We’ll admit it: We absolutely love shopping for diverse, inclusive children’s books — ones that reflect the wide breadth of different child/family shapes, sizes, colors, and arrangements. But this article is written by two queer single moms so maybe that’s to be expected of us? Regardless, the quest for a truly inclusive array of children’s books to fill our kids’ shelves can be a serious challenge in today’s not-quite-caught-up publishing world. Although there are increasingly more options out there, it can still be difficult to find books that reflect the lives of children living in nontraditional families — whether that’s non-white, non-heterosexual, non-two-parent families, and/or kids who are adopted, surrogate-born, IVF-concieved… the list goes on. But don’t fret: The books you’re looking for are out there.
Ahead, you’ll find beautiful children’s books that feature kids of color, tell the story of IVF conception, spotlight queer families, and in general celebrate diverse characters and homes. So let’s make a pact to stock our libraries (and our friends’ libraries and our schools and local bookstores for that matter) with these stories that represent the beautiful, various realities of so many families, shall we? Because representation matters — and kids deserve to feel represented too.
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A version of this story was originally published in December 2017.
A sweet sibling story
What’s wonderful about this adorable story of pup brothers Pickles and Ocho is that they’ve got two dads — and that’s really NBD. It is, after all, 2020; it’s about time childrens’ books about LGBTQ families weren’t all about the fact that they’re an LGBTQ family. This book shows rather than tells kids that certain family struggles for children (and dogs), such as adjusting to life with a new baby sibling, are universal.
Celebrating differences
Of course this is a book from Sesame Street. Who better to get across the message that while we all may look different, we’re all the same on the inside? You know, when it comes to blood and guts and emotions.
Biracial is beautiful
This story confronts the questions a young boy is faced with when he realizes he doesn’t have the same skin color as…either of his parents. He’s mixed-race, and he’s one cool kid, too. Other biracial children will love seeing themselves reflected in this story.
Who’s who?
This fun tale shows a mixed-race family going to the zoo — and then being joined by a delightful zoo of their own creation as family members and friends galore join them back at home. It’s a great conversation-starter to get kids thinking (and talking) about the various ways a family can look and be.
What makes a mother
This adorable book is great for kids in adopted, foster, or surrogate-born families, as it takes kids through all the markers that can make up a mama: She kisses your boo-boos, tucks you in, takes you to the park — and most importantly, she loves you. And no, carrying you in her belly is absolutely NOT a mama requirement.
An IVF explainer
This sweet, rhyming tale explains the in vitro fertilization process in an accessible way. It’s the perfect tool to explain to IVF-conceived kids where they came from — and just how special they are.
The O.G. for LTBT families
Children’s books that present diverse life experiences tend to fall into two categories: those that are centered on the diversity element itself and those that include diversity, but do not focus on it as a storyline. For the most iconic — and delightful — example of the former, think Heather Has Two Mommies, the groundbreaking 1989 book that worked wonders to normalize the experience of a little Northhampton gal with two moms. (Fun fact: That gal is all grown up and writing for SheKnows!).
A family tree
One of the most recommended books about diverse family formations is Todd Parr’s The Family Book. Accompanied by drawings of people in all the brightly colored hues of the rainbow, this book is a primer for the myriad different family formations that are everywhere today.
Just the two of us
There are also books that focus on specific family formations, like this one with single-caregiver families. One of the first books that someone got me when I found out I was pregnant was the beautifully illustrated Two is Enough by Janna Matthies and Tuesday Mourning. The book features a racially diverse cast of two-character families of varying age differences (single parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, etc.) enjoying the everyday.
An alphabet for anyone
ABC: A Family Alphabet Book is one of those books that presents a diverse family structure without focusing on that structure specifically. The author, Bobbie Combs, states as much when speaking about the impetus for the book. “I wanted to see some books where the fact of the family being different wasn’t the focal point of the book. So I thought of making an alphabet book, where kids could say the letters and just see families like theirs having fun in the pictures.”
A stellar set
Similarly, a number of new LGBTQ-inclusive books that portray a wide array of family formations have recently been published. They have storylines focusing on everything from baby showers to Eid al-Fitr. A six-book set that depicts inclusive celebrations is available from Flamingo Rampant.
Rad internet reading
If you want to look further for that special book that speaks directly to the child in your life, I suggest looking at three great websites that offer a wide array of inclusive books broken down by topic. The lesbian women’s website Mombian includes a page of book recommendations with selections ranging from LGBTQ-inclusive baby books to nonfiction for older kids and much in between. The website Colours of Us includes lists of inclusive books on topics from race and racism to disability to strong female role models. And the Feminist Press has a great young readers series that includes Anastasia Higginbotham’s brilliant Divorce is the Worst as well as the wonderful new How Mamas Love Their Babies by Juniper Fitzgerald and Elise Peterson, which features diverse depictions of the ways mothers labor to make their children’s lives better.
A personalized option
Still haven’t found the perfect book? Why not make your own? Wonderbly’sA Letter for the Littlest Bear allows you to personalize a book welcoming the “littlest bear” to the community, adding up to nine gender-neutral (or not) bears to the story.
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