Celebrating Pride with Children's Storybooks

Cape Coral Pride (March 2020, before pandemic shutdowns changed everything)

Happy Pride, everyone!  

I've shared many times about how much the Remaley family enjoys reading together. Storytime is one of our favorite parts of the day! To celebrate Pride Month, I pulled together a few of our favorite storybooks that speak to the experiences of LGBTQ people and themes. Each of these books make regular appearances in the lineup throughout the year (but especially in June, and in the days leading up to and following our local Pride festivals!)

To all my LGBTQ+ family:  You are seen. You are valued. You are loved.

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A Church for All by Gayle Pitman
© 2018 Chicago: Whitman & Company
Amazon | Lee County Public Library

In A Church for All, Gayle Pitman offers a delightfully simple lyrical account of a "day in the life" of a congregation that demonstrates inclusivity of every age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. Her words are accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Laure Fournier depicting diversity in all its forms. There have been some great strides for equality in recent years. Some congregations are diverse and inclusive. Many others are, unfortunately, not. And  regardless of where a particular faith community is on this journey, it's safe to say that every congregation has more work to do. This book offers hope for children and caregivers alike that welcoming and inclusive congregations can (and must!) exist. To this end, each time I finish reading this book, I offer a simple prayer: "May it be so, holy God. May it be so."

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Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders
© 2018 New York: Random House
Amazon | Lee County Public Library

When my son was younger he liked to parade around the house with what he called his "rainbow flag." Now, after reading this gorgeous storybook to my son, he joyfully refers to the flag as his "pride flag." In Pride, author Rob Sanders sets out to tell the story of Harvey Milk, Gilbert Baker, and how the first pride flag came to be. I admit to glossing over some of the details of Milk's assassination while reading the book aloud to my three year old; however, the author handles the topic well, so when the time comes it will make for a good conversation starter. My son's favorite page depicts the White House lit up in rainbow colors on the evening of the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015. (Spoiler alert: it's my favorite too.)

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Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall
© 2015 New York: Greenwillow Press
Amazon | Lee County Public Library

This book is a great example of a story with the power to continue growing up alongside you. On a surface level, it's a simple tale of a blue crayon with a red label. Dig a little deeper, though, and it transforms into a story that underscores the importance of being true to who you were knit together to be. On the one hand, this is probably a less traditional book to include on a Pride list, because it never explicitly mentions any LGBTQ themes. However, it's clear that -- continuing to dig even deeper -- it offers caregivers an age-accessible storyline for exploring themes of gender identity with their children. (In fact, I believe it would be especially useful for supporting children who are struggling with their own gender identity!).

This year for Pride, it is more important than ever before to share the voices and perspectives of black and other people of color. Our personal storybook library is seriously lacking on this front, and we're committed to doing better (and yes, we're open for suggestions and recommendations!). In the meantime, here are two books worth considering by Rob Sanders, who also wrote Pride, which I reviewed above. Although he is a white cisgender man, his work offers useful perspective on the intersection of racial justice and queer justice.

Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights by Rob Sanders
This storybook highlights the intersectional nature of the fight for justice and equality, with a wide-ranging view of nonviolent protest movements from A to Z. (For example, the Black Lives Matter logo is pictured right next to an HRC Bumper Sticker). I seriously love this book.

Stonewall by Rob Sanders
This storybook tells the story of the Stonewall Uprising in a way that may still be accessible for many children. I appreciate how the story is told from the perspective of the buildings - as if the walls themselves were talking. (Not only is Stonewall the origin of what we now call Pride - historians have written that the entire movement was led primarily by black trans women!)