picture-book biography exploring the life and work of Bayard Rustin, an important civil rights activist who was also gay. It offers an opportunity to explore LGBTQ+ history alongside Black history and the civil rights movement.
Kapaemahu – Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson
Drawing on a traditional Hawaiian story, Kapaemahu introduces readers to four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit. It offers an important reminder that understandings of gender outside a Western binary have existed across cultures for generations.
Pride 123 – Michael Joosten and Wednesday Holmes
A colourful counting book introducing very young children to Pride celebrations. It combines early learning with cheerful LGBTQ+ representation and messages of community and acceptance.
Pride Puppy – Robin Stevenson
A family attends a Pride celebration and searches for their missing puppy along the way. The alphabet-based format introduces children to the sights, people and experiences they might encounter at Pride.
Rainbow Revolutionaries – Sarah Prager
Older children can discover LGBTQ+ people who have shaped history, culture and activism. The book provides an accessible way to introduce the idea that queer and trans people have always been part of our shared history.
Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman – Sharice Davids and Nancy K. Mays
Sharice Davids tells the story of finding her voice and eventually becoming one of the first Native American women elected to the US Congress. Her story provides representation across LGBTQ+, Indigenous and political history.
The Big Book of LGBTQ+ Activities – Aime Taylor
An activity-based introduction to LGBTQ+ identities, history and community. It gives children opportunities to learn through puzzles and activities rather than relying solely on traditional explanatory text.
This Day in June – Gayle E. Pitman and Kristyna Litten
A colourful picture book celebrating a Pride parade and the diverse people taking part. It can help families introduce younger children to Pride, community and LGBTQ+ visibility.
‘Twas the Night Before Pride – Joanna McClintick
A family prepares for Pride in this celebratory picture book inspired by the rhythm of a familiar festive poem. Alongside the excitement, it introduces children to the history and meaning behind Pride celebrations.
Making Babies, Donor Conception and Different Routes to Parenthood
How to Be Born From Two Moms – Karen Mentone
Written particularly with two-mum families in mind, this book helps explain how a child can be conceived when both of their parents are women. It can provide families with a starting point for age-appropriate conversations about conception.
I Looked Into Your Eyes: A Poem for New Families – Aviva L. Brown and Rivka Badik-Schultz
A gentle poem celebrating the arrival of a child and the relationship between new parents and their baby. Its broad framing can speak to families created through many different routes.
I Love Them and They Love Me – California Cryobank
Created for donor-conceived families, this book provides a way to introduce children to their conception story. It can help families make donor conception part of an open and age-appropriate family conversation.
Little Seahorse and the Big Question – Freddy McConnell
This inclusive story provides families with another way to begin conversations about bodies, reproduction and where babies come from without automatically relying on cisgender assumptions.
Making a Baby – Rachel Greener and Clare Owen
An accessible introduction to the many different ways babies can be made. It includes information that can help families talk about conception without assuming that every child begins with heterosexual sex between their eventual parents.
Our Hearts Match – Victoria Nino
A family-building story connected with egg donation and assisted reproduction. It can help children understand that genetic relationships are only one part of the connection between parents and children.
Robobabies – Laura Gallagher
A playful exploration of the different ways science and medicine can help people create families. Its unusual approach can help make conversations about assisted reproduction more approachable for children.
What Makes a Baby – Cory Silverberg
This inclusive introduction to conception and birth is particularly useful for queer families, donor-conceived families and families created through fertility treatment. Rather than assuming a mother and father conceived through sex, it talks about eggs, sperm, uteruses and birth without assigning those reproductive roles to particular genders.
You Began as a Wish – Kim Bergman
A book for families who have used assisted reproduction to have a child. It helps parents introduce the story of how their family came to be in language designed for young children.
You Were Made for Me – Sheri Sturniolo
A story designed to help families explain assisted conception and fertility treatment to children. It emphasises how deeply a child can be wanted while providing language for discussing their beginnings.
Zak’s Safari – Christy Tyner
Zak takes readers on a “safari” through the story of how his two mums used a sperm donor to create their family. It’s designed to help donor-conceived children understand their beginnings in an accessible and affirming way.
Adoption, Fostering and Belonging
Blanket Bears – Samuel Langley-Swain
A story designed to help young children explore adoption, belonging and family. It can be useful for adoptive families looking for gentle ways to begin talking about their child’s story.
Fluffy and the Stars – T’anchay Redvers
A story connected with family, care and belonging that broadens the kinds of family experiences represented on children’s bookshelves.
Forever Star – Gareth Peter and Judi Abbot
A gentle story exploring adoption, family and the connections that bring people together. It offers another opportunity for children to see non-biological routes to parenthood represented positively.
Loved Just the Same – Aisling de Barra
A reassuring story about adoption and the love within families. It helps reinforce that different routes into a family do not make the relationships within that family less meaningful.
LGBTQ+ Books for Older Primary-Aged Children
Camp Prodigy – Caroline Palmer
A graphic novel combining music, friendship and queer identity. Its camp setting provides the backdrop for a story about confidence, connection and finding people who understand you.
Homebody – Theo Parish
A graphic memoir exploring gender identity and the process of finding the words and understanding that make you feel at home in yourself. Best suited to older children and teens ready to explore gender in greater depth.
Lunar Boy – Jes and Cin Wibowo
This graphic novel follows a young boy from the Moon as he adjusts to life on Earth. Alongside its fantastical premise, the story explores queer identity, friendship, belonging and what it means to find your place somewhere new.
Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow – Benjamin Dean
Archie wants to understand why his parents have separated and why his dad seems different, leading him on an adventure to London Pride. It’s a funny and heartfelt story about family, coming out, Pride and finding ways to reconnect.
Nothing Ever Happens Here – Sarah Hagger-Holt
Izzy’s family life changes when her dad comes out as a trans woman. The novel explores transition from a child’s perspective while making room for complicated emotions, family relationships and the realities of adjusting to change.
Proud of Me – Sarah Hagger-Holt
This middle-grade novel follows siblings Josh and Becky, who are growing up in an LGBTQ+ family while navigating questions and discoveries of their own. It explores identity, family, belonging and the sometimes complicated process of figuring out who you are.
The Boys – Lauren Ace
A story about friendship, growing up and the connections between a group of boys. It makes room for different identities and ways of being while exploring how childhood relationships develop over time.
The Deepest Breath – Meg Grehan
A verse novel following a young girl trying to understand the feelings she has for another girl. Its gentle approach makes it a useful story for children beginning to encounter questions about crushes, sexuality and identity.
The Girls – Lauren Ace
Four girls meet under an apple tree and their friendship develops as they grow older. The story follows their changing lives and relationships while including LGBTQ+ representation within a broader celebration of lifelong friendship.
Upstaged – Robin Easter
A middle-grade graphic novel combining theatre, friendship and queer identity. It’s a good option for readers looking for LGBTQ+ characters in stories about everyday childhood interests and experiences.
Intersectional Books for an Inclusive Bookshelf
LGBTQ+ children and families aren’t LGBTQ+ in isolation. Race, disability, neurodivergence, culture, religion and countless other parts of our identities can affect how we experience the world.
These books aren’t all specifically about being LGBTQ+, but they can help create a bookshelf that reflects a much wider range of people and experiences.
47,000 Beads – Koja Adeyoha and Angel Adeyoha
Peyton used to love dancing at powwow, but something no longer feels right. With support from family, this story explores gender identity and Two-Spirit experience within an Indigenous cultural context.
A Friend for Henry – Jenn Bailey
Henry wants to find a friend, but navigating the unwritten rules of friendship isn’t always easy. The story follows an autistic child looking for connection in a busy classroom.
All My Stripes – Shaina Rudolph
Zane is a zebra with autism who worries that his differences are all other people can see. His mum helps him recognise the many qualities and identities that make him who he is.
Anti-Racist Baby – Ibram X. Kendi
An introduction to anti-racism designed for young children and the adults reading with them. It can help families begin conversations about racism, inequality and the choices we can make to challenge prejudice.
Baby’s First Words – Tessa Strickland and Kate DePalma
An inclusive first-words book showing a diverse family and community. Its everyday representation helps broaden the people and families babies and toddlers encounter in their earliest books.
Bodies Are Cool – Tyler Feder
Bodies come in an enormous range of shapes, sizes, colours and abilities. This joyful picture book celebrates that diversity without ranking some bodies as better, more attractive or more worthy than others.
Can Bears Ski? – Raymond Antrobus
A young bear gradually learns that he is deaf and begins discovering different ways to communicate. The story gives children insight into deafness while keeping the child’s perspective at its centre.
Different: A Great Thing to Be! – Heather Avis
A colourful celebration of the things that make people different from one another. It encourages children to approach difference with curiosity and acceptance rather than seeing it as something negative.
Harini and Padmini Say Namaste – Amy Maranville
A story offering family representation alongside South Asian culture. It can help build a bookshelf where different identities are allowed to overlap naturally.
Hey You! – Dapo Adeola
A powerful celebration of Black childhood and identity created by Dapo Adeola alongside a group of Black illustrators. The book combines joy and affirmation with recognition of the racism Black children may encounter.
It’s Okay to Be Different – Todd Parr
A colourful and straightforward celebration of difference. It encourages children to recognise that families, bodies, appearances, abilities and personalities don’t all need to look the same.
Just Ask! – Sonia Sotomayor
Children with different conditions, disabilities and experiences work together to create a garden. The story encourages children to ask respectful questions rather than making assumptions about people who experience the world differently.
Just Like Me – Vanessa Brantley-Newton
A celebration of girls with different identities, appearances and personalities. Through poetry and illustration, it encourages children to recognise both themselves and people unlike themselves.
Little Black Lives Matter – Khodi Dill
A celebration of Black children and their lives, identities and possibilities. It reinforces the importance of children seeing themselves represented positively in the books around them.
Mama Zooms – Jane Cowen-Fletcher
A child describes adventures with their mum, who uses a wheelchair. It’s a joyful depiction of a disabled parent where the relationship between parent and child remains at the centre.
Moondragon in the Mosque Garden – El-Farouk Khaki and Troy Jackson
A story bringing LGBTQ+ family representation together with Muslim identity. Books like this are particularly valuable because they resist the idea that queer families belong to only one cultural or religious background.
My Brother Otto – Meg Raby
A story about an autistic boy and his relationship with his sibling. It offers young readers an accessible introduction to autism through everyday family life.
My Fade Is Fresh – Shauntay Grant
A young girl heads to the barbershop knowing exactly what hairstyle she wants, despite plenty of suggestions from the people around her. It’s a joyful celebration of Black hair, confidence and making your own choices.
My Footprints – Bao Phi
A young girl dealing with bullying finds strength through imagination, family and her own identity. The story brings together experiences of race, having two mums and feeling different from the people around you.
Same But Different Too – Karl Newson and Kate Hindley
A playful exploration of all the ways people can be alike and different at the same time. Its simple message works well for introducing younger children to diversity without treating difference as a problem.
Susan Laughs – Jeanne Willis
Susan does all sorts of ordinary childhood things before the book reveals that she uses a wheelchair. The story challenges the tendency to define disabled children primarily through disability.
The Abilities in Me – Gemma Keir
This series explores a wide range of disabilities and conditions through child-friendly stories. Individual books can help children find representation of their own experiences or learn more about those of friends, classmates and family members.
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures – Julia Finley Mosca
A picture-book biography of Temple Grandin exploring autism, different ways of thinking and the value of approaching the world from another perspective.
We’re All Wonders – R.J. Palacio
An illustrated story about a child whose facial difference attracts unwanted attention from other people. It encourages empathy while opening conversations about difference, bullying and kindness.
We’ll Paint the Octopus Red – Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
A child imagines all the things she will do with her new baby sibling before learning that he has Down syndrome. The story challenges assumptions about what children with Down syndrome can do.
What Happened to You? – James Catchpole
Joe is trying to play pirates, but other children are much more interested in asking what happened to his leg. The story offers an accessible lesson about disability, boundaries and why disabled people don’t owe everyone an explanation of their bodies.
You’re So Amazing! – James and Lucy Catchpole
A follow-up exploring the way disabled children can be treated as extraordinary simply for doing everyday things. It encourages readers to question assumptions about disability and what genuine inclusion looks like.
A Few More for Your Bookshelf
There are far too many good books to fit neatly into a single category. Other titles worth exploring include:
- Bell’s Knock Knock Birthday – George Parker
- Dexter! The Amazing School Dog! – Lucy Plunkett
- Ella Josephine: Resident in Charge – Nina LaCour
- Eve’s New Brother – Sheju Adiyatiparambil-John
- Goldilocks and the Five Bears – Olly Pike
- Hello Sailor – Ingrid Godon
- Howie Blend – Jennie Guay
- Jackson and the Dinosaur – Victoria Bird
- Love Looks Like Lola – Cody Daigle-Orians
- Love Without Bounds – Carolyn Choi, Chelsea Johnson and LaToya Council
- M Is for Mustache – Catherine Hernandez
- Maisie’s Blueprints – Sharon Lena
- Mama and Mummy and Me in the Middle – Nina LaCour
- Mama Bear and Me – Sophie Beer
- Marley’s Pride – Joëlle Retener
- My Bright Shining Star – Fatima Whitbread
- On Baba’s Back – Marianne Dubuc
- Ready for an Adventure – Abbi-Jean Reid
- Sugar Pie Lullaby: The Soul of Motown in a Song of Love – Carole Boston Weatherford
- The Best Mum – Penny Harrison
- The Blanket Where Violet Sits – Allan Wolf
- The Last Place You Look – J. Wallace Skelton
- The Purim Superhero – Elizabeth Kushner
- Two Dads – Carolyn Robertson
- Who You Will Be – Taylor Rouanzion
Every Child Deserves to Find Themselves in a Book
For children growing up in LGBTQ+ families, seeing a family that looks a little like theirs can quietly communicate something important: your family belongs here too.
But LGBTQ+ children’s books aren’t only for LGBTQ+ families. Children encounter queer and trans people in their families, nurseries, schools and communities. Books can help make that diversity an ordinary part of the world they understand rather than something that needs to be introduced as unusual later.
Representation also needs to reflect the fact that nobody has just one identity. LGBTQ+ children can also be Black, disabled, neurodivergent, Muslim, adopted or donor conceived. They may live with one parent, two parents, grandparents, foster carers, extended families or a combination unique to them.
And sometimes the most affirming book isn’t one explaining what it means to have two mums, two dads or a trans parent at all.
Sometimes it’s simply a book about a child, their two mums and a treehouse.
Or two dads trying to bathe a cat.
Or a queer child going on an adventure.
Because queer children and families deserve books that help them explore identity, family and history.
But they also deserve to be in the silly stories, the bedtime stories, the adventures, the fairy tales and the books where absolutely nothing remarkable happens at all.
Found a book we haven’t included?
Let us know below and we can add it to our list.