Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! LGBTQ+ Pride Month ends this week but it’s important to read queer books all year long. With that in mind, I have reviews of 4 picture books celebrating queer joy as well as a queer bookmark. For new releases, I recommend two gorgeously illustrated picture books.
In other news, Covid-19 vaccines have finally been approved for our under 5s in the U.S. (fingers crossed that approval happens soon for all the non-U.S. subscribers). I snagged an appointment at Walgreens for my little to get the Moderna vaccine, but they’re only taking kids 3 and up. If you’re having trouble making an appointment, it looks like vaccine.gov has finally updated its list to include under 5s.
LGBTQIA+ Pride Stack Bookmark by ShopGigiAndBo
You can customize these LGBTQ+ bookmarks with your child’s (or your own) favorite queer children’s book titles. I love that the shop donates $1 from every purchase to The Trevor Project.
New Releases
One Boy Watching by Grant Snider
Riding the long bus ride home from school was not one of my favorite things to do as a kid, but I do remember well watching the rural landscapes slide past and thinking about everything I saw. Author and illustrator Grant Snider’s newest picture book portrays just this in beautiful illustrations and meditative prose. It’s a lovely picture book.
Black Girl Rising by Brynne Barnes, illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
This empowering ode to Black girls is gorgeously illustrated. In poetic verse, Barnes describes the ways Black girls have been oppressed, then shows how Black girls can rise up, sometimes referencing famous Black women like Maya Angelou and Gwendolyn Brooks. Fazlalizadeh’s illustrations are works of art.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Here are some of my favorite picture books depicting queer joy!
If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It by Lil Miss Hot Mess, illustrated by Olga de Dios Ruiz
This picture book is an absolute blast to read with kids. Like The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish (which is also an absolute delight), children can sing along to the popular song with drag queen variations on the actions. So instead of clapping hands, kids can blow kisses, and instead of stomping feet, kids can shake their bums, my 4-year-old’s favorite.
Mr. Watson’s Chickens by Jarrett Dapier, illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
This picture book is hilarious, about a gay couple with 456 chickens. That’s right, 456. Mr. Watson loves the chickens, but Mr. Nelson has had enough with the feathered chaos. They decide to take the chickens to the market to sell, where one chicken in particular uses her powerful voice to find a unique new home for all the chickens. However, the couple soon misses their chickens, but thankfully a surprise awaits them at home. This book gets big belly laughs from my daughter!
The Best Bed for Me by Gaia Cornwall
This super sweet bedtime book features two moms trying to gently get their imaginative child back in bed. But this child is a master of stalling. On each page spread, the child compares their bed to the bed of an animal. It’s a playful, sweet book that I’m sure many parents and children will relate to.
My Rainbow by DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal, illustrated by Art Twink
Trinity, who is Black, transgender, and autistic, longs for hair that better represents her identity. With the help of her mother and brother, Trinity’s rainbow hair dreams come true. I love how supportive the family in this is.
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The other day Marian wanted to “write articles like Mama,” so I pulled up a Word doc to type up her dictation while she sat on my lap. You know what she thinks Mama writes about all day? “Health issues.” She proceeded to list all the health issues Mama has and wanted me to type them up for her article. Ah, the life of a disabled Mom. Thankfully, she quickly moved on from descriptions of headaches and breathing problems to describing a day on a duck boat. I have no idea how the two relate.
Happy Pride! If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com
Until next Tuesday!
Margaret Kingsbury