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7 books for children featuring same-sex families
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Many GLBT Families are looking for children’s books that are representative of their families. Without a doubt, children’s books are geared towards traditional families that our children may have trouble identifying with. Book Dads is a website created by two gay dads. While the website is not specifically geared towards same-sex families, they have many suggested titles for us in their “diversity” section. Book Dads is a compilation of titles of books that show ALL fathers in a positive light, something the creators found was lacking when picking out books for their son.
If you’re looking for books for your children, consider these titles below:
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By none other than the incomparable Harvey Fierstein, this book doesn’t pull any punches. Elmer is a sissy duckling who is the target of bullying and scorn, and understood only by his Mama. Even Elmer’s own Papa declares that “He’s no son of mine!” But when Papa is shot by hunters and it’s up to Elmer to save him, Papa learns firsthand about his son’s true courageousness. It’s disappointing and perhaps stereotypical that the father in this story is the intolerant parent who cannot accept his “different” son while the mother is accepting and shares a special relationship with him. Yet it’s also sadly true that this is often exactly the case between fathers and sons, and The Sissy Duckling deals with this painful issue directly and honestly. Not an easy read, this book nevertheless imparts an important lesson for both fathers and sons.
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In this short but engaging book, the imperturbable Lou answers his friend’s questions about his two dads, who both are blue. Since the story focuses on his dads’ “blue-ness” rather than their “two-ness”, it presents the idea of different families without focusing on the issue of sexual orientation. Lou’s answers about his dads are confident and matter-of-fact, and this book is a great tool for building self-esteem for kids in two-dad families. Lou’s answers also serve to further showcase the many things that all dads can do, and the book ends with yet another surprise about dads from Lou’s friend Jean. Highly recommended.
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by Bobbie Combs
This alphabet book features two-dad and two-mom families, both in the illustrations and text. The families are shown doing all of the things that families do, and children will find the humorous illustrations very amusing.
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This is the true story of Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins living at the Central Park Zoo who not only pair-bonded, but also hatched and raised a penguin chick named Tango. The book conveys Roy and Silo’s affection for each other as well as their desire to hatch an egg and their devoted parenting. The Author’s Note at the end explains a few more of the details. A touching story made stronger by the fact that it is true.
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This appears to be a straightforward counting book, with one sentence for each number accompanied by wonderful artwork showing happy families in various settings. Yet although not discussed in the text, the pictures depict all types of diverse families, including transracial and two-dad families. A great book for showing diverse families celebrating family life just like all families, and for introducing what may be a sensitive concept to children as a subtext rather than by overt discussion.
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by Andrew R. Aldrich
The African-American child in this story tells about his family was formed when he was adopted by two Caucasian fathers. The story is told in simple phrases and pictures, and has a very upbeat tone. The book also mentions the many women who are involved in the child’s life. For transracial two-dad families, this is the perfect book for talking about their family with their children in a positive and affirming way. But it’s also useful for anyone else who wants to explain such families to their children in a straightforward and manner-of-fact manner.
August 21, 2008 by Book Dads
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by Todd Parr
Books by Todd Parr (creator of the Discovery channel TV show Toddworld) are always about imparting positive messages to children, and this one is no exception. All about the diversity of families, this book mixes the ordinary (“Some families look alike”) and the outrageous (“Some families look like their pets”) to reinforce the message that there are all kinds of families, including families which are transracial, adoptive, stepfamilies, two-dad, and single parent. Most importantly, it stresses not only the differences between families but the similarities as well
Are you a gay owned/operated and/or friendly business in central Texas? Would you like to be featured on the Austin Gay Parenting Examiner webpage and get some free publicity? Would you like your business linked on the resources page? Or if you're listed, would like like to be removed? Do you have an upcoming event you would like advertised to boost participation? If so, pleast email Frederick at examinerfreddy@gmail.com.
For more info: Want more information on books for GLBT families? Check out Book Dads and Kids Books on the web.
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