Pride Month Book Club: Picture Books
No Pride Month Book Club list would be complete without a selection of picture books for younger readers. OK, young children might not have book clubs, but adults who go to book clubs might have children and might like to be able to give their kids some books to entertain them while the grown-ups are book clubbing.
One problem with large lists is that they become overwhelming. While I hate to exclude any book, I decided to limit this list to five.
1. My favorite:
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
The pictures! It is such a visually gorgeous book. It’s my most gifted book to others.
I love this simple story of a boy who wants to be a mermaid, and how his Abuela helps make his dream come true. My kid loves that, "the grandmas get to be mermaids, too." I also appreciated that the Abuelas are shaped like his grandmas--very body positive.
Although I purchased this book for the genderqueer theme, it is very much a "you be you" story that is equally applicable to any young child.
2. My dear friend’s trans son’s favorite book:
Jack Not Jackie by Erica Silverman and Illustrated by Holly Hatam
A wonderful story of acceptance told by the big sister of a trans boy.
3. Another cool book that deserves mentioning:
Jerome By Heart by Thomas Scotto (Author,Claudia Bedrick (Translator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Olivier Tallec (Artist)
A sweet story of a boy who falls in love with another boy, and kind of drives his family crazy with his crush.
4. Of course, I can’t leave out the classic transgender story:
Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall
I was really excited to show this book to my kid. Turned out, they had already read it in kindergarten and wound up showing it to me.
5. And lastly, my kid’s favorite LGBTQIA picture book, and the one they chose to read during our church’s pride service:
