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Pride Month 2025: Books for Kids

Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride year-round by exploring these favorite books chosen by CPL's Rainbow Committee.

Chicago Public Library

20 items

  • Based on a true story, And Tango Makes Three is a straightforward retelling of two male penguins hatching an egg together at the Central Park Zoo. Recommended for kids ages birth to 8.
    Book, 2005New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, [2005] — FICTION
  • An absurdist tale in picture book format starring two dads and a bevy of kids trying to clean the house before their grandma comes to over to visit. When the family’s cat learns that on the list of things to be done is, bathe the cat, chaos and…
    Book, 2021San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2021] — FIC MCGINTY
  • Celebrate different kinds of bodies and their features with rhyming text. A variety of gender expressions and presentations are incidentally depicted in the diverse and dense graphic novel style illustrations. Author and illustrator Tyler Feder is…
    Book, 2021New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021. — FIC FEDER
  • Drawing on Walls

    a Story of Keith Haring

    Burgess, Matthew,
    A picture book biography of the life and work of artist Keith Haring. As an openly gay man in the 80’s and 90’s, Haring's identity informed his art; in that he believed art should be accessible to everyone. Recommended for kids ages 6 to 12.
    Book, 2020Brooklyn, NY : Enchanted Lion Books 2020. — N6537.H348B87 2020
  • What makes your family special? In this sweet picture book, kids describe familial love while incidentally depicting an array of family arrangements from having two moms, to living with their grandma, and having foster siblings. Recommended for kids…
    Book, 2016Toronto : Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2016. — FICTION
  • This fantastical picture book follows a young non-binary child, Miu Lan. “Boy or girl? bird or fish? cat or rabbit? tree or star?” baby Miu Lan asks themselves, a silly and inviting metaphor for exploring gender identity. Author Kai Cheng Tom is…
    Book, 2017Vancouver, BC : Arsenal Pulp Press, [2017] — FICTION
  • This picture book is written from the perspective of a young trans girl and the confusion and frustration of being misgendered. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.
    Paperback, 2021Chennai, India : Tulika Publishers, [2021] — FIC SHASHI
  • A picture book narrated by a young boy named Raphael who loves his friend Jerome. The story is open ended enough that it could be relatable to a child that is experiencing excitement and infatuation with a new friend, or it can maybe provide some…
    Book, 2018New York : Enchanted Lion Books, 2018. — FICTION
  • Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues

    the Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin /

    Meadows, Michelle,
    Author, activist, intellectual, and public speaker – celebrate the life and creative legacy of James Baldwin in full color. This striking informational picture book depicts the fullness of Baldwin's identity, including his relationship with his…
    Book, 2024New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2024] — PS3552.A45Z8235 2024
  • A picture book about the comings and goings of a stroller passed between families once they no longer have use for it. This book features same sex couples alongside multiple diverse families. Recommended for kids ages birth to 6.
    Book, 2019New York, NY : Dial Books for Young Readers, [2019] — FICTION
  • This board book uses the refrain, "Love is..." to show the ways that love is what makes a family a family. Recommended for kids ages birth to 4.
    Board Book, 2018New York, NY : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2018. — FIC BEER
  • Tiến, a 12-year-old Vietnamese American, navigates coming of age in a graphic novel that weaves together multiple narratives using monochromatic palettes. Tiến and his parents connect over reading fairytales checked out from the library, that spark…
    Paperback, 2020New York : RH Graphic, [2020] — PZ7.7.T79Mag 2020
  • More Than a Dream

    the Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

    Williams, Yohuru, 1971-
    More than likely, you have heard of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, but how did the day it happened come to be? Any huge event takes much planning, as did the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Learn about…
    Book, 2023New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2023. — HT675.W54 2023
  • Cree and Trinidadian author Tasha Spillett honors the impact of two spirit elders in her life through telling a story of a young boy named Raven whose grandma makes him his first ribbon skirt despite it being non-traditional for a boy to wear. This…
    Book, 2025New York : Little, Brown and Company, [2025] — FIC SPILLETT
  • Snapdragon is a graphic novel about a young person named Snapdragon who finally meets the rumored town witch, an older butch named Jacks. The seemingly odd pair work together on Jacks’ job articulating animal skeletons, caring for animals, and…
    Paperback, 2020New York : First Second, 2020. — PZ7.7.L496Sn 2020
  • A young forest ranger explores their gender presentation in this heart-warming fantasy-themed graphic novel about the happiness that comes from being your authentic self. Recommended for kids ages 10 to 12.
    Paperback, 2025New York : RH Graphic, [2025] — PZ7.7.O53So 2025
  • A historical fiction novel narrated by June Bug Jordan whose father has recently died from complications with AIDS. Recommended for kids ages 10 and up.
    Book, 2020Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2020. — FICTION
  • From the very popular Who HQ series, a sympathetic and informative a book that talks about the AIDS activists who fought for medical research and a better standard of healthcare for people living with AIDS. Recommended for kids ages 8 to 12.
    Paperback, 2022New York : Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2022. — RA643.8.M437 2022
  • Twelve-year-old Al Schneider deals with a chronic illness diagnosis, the typical growing pains of being a tween, and the fact that she likes girls in this funny and heartwarming middle grade novel. Recommended for kids ages 10 to 13.
    Book, 2023New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2023. — FIC ARLOW
  • You-ology

    a Puberty Guide for Every Body

    Holmes, Melisa,
    Written by three pediatric doctors, the notable moment of this sex ed book is Chapter 12: When Puberty Doesn’t Feel Right. This chapter describes the feelings of distress and panic that can come with puberty for trans and non-binary young people and…
    Paperback, 2022Itasca, IL : American Academy of Pediatrics, [2022] — QP84.4.H66 2022