Welcome to Family Equality’s Book Nook, a comprehensive list of the best LGBTQ+ books for the whole family!
Whether you’re searching for your child’s first picture book or a young adult novel that your tween will devour, Family Equality’s Book Nook is a list of our favorite books that represent diverse families in a loving and respectful way.
Check out the search portal below to discover what new LGBTQ+ books you need to add to your at-home, local, or school libraries!
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10,000 Dresses
Marcus Ewert
Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made of flowers, dresses made of windows. . . . Unfortunately, when Bailey’s awake, no one wants to hear about these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary. “You’re a BOY!” Mother and Father tell Bailey. “You shouldn’t be thinking about dresses at all.” Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey’s imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together. And Bailey’s dreams come true! This gorgeous picture book—a modern fairy tale about becoming the person you feel you are inside—will delight people of all ages.
123 A Family Counting Book
Bobbie Combs
Have fun with the kids, moms, dads, and pets in this delightful book that celebrates LGBT families as it teaches young children to count from one to twenty.
123 A Family Counting Book
Bobbie Combs
Have fun with the kids, moms, dads, and pets in this delightful book that celebrates LGBT families as it teaches young children to count from one to twenty.
A Cat Like That
Shirley M Ringo and Glenda MacInnis
Our books helps children with same sex parents find their identity through stories of loving family and friendship. Jack Discovers a lost mangy cat has moved into his tree house. With the help of his Dad's he looks for the owner but learns not all people want to help a Cat Like That. the importance's of Equality is something that Jack learns from his Dad's .
A Crow of His Own
Megan Dowd Lambert
Clyde is the new rooster at Sunrise Farm. But he’s having trouble fitting in and replacing Larry—the beloved rooster whose wake-up calls were legendary. The cow, the gaggle of hens, and the sheep reminisce about Larry while poor Clyde fails to croon the farmyard awake with the same finesse. Clyde attempts to win over the farm by wearing an elaborate costume and putting on a show like Larry was known to do, but in the end, Clyde realizes that imitating Larry is not the way to succeed.
A Family is a Family is a Family
Sara O’Leary
When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all. One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of stepsiblings, and another has a new baby. As one by one, her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them — family of every shape, size and every kind of relation — the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special.
A Girl Named Adam
Jordan J. Scavone
A Girl Named Adam follows fourth grade best friends, Annie & Adam. But, when Adam starts wearing dresses and changes their name to Addie, all Annie wants is her best friend back. A children’s book exploring transgender identity that can be enjoyed by children and adults.
A is for Activist
Innosanto Nagara
A is for Activist is an ABC board book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for.
A Tale of Two Daddies
Vanita Oelschlager
In an affectionate story of adoption in a gay family, a small girl answers a friend’s questions about what it is like to have two fathers.
A Tale of Two Mommies
Vanita Oelschlager
A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he answers: “Mommy helps when I want to go fishing. / Both Mommies help when Kitty goes missing.” A Tale of Two Mommies is intended for 4-8 year olds. This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same-sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it’s clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest issues are the everyday challenges of growing up.
More Resources for LGBTQ+ Families
Once you put down your most recent purchase, check out all the other activities, resources, and programs we create to support and connect LGBTQ+ families like yours across the country!
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Have an LGBTQ+ book you’d like to submit to our list?
If you know about an LGBTQ+ book that isn’t on our list, but should be—let us know! Use the form below to contact a staff member, and we’ll be in touch about next steps.