An Easy Guide to Gender Nonconforming Kids Books
We made a list of books to help immerse your home in LGBTQ-affirming kid-lit so you don’t have to.
Attacks against transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming kids don’t just happen at the legislative level. Silence and misinformation can be equally as harmful. We need to have conversations that open the door to all of the ways that children feel and think about gender identity. A great place to start is in the home, with our kids. Trans and non-binary kids know exactly who they are (even when they’re too young to have the words to articulate it). It’s the grownups who need to do better at seeing and understanding them, which means we need to unlearn a lot of our biases and the misinformation we’ve internalized in our lifetimes. This is also a chance to learn a whole lot of new things. And our best guides? Books featuring trans and gender nonconforming characters, and books about gender expression, gender identity, and inclusion. Good thing there are lots of them.
Here is our hand-picked list of easily digestible, relatable and — most importantly — kid-approved books that can help build an understanding of living outside the binary of gender. (Grownups will learn a lot from these books, too.)
(nsfmg) Founder Alexis’s Favorites:
A House for Everyone: A Story to Help Children Learn about Gender Identity and Gender Expression by Jo Hirst : A simple story for parents, teachers, and kids that explores the full spectrum gender diversity.
It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn : Introducing the concept of gender identity to the youngest reader.
Pink Is For Boys by Robb Pearlman : Reframing gender stereotypes and gender binary thinking.
LGBTQ Baby Board Books :
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole : The true story of two penguins who create a non-traditional family.
Neither: A Story About Being Who You Are by Airlie Anderson : A book celebrating what makes each of us unique.
Our Rainbow by Little Bee Books : Learn all about the colors of the Pride flag
Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Carol Thompson : About gay parents!
Daddy, Papa, and Me by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Carol Thompson
LGBTQ Picture Books (Preschool and up) :
Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love : A book about being seen for who we are by someone who loves us. Also, it is just so beautiful!
Egg by Kevin Henkes : A graphic novel for preschoolers about an unlikely friendship.
The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates : A book about inclusion, and welcoming the “other”.
A Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Qin Leng : Featuring blended families, families with same-sex parents, separated parents, foster parents and more; and how all families are worth celebrating.
Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story about Gender and Friendship by Jessica Walton and illustrated by Dougal MacPherson : Introducing the youngest readers to gender identity and transition; a story about being true to yourself.
Jacob’s Room to Choose by Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman and illustrated by Chris Case : A follow-up to Jacobs New Dress; Jacob and his friend Sophie want to use bathrooms that fit their genders, but don’t feel safe to do so.
When You Look Out the Window by Gayle E. Pitman and illustrated by Christopher Lyle : A true story about San Francisco’s most politically active lesbian couples.
Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley : A true story of Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants.
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino and illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant : About a boy who loves dressing up in the dress at his school’s dress-up corner.
Wild by Emily Hughes : Not exactly about gender identity, but tackles what it feels like to be seen as “different”.
Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis : A queer-friendly fairytale!
Maiden and Princess by Daniel Haack and Isabel Galupo and illustrated by Becca Human : What happens when a maiden goes searching for “the one”, and falls for the prince’s sister instead of the prince? This.
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman and illustrated by Kristyna Litten : Rhyming book about the pride parade.
One of a Kind: Just Like Me/ Único Como Yo by Laurin Mayeno : A book about not fitting into gender stereotypes.
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders and illustrated by Steven Salerno : Tracing the life of the Pride flag.
Donovan’s Big Day by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Mike Dutton : Donovan’s two moms are getting married!
Sewing the Rainbow: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag by Gayle E. Pitman and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown : A story about the rainbow flag/pride flag.
A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith and Brooke Kerrigan : Great storyline, featuring interracial, elderly gay couple with a disability.
10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert and illustrated by Rex Ray : A fairytale comes true for a child who dreams of dresses, but whose family doesn’t see them for who they are.
My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis and illustrated by Suzanne DeSimone : About a boy who sometimes wears pink and dresses, and sometimes wears jeans.
I Am Jazz by Jessica Hershel, Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicolas : True story of transgender child Jazz Jennings
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kayla Juanita : Celebrating the changes in a transgender boy’s life.
Happy Reading! We would love to know which books from this list you found helpful, or what challenges, or amazing moments may have come up during your conversations with your kids. Comment below!
