Library and Academic Services: Gender and Sexual Diversity: Storytime

Storytime

2SLGBTQIA+ Kids Literature

Children's books about gender and sexual diversity make up a large percentage of banned and challenged books in libraries and educational institutions across Canada and the USA.

Storytime events held by Drag Performers at libraries and in classrooms continue to encounter bans, challenges, discrimination and harassment.

This section of our guide showcases a sample of stories for kids that teach age-based context for learning about gender and sexual diversity. These stories are not only important to introduce kids to the concept of gender and sexual diversity but also to promote inclusive representation for kids from gender and sexually-diverse families.

Image source: Jennifer Ricard, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Library Resources

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson; Peter Parnell; Henry Cole (Illustrator)
Location: Child & Youth Collection; PZ 10.3 .R414 T36 2005
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 get the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.
The Different Dragon by Jennifer Liu Bryan; Danamarie Hosler (Illustrator)
Location: Child & Youth Collection; PZ 8.3 .B79 D54 2006
This bedtime story about bedtime stories shows how a lively, curious boy helps one of his moms create a magical tale. Together they weave a nighttime adventures that lands young Noah and his singing cat Diva deep in dragon territory. Join them as they make an unexpected discovery and help a new friend find his way.
Heather Has Two Mommies by Laura Cornell (Illustrator); Lesléa Newman
Location: Child & Youth Collection; PZ 7 .N49 H43 2015
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."
A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager; Kristin Blackwood (Illustrator)
Location: Child & Youth Collection; PZ 8.3 .O318 T35 2010
A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right--she has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child's curiosity, practical questions follow: "Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?" To which she answers: "Daddy is my soccer coach. / Poppa cooks me eggs and toast." This picture book is intended for 4- to 8-year olds, and introduces a type of family increasingly visible in modern society and reflects a child's practical and innocent look at the adults who nurture and love her. It becomes clear that the family's loving bond is unburdened by any cultural discomforts.

30 Great LGBTQIA+ Books for Kids and Teens
There was a time when LGBTQIA+ parents and children had a hard time finding their family’s faces and feelings in the pages of children’s and young adult books. No more. Ever since Heather Has Two Mommies appeared on shelves in 1989, more books, geared to everyone from the youngest tots to questioning tweens and teens (not to mention to their parents), are filling the gap and helping families grow in understanding.

Storytime

Worm Loves Worm | Read Aloud Storytime with Drag Queen Story Hour

It's a Harper At Home storytime with the fabulous queens at Drag Queen Story Hour, and WORM LOVES WORM by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato. When a worm meets a special worm and falls 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.

Red: A Crayon's Story

Mr. Bragg, and the students and staff of Emanuele Elementary read Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall. What do you do when you seem to be one thing, but you are something else entirely on the inside? That is the question at the heart of Red: A Crayon's Story.

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