The Best LGBTQ Books for Pre-K Kids

Disclaimer: This title is a bit misleading. Books cannot be LGBTQ because books are not sentient and do not have gender or attraction. LGBTQ Books for Pre-K Kids are actually books that feature LGBTQ characters.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, books! Maybe you are a parent, a teacher, or a person looking for a gift for a special pre-K kid in your life, welcome! Perhaps you are just a person who likes children’s books, great! This is for you too.

“Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors”

In 1990, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote a revolutionizing essay entitled, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” in which she stated:

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.”- Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop from “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” originally published in Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom. Vol. 6 no. 3 Summer 1990.

Though these words were written 30+ years ago they are exactly what we need craft meaningful libraries in classrooms and at home today. It is crucial to provide diversity of all kids in the books we read the children in our lives. They should not only see themselves reflected in the book’s pages (mirrors), but also should be able to explore other cultures, world views, and experiences(windows). When we choose high quality books and not only read, but properly examine and contextualize the books we read these books are powerful agents of growth and change towards more connection and empathy.

LGBTQ Books for Pre-K Reminders

A few reminders about LGBTQ+ inclusive children’s books:

1. PLEASE do not only read books about LGBTQ+ people overcoming bullying. When this is the only book on the topic presented the take away can be the exact opposite of inclusive.
2. Consider the source. While I do not think all LGBTQ+ inclusive children’s books need to be written by out LGBTQ+ authors, I do think it is important to consider the point of view the author is writing from.
3. Be prepared to answer questions about the relationships and people in the book. If children asking questions about the LGBTQ+ community makes you nervous, please reach out here and we can schedule a session on how to handle these questions in a supportive and affirming way.
4. Think outside the labels. Some of the books on this list are not what you would traditionally call “LGBTQ+ children’s books”, but all provide windows and mirrors for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

So with out further ado, BOOKS (along with affiliate links. If you value my work, please consider using the links provided so that I can continue doing this work and providing these resources):

What Are Your Words? by Katherine Locke

• This is a great introduction to personal pronouns including neopronouns like ey, ze, and xe! A child named Ari tried to figure out what pronouns feel right that day with the help of Uncle Lior.
• Possible units: Community, LGBTQ+, Families, Get to Know You

From The Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea written by Kai Cheng Thom illustrated by Wai-yant Li and Kai Yun Ching

• A magical, beautiful story about a mother’s love for a child that doesn’t easily fit into any categories and can transform into different animals. This one works especially well as a rest time/ bedtime book because it includes a lovely little song.
• Possible units: Families, Exploring Different and Same, Rest Time Books

We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, and Eduardo Trejos

• I love this book about the different ways that people move. The back of the book describes it as, “A joyful exploration of disability community and culture” and it definitely is. This book includes so much visual representation that you do not regularly see in picture books including: different mobility devices, sign language, people wearing hijabs, folks with all sorts of gender presentations, a couple that appears to be a two dad family, and so much more!
• Possible Units: Activism, Disability, Ways to Move

My Maddy by Gayle E. Pittman and illustrated by Violet Tobacco

• Some people have parents that are mommies or daddies and some people have parents that are not, but love their children all the same. As a nonbinary parent with a partner who is also nonbinary, I really appreciated finding a book that was about a nonbinary parent’s love for their child. My Maddy is a great book for a unit on families or to include nonbinary representation in your library.
• Possible Units: Gender, Families, LGBTQ+

Hello, Whale! (Animal Facts and Flaps) by Sam Boughton

• I would wager you probably won’t find this book on too many other LGBTQ+ inclusive picture book lists, but I think it deserves a place here. This book is a fun little look at animals that live in the ocean. From a LGBTQ+ inclusion perspective I like that none of the humans in the book are explicitly gendered which can lead to a great conversation about not putting gender onto people based on the way they look. Additionally, this book has a section about seahorses including how seahorse dads are the ones that carry the babies until they are born. Knowing this information can be really affirming for kids whose birth parent is not a woman.
• Possible Units: Sea Life, Animal Facts

What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg illustrated by Fiona Smyth

• If you have been looking for a straight forward explanation of where babies come from for the 10 and under crowd, stop your search, this is it. This book’s fun illustrations by Fiona Smyth and clear non-gendered text cover the basic biology without any of the “mommy and daddy” stuff that is so often found in these type of books. Additionally, this book is also inclusive of surrogacy and adoption.
• Possible Units: Families, Where Do Babies Come From?

I’m Not a Girl: A Transgender Story by Maddox Lyons and Jessica Verdi

• This is a story about the importance of letting children express themself through their clothing and hair choices and about believing them when they tell you who they are. There is a trap some picture books about transgender people fall into where one gender gets over generalized and simplified in order to make a point about how the person in question is another gender. I particularly like how this book avoids that trap and makes it clear that girls are awesome and varied, but the child in question just isn’t one. This book gets additional bonus points from me for the inclusion of trans women on a classroom bulletin board of famous women.
• Possible Units: Gender, Self Determination, Standing Up for Yourself

A House for Everyone by Jo Hirst and illustrated by Naomi Bardoff

• Cooperation and the value of everyone’s unique talents are at the heart of this story about a group of friends who work together to make a playhouse on a playground. Each child in the book is introduced with a little bit of information about their gender and how they are talented. Two things I really love about this book are how varied the gender presentations of the children are and how almost all of the characters defy gender norms in some way. I could see this book being excellent for a unit on community.
• Possible Units: Exploring Individual Strengths, Gender, Cooperation

When Aiden Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

• I have a confession to make. When I read books to my kids I often change the words. Many books do not work for our family, parenting style, and views on gender so I change them a little bit. This book was one of the first books about gender that I did not have to change one word. It was so refreshing I almost cried.
• Aiden has a bit of a bumpy start with gender until he discovers the right words to let his family know he is a boy. When Aiden finds out he is going to be a big brother he worries that the baby will go through the same struggles he did. This book is such a treat. A must for any book collection!
• Possible Units: Families, Standing Up for Yourself, Celebrating a New Baby

It Feels Good to be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn and illustrated by Noah Grigni

• The art in this book might be my favorite on the list. Noah Grigni is a genius at making vibrant lush illustrations. The title says it all. This is a straight forward and clear book about what gender identity is. It covers a variety of gender identities including: transgender girl, cisgender boy, and various nonbinary identities. I really appreciate how this book approaches how babies are assigned a gender and how that is sometimes wrong.
• Possible Units: Gender, Differences and Similarities, Getting to Know You

My Rainbow by Trinity and DeShanna Neal illustrated by Art Twink

The love of a mother for her transgender daughter is at the heart of this book. Trinity, a young Black, autistic girl, feels like she can’t be fully herself because she doesn’t have long hair like her dolls. Her brother’s quick thinking and mother’s craftiness her realized her full self. I love that this book shows a young girl with the self awareness to indicate what she needs and a family that loves her enough to listen.

Possible Units: Celebrating Difference, LGBTQ+, Helpers, Families