Out on the Shelves: Rainbow books for kids recommended by our librarians
To celebrate Out on the Shelves, our librarians have chosen some of their favourite rainbow books for kids that we've read and enjoyed. We hope you enjoy them too!
As part of Out on the Shelves, we thought we'd put together a list of the children's books we've enjoyed that feature LGBTQIA+ characters and themes.
All of these titles are perfect to read if you're taking part (which we're sure you will be!) in our Read the Rainbow online challenge that's running throughout June.
This list features only some of the many rainbow books we have in our library collection. If you'd like to browse through more of the titles we've got, we've got you covered!
Our Recommendations
Petra recommends:
Are you a boy or are you a girl by Sarah Savage
This is a great picture book for young children about identity, gender diversity and being who you want to be.
Librarian recommends:
Marley's pride by Joëlle Retener
I love that this is about pride month, and is focused around non-binary characters (children and adults) but also looks at anxiety and struggling with crowds, and ways that you can try and overcome that.
I love Marley as a character, they are very real.
Zoe recommends:
Let me be Frank : the joy of being yourself by Jessica Urlichs
This book celebrates the idea that we can be ourselves while also letting others be themselves, promoting compassion and tolerance. Also, it has the cutest pictures!
Librarian recommends:
Things in the sea are touching me by Linda Jane Keegan
This book is not specifically about pride. I just really like that the character has 2 mums. There's no specific acknowledgement of the fact, it's just normal and everyday, and that's really cool.
Merritt recommends:
The pirate mums by Jodie Lancet-Grant
This is a really fun picture book! Billy's mums are pirates and he just wants them to be normal (no parrots, pirate hats, or sea shanties!) on their school trip to the seaside, but the story ends with Billy realising that the things that make us different should be celebrated, not hidden. A great depiction of a loving rainbow family where having two mums isn't the thing that Billy's worried his friends will find out about!
Librarian recommends:
With a complex, multi-layered plot, diverse, courageous characters, energetic and characterful drawings, Snapdragon is an inspired and moving coming of age tale
Kath recommends:
Bodies are cool by Tyler Feder
I recently read this picture book to my craft group (they requested a storytime!) and we all remarked how it was a good starter for diversity across the board, but particularly gender.
Librarian recommends:
Fred gets dressed by Peter Brown
Great picture book about a child romping around trying on his mum's and dad's clothes, and his parents joining in.
Librarian recommends:
I like this series because they're situational, looking at the type of experiences that young children may actually have and how they can deal with them.
Merritt recommends:
Mr. Watson's chickens by Jarrett Dapier
I'm a fan of picture books that normalise rainbow characters and give them stories that aren't about explaining their identity to the reader. In this book Mr. Watson and Mr. Nelson are a happy couple until their three chickens become far too many chickens for them to keep!
The chickens are funny, the couple is loving, and the illustrations are great to pour over to pick out all the little details.
Librarian recommends:
Aquicorn Cove is so sweet and beautifully drawn, and Lara and Auntie Mae are awesome as the main characters fighting for the fragile fantastical Aquicorns during a storm. K O'Neill is a local comics superstar!