4 Picture Books We Love that Feature Trans Characters
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If you're searching for some wonderful picture books that feature transgender characters for the special children in your world, you're in the right place! Enjoy some examples from our expert-curated collection below!
Interested in these amazing books? You can support these LGBTQ+ books and our LGBTQ+-owned business by purchasing these books as part of our Build-Your-Own Pride Boxes offering!
Want us to select for you? You can purchase our Expert-Curated Pride Book Box and/or subscribe to our diverse kids' book boxes to receive LGBTQ+ and other diverse books quarterly! Our Curation Team ensures there is at least one LGBTQ+ book in every 3-book subscription box that goes out to our members each quarter.
Also make sure to check out Pride Book Bingo for more types of LGBTQ+ children's books you may already have or may be seeking! What books are easy for you to find? What books are harder to find? Let us know by emailing your completed Pride Bingo to support@OurShelves.com.
Without further delay, check out these four wonderful picture books below!
1. MARLEY'S PRIDE by Joëlle Retener and DeAnn Wiley
(This description comes from this book's publisher, Barefoot Books.)
Great news! MARLEY'S PRIDE is already included in summer OurShelves book boxes! If you have questions about whether your summer book box already includes this book, please email us at support@OurShelves.com. Or if you'd like to order additional copies of this title in hardback or paperback, please email us.
2. CALL ME MAX authored by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Luciano Lozano
"When Max starts school, the teacher hesitates to call out the name on the attendance sheet. Something doesn’t seem to fit. Max lets her know the name he wants to be called by—a boy’s name. This begins Max’s journey as he makes new friends and reveals his feelings about his identity to his parents. Written with warmth and sensitivity by trans writer Kyle Lukoff, this book is a sweet and age-appropriate introduction to what it means to be transgender."
(This description comes from this book's publisher, Reycraft Books.)
3. WHEN AIDAN BECAME A BROTHER authored by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
"This sweet and groundbreaking picture book, winner of the 2020 Stonewall Book Award, celebrates the changes in a transgender boy's life, from his initial coming-out to becoming a big brother.
When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.
Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning—from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does 'making things right' actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.
When Aidan Became a Brother is a heartwarming book that will resonate with transgender children, reassure any child concerned about becoming an older sibling, and celebrate the many transitions a family can experience."
(This description comes from this book's publisher, Lee & Low Books.)
4. CALVIN authored by JR and Vanessa Ford, illustrated by Kayla Harren
"Calvin has always been a boy, even if the world sees him as a girl. He knows who he is in his heart and in his mind but he hasn’t yet told his family. Finally, he can wait no longer: 'I’m not a girl,' he tells his family. 'I’m a boy–a boy in my heart and in my brain.' Quick to support him, his loving family takes Calvin shopping for the swim trunks he’s always wanted and back-to-school clothes and a new haircut that helps him look and feel like the boy he’s always known himself to be. As the first day of school approaches, he’s nervous and the 'what-ifs' gather up inside him. But as his friends and teachers rally around him and he tells them his name, all his 'what-ifs' begin to melt away.
Inspired by the authors’ own transgender child and accompanied by warm and triumphant illustrations, this authentic and personal text promotes kindness and empathy, offering a poignant and inclusive back-to-school message: all should feel safe, respected, and welcomed."
(This description comes from this book's publisher, Penguin Random House.)
Interested in purchasing these amazing books? You can support these LGBTQ+ books and our LGBTQ+-owned business by purchasing these books as part of our Build-Your-Own Pride Boxes offering!
Want us to select books for you? You can purchase our Expert-Curated Pride Book Box and/or subscribe to our regular quarterly diverse kids' book boxes to receive LGBTQ+ and other diverse books year-round! Our Curation Team ensures there is at least one LGBTQ+ book like the ones above in every 3-book subscription box that goes out to our members each quarter.
Join our e-list. Join the movement. FIRST access to NEW resources + NEW products. FREE videos, activities, guides, how to's.
