Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends. I know many in the community are devastated by the death of beloved children’s book author Katey Howes. My heart goes out to her family and friends.
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Today’s newsletter reviews new LGBTQ+ children’s books for Pride Month, which is just around the corner.
Bookish Goods
Read Queer Books Sticker by CraftyQueerStudio
I have a new laptop, so I actually do really need this sticker. You probably do too. 🙂 $5
New Releases
Oddbird’s Chosen Family by Derek Desierto
This picture book will strike a chord with anyone who has had to find their family. Oddbird has never had a family. When Oddbird visits his friend Jerry’s house, Jerry’s loving family greets him. They treat him and Jerry so kindly, and it makes Oddbird feel lonely. He’s never had a family to care for him like that. Oddbird’s birthday is coming up, and he fully expects to spend the day alone. Once that wouldn’t have bothered him, but it does now. However, when Oddbird’s birthday arrives, he gets a big surprise. This is such a sweet picture book. I confess I teared up a bit.
Upstaged by Robin Easter
While I only had miserable experiences at summer camp, I’m digging all the wonderful summer camp novels I’ve been reading lately. I wish I could’ve attended the one in Upstaged, a sweet queer middle grade romance graphic novel. I smiled so much while reading it! Ash (they/them) and Ivy (she/her) always share a cabin together at a musical theater summer camp. This is the last year they can attend the camp, and Ash wants it to be the best year yet. But Ivy and Ash are put in different cabins, and it feels like Ivy is falling for her fellow co-star in the musical they’re performing — Ella, a retelling of “Cinderella.” Ash is feeling a bit jealous and doesn’t know how to tell Ivy they have a crush on her. I love the main characters, but what I especially appreciate is that all the secondary and tertiary characters had personalities, too. I loved them all!
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
And here are four more LGBTQ+ children’s books to check out for Pride Month!
Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They! by Lindz Amer, illustrated by Kip Alizadeh
In the last five years or so there have been quite a few children’s books about pronouns published, but this is one of my favorites. It’s a straightforward explanation of what pronouns are and how happy they can make you feel when you find the right ones. It includes many pronouns, not just he/she/they, which is one reason it stands out from other pronoun picture books. I also adore the illustrations.
Saturday is Pancake Day by Bernadette Green, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett
I recently recommended this picture book to a publicist, and her kid LOVED it, so now I must share it with more people! A fox family with two dads makes pancakes every Saturday for breakfast. However, this Saturday Dada Henry doesn’t want to get out of bed. He’s feeling a bit sad today. So Papa Milo, the fox twins, and their pet cockatiel create increasingly more absurd concoctions in an attempt to cheer Dada Henry up. But sometimes people are just sad, and that’s okay! This is a fantastic combination of humor and SEL.
Queer and Fearless by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Harry Woodgate
Rob Sanders and Harry Woodgate have created so many wonderful LGBTQ+ children’s books separately, so I was delighted when I was sent this picture book of their first collaboration. It’s a beautiful biographic collection of queer heroes. Each page spread contains a poem about the person, a mini-biography, and a vibrant illustration. It includes profiles of seventeen LGBTQ+ folks across history, like Marsha P. Johnson, Bayard Rustin, Pete Buttigieg, Pauline Park, and many more. It’s a lovely collection.
Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine by Nicole Melleby
Melleby’s latest middle grade novel stars a girl who’s always known she was gay. But her parents want her to stay with her grandmother in New Jersey for the summer and, worried about what Grandma will think, wants Winnie to pretend not to be a lesbian. Uhm. Eek. More than anything, Winnie wants to go to the NYC Pride festival, but she won’t be able to if she’s stuck with Grandma pretending to be straight. Meanwhile, Winnie’s mom is pregnant and due soon, but she’s had several miscarriages. It seems like everyone just wants Winnie to be happy, but Winnie is getting frustrated at having to constantly pretend to be someone she isn’t. This is a wonderful novel, as are Melleby’s other middle grades. If you haven’t yet, you should check them all out!
We stopped at a library branch we don’t usually visit and had fun playing in the children’s section, which included this puppet theater! My daughter put on a show about an elephant who needed to find friends.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, 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.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury