By Lauren Walsh, Capacity Building Americorps Member
Pride Month is incredibly important here at the bookmobile. This is an opportunity for us to teach youth that love in all forms is valid, important, and beautiful. It is a time to help youth accept and learn who they are, and help them accept others as well. Here are some books for youth of all ages to help teach them all about love this month.
Picture Books
Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman by Sharice Davids
This is the picture book autobiography of Sharice Davids, the first Native American woman elected to congress and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas.
Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian
This book celebrates love in all its forms. Celebrate the wedding of worm to worm and learn that all that matters is they love each other.
Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall
A blue crayon mistakenly labelled as “red” suffers an identity crisis. All the other crayons try helping him feel and be more “red” until a new friend shows them that he’s been blue all along!
Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathon Van Ness
Peanut, a gender nonbinary guinea pig, does everything with their own flare and enthusiasm. When Peanut decides to be a rhythmic gymnast, their routine is perfect and 100% them.
Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
When Chloe’s favorite uncle announces that he’s getting married, everyone is excited except Chloe. What if Uncle Bobby doesn’t have time to hang out with her anymore? Can Uncle Bobby and his boyfriend Jamie show Chloe that, when it comes to family, the more the merrier?
Middle School
The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy
This is the story of Rahul Kapoor, a gay Indian American boy entering the 7th grade in a small town in Indiana. He’s nervous to start middle school, so his grandfather gives him one piece of advice: find one thing you’re really good at and become the best at it. What will Rahul discover and will it help him survive middle school?
Both Can Be True by Jules Machias
Ash struggles with feeling like an outcast. As someone who cycles through genders it’s difficult to feel in control of how people perceive you. Some days, Ash is a girl and other days, Ash is a guy. When Ash meets Daniel and the two bond over a rescue dog, they develop feelings. Will Daniel be able to accept that Ash is gender fluid?
Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History by Sarah Prager
This book includes short and engaging biographies, with illustrations, of 50 LGBTQ+ people that have changed the world.
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor
Lydia’s life is changed completely when her mother dies and she must go live with her aunt. Aunt Brat, her wife Eileen, and their elderly landlord Elloroy are welcoming and quirky. Lydia is not a dog person and her stay becomes all the more difficult when Aunt Brat and Eileen adopt a very mischievous dog.
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
12 year old Kingston James becomes convinced his brother Khalid turned into a dragonfly when Khalid unexpectedly passed away. Before Khalid’s death, he told King to stop hanging out with his friend Sandy because Sandy was gay. But when Sandy goes missing, King finds him and agrees to run away with him to the bayou where they create their own paradise. King begins to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother’s death.
Teen
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy
Waylon Russell Brewer is an openly gay teen stuck in a small West Texas town. When Waylon sends in an audition tape to his favorite drag show and it gets leaked to the whole high school, his fellow students jokingly nominate him as prom queen. There’s only one thing to do: run for queen and leave high school with a glittery bang.
Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June
Jay Collier sticks out as the only gay kid in his rural Washington town. That changes when his family moves to Seattle and he begins his senior year at a high school with a thriving LGBTQ+ community. He can finally begin crossing items off of his Gay Agenda list, but will soon be torn between old friends and new friends.
All Kinds of Other by James Sie
This coming of age love story between 2 boys-1 who is cis, the other trans- shows the difficult choice they must make. Do they play it safe and stay under the radar, or do they claim space for themselves in the world together?
Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura
Nozomi Nagai did not picture her ideal summer romance as being a fake relationship, that is until she meets the perfect girl. Willow is glamorous, beautiful, and heartbroken, and she asks Nozomi to pretend to be her girlfriend to make her ex jealous. Nozomi is a very willing volunteer, with a master plan to show Willow that she’s better than just a stand-in.
