My Gay Parent

The Different Dragon / El Dragón Diferente by Jennifer Bryan

Plot Summary: This bedtime story about bedtime stories shows how a lively, curious boy helps one of his moms create a magical tale. Together they weave a nighttime adventures that lands young Noah and his singing cat Diva deep in dragon territory. Join them as they make an unexpected discovery and help a new friend find his way.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVuEHsVZWA0
This book is mostly about a boy who meets a dragon (in a bedtime story) who just can’t be fierce anymore. Noah just happens to have two moms, the fact is not central to the plot or ever really discussed. Indeed, Jennifer Bryan, herself a lesbian mom, wrote the book specifically for that purpose: representation without heavy-handed moralizing. Just a really fun, fantasy kids book with a side of LGBTQ representation (and Spanish translation!).

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer

Plot Summary: Stella's class is having a Mother's Day celebration, but what's a girl with two daddies to do? It's not that she doesn't have someone who helps her with her homework, or tucks her in at night. Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported every day. She just doesn't have a mom to invite to the party. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExsDkI-5_p0
Stella has two dads which isn’t normally a problem for her, but now she has to decide who to bring to the Mother’s Day party. The other kids are surprised that she doesn’t have a mommy and ask a series of questions that reads like A Tale of Two Daddies, surprised but not mean: but, who does xyz for you like my mom does for me? Eventually she decides to bring both her dads and her aunt and uncle and cousin and grandmother. A sweet redefinition of Mother’s Day and family.

Heather has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman

Plot Summary: Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy, but Heather doesn’t have a daddy. Then something interesting happens. When Heather and her classmates all draw pictures of their families, not one drawing is the same. It doesn’t matter who makes up a family, the teacher says, because “the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another.”
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPELRbTINk
This is a story about a little girl who has two mommies and a very smart teacher who points out that everyone’s family is a little different and a lot special to defuse any potential rejection or teasing.

A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager

Plot Summary: A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right. She has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?” To which she answers: “Daddy is my soccer coach. / Poppa cooks me eggs and toast.”
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wFvLoqdqYc
This is a girl with two dads and a boy with a bunch of gendered questions about which dad does what. Though the book has no explicit assignment of gender roles, the prolonged questions about for example, tree house builder vs skinned knee caretaker, made me slightly uncomfortable because of the implication that one of the dads has to take on a mom role.

A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager

Plot Summary: A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he answers: “Mommy helps when I want to go fishing. / Both Mommies help when Kitty goes missing.”
Youtube link: N/A
This is Vanita Oelschlager’s lesbian version of A Tale of Two Daddies and follows the same format. I have the same problem with it that I have with A Tale of Two Daddies; the prolonged questions made me slightly uncomfortable because of the implication that one of the moms has to take on a dad role.

Donovan’s Big Day by Lesléa Newman

Plot Summary: Donovan's two moms are getting married, and he can't wait for the celebration to begin. After all, as ringbearer, he has a very important job to do. Any boy or girl with same-sex parents—or who knows a same-sex couple—will appreciate this picture book about love, family, and marriage. The story captures the joy and excitement of a wedding day while the illustrations show the happy occasion from a child's point of view.
Youtube link to a book trailer which gives you a sense of the illustrations and tone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7n1R3sFiPI
Donovan is super excited about getting dressed up for the wedding. The story focuses on this more than the fact that it’s his two moms getting married. Indeed, the plot would be unaffected if you substituted two moms for two dads or for a mom and a stepdad or a heterosexual parents’ vow renewal or any other variation.

Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima

Plot Summary: Harriet loves costumes. She wears them to the dentist, to the supermarket, and most importantly, to her super-special dress-up birthday party. Her dads have decorated everything for the party and Harriet has her most favorite costume all picked out for the big day. There’s just one thing missing—party hats! But when Harriet dons her special penguin errand-running costume and sets out to find the perfect ones, she finds something else instead—real penguins! Harriet gets carried away with the flock. She may look like a penguin, but she’s not so sure she belongs in the arctic. Can Harriet manage her way back to her dads (and the party hats!) in time for her special day?
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfqAfHJmU3s
This is a sweet story about a girl who accidentally flies back to Antarctica with a bunch of penguins and has to figure out how to get home. Oh, and she happens to have gay dads but, that fact remains unquestioned and is not a focus of the book at all.

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah Brannen

Plot Summary: Bobby and Jamie are getting married, but Bobby’s niece Chloe is worried that she won't be his favorite person anymore. Will Uncle Bobby still think she is special? Sarah Brannen’s warm story is set in an alternative family as Uncle Bobby marries his boyfriend. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding embraces Bobby?s relationship with Jamie, but keeps its focus where it truly belongs: on an uncle and niece’s love for each other.
Youtube link: N/A
Although this book has been banned for its homosexual content, the story is more about Chloe’s relationship with her uncle. In the original edition, the characters are guinea pigs but in a new edition coming out in May, the illustrations show human characters.

My Two Dads are Amazing by Pablo Fernández

Plot Summary: Ben is 9 years old and lives with his two dads. There are good things (going on trips, for example) and not-so-good things (such as being made to eat tomatoes) about living with his dads. But they're pretty amazing dads!
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZU_XVHR6Ao
The point of this book is to paint having two gay dads as just the same as any other kind of family. The list of what Ben likes and doesn’t like about his dads is purposely made so that any kid could have written it about any parent.

Molly’s Family by Nancy Garden

Plot Summary: The members of Ms. Marston's kindergarten class are cleaning and decorating their room for the upcoming Open School Night. Molly and Tommy work on drawing pictures to put on the walls. Molly draws her family: Mommy, Mama Lu, and her puppy, Sam. But when Tommy looks at her picture, he tells her it's not of a family. "You can't have a mommy and a mama," he says. Molly doesn't know what to think; no one else in her class has two mothers. She isn't sure she wants her picture to be on the wall for Open School Night.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl1StVtbk2g
The fact that Molly has two moms becomes the conflict of the book when a classmate tells her that it is not possible to have two moms. But with a little support from her moms and her teacher, who tell her there’s all different sorts of families, she has a great time at Open School Night with her moms. My only critique is that the book spends maybe a little too long insisting that you can’t have two moms, before its supportive conclusion.

The Purim Superhero by Elisabeth Kushner

Plot Summary: Nate loves aliens and he really wants to wear an alien costume for Purim, but his friends are all dressing as superheroes and he wants to fit in. What will he do? With the help of his two dads he makes a surprising decision.
Youtube link: N/A
This is another book where the main character just happens to have two dads. The conflict has to do with trying to decide what costume to wear for the Purim costume contest. One of the only LGBTQ books that has a jewish setting, both of these themes are left with no explanation or conflict, rather they serve as the backdrop to the story of a kid doing kid things.

Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman

Plot Summary: Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there's no limit to what a loving family can do together.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt2VphobB-A
This board book is suitable for super young kids (pre-k) and depicts a toddler playing with her two moms. There is no conflict or attempt to explain why the toddler has two moms; the family just does normal family stuff together in a cute, simple plot.

Daddy, Papa, and Me by Lesléa Newman

Plot Summary: Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its daddies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there's no limit to what a loving family can do together. Share the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN5OC-YLrnU
The same as Mommy, Mama, and Me but with two dads. A board book for young kids. The family plays all day, though perhaps playing more with more gender stereotypes as they sew and throw a ball, and bake, and run around, and have a tea party.

In our Mother’s House by Patricia Polacco

Plot Summary: Marmee, Meema, and the kids are just like any other family on the block. In their beautiful house, they cook dinner together, they laugh together, and they dance together. But some of the other families don't accept them. They say they are different. How can a family have two moms and no dad? But Marmee and Meema?s house is full of love. And they teach their children that different doesn't mean wrong. And no matter how many moms or dads they have, they are everything a family is meant to be. Here is a true Polacco story of a family, living by their own rules, and the strength they gain by the love they feel.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN2B1sFn2lg
This book is definitely on the longer side (48 pages) with paragraphs on each page and several stories within the plot. The book starts with a description of the two moms and their three multiracial, adopted kids and follows the family throughout their lives. Throughout stories of halloween costume contests, getting puppies, getting sick, building a treehouse and planning a block party, one set of neighbors rejects the family. However, the book never explains why, just depicts a series of microaggressions, so be prepared to fill in the details of homophobia on your own. The neighborhood and the family is quite diverse and the book emphasizes the love in the family. With a little explanation, this is a great book.

Two Dads by Carolyn Robertson

Plot Summary: Having Two Dads is double the fun! Many families are different, this family has Two Dads. A beautifully illustrated, affirming story of life with Two Dads, written from the perspective of their adopted child. Featured as a recommended book to buy in Gay Times Magazine, Huffington Post, Diva Magazine, New Family Social, Adoption UK Magazine."uses heartwarming illustrations and delightful rhymes to celebrate the beauty found in all kinds of families — particularly those on the LGBT spectrum."
Youtube link: N/A
This book was written to celebrate, as the author and lesbian mother of two puts it, “just how normal different types of families really are.” To that point, the book describes the life of an adopted kid whose family has two dads.

Home at Last by Vera B. Williams and Chris Raschka

Plot Summary: After Lester is adopted by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, he develops a big problem—he can't fall asleep. Night after night he creeps into his parents' room and attempts to crawl in between his two daddies, confident that if he's with them and their dog, Wincka, nothing bad will happen to him ever again. But every night, Lester's new dads walk him back to his own room, hoping that eventually Lester will get used to the new house and his new family and feel as though he belongs. They buy him a bike and take him for ice cream. They make cocoa and introduce him to his cousins. But no matter how happy Lester seems during the day, he still gets scared and worried at night! It's the sweet dog Wincka who finally solves the problem when she climbs into Lester's bed and promptly falls asleep, serving as both his pillow and his protector. Lester feels home at last.
Youtube link: N/A
This book is about a little boy adopted by two gay men and worried that they will be taken away, like the other parental figures in his life. He is happy during the day, but is scared at night until the family dog makes him feel safe. This book has a more mature, and in some ways realistic, portrayal of the stresses of adoption. This is not as light as most of the other books reviewed here. Fair warning, some of the reviewers were worried about the severity of the scene when Daddy Albert loses his temper.

Spacegirl Pukes by Katy Watson

Plot Summary: Young spacegirl is especially lucky to have two mothers and a very curious cat nearby when rocket troubles and nausea begin.
Youtube link: N/A
Spacegirl and her two moms, her cat and her rocket all catch the stomach flu! The family composition is incidental to the plot. Kids will likely find the constant, brightly colored vomiting hilarious.

Antonio’s Card / La tarjeta de Antonio by Rigoberto González

Plot Summary: Antonio loves words, because words have the power to express feelings like love, pride, or hurt. Mother's Day is coming soon, and Antonio searches for the words to express his love for his mother and her partner, Leslie. But he's not sure what to do when his classmates make fun of Leslie, an artist, who towers over everyone and wears paint-splattered overalls. As Mother's Day approaches, Antonio must choose whether or how to express his connection to both of the special women in his life. Rigoberto González's bilingual story about a nontraditional family resonates with all children who have been faced with speaking up for themselves or for the people they love. Cecilia Concepción Álvarez's paintings bring the tale to life in tender, richly hued detail.
Youtube link: N/A
This bilingual story deals with a hispanic child, Antonio, and his two moms. The other kids at school tease him about his mother’s partner Leslie (who defies gender norms). The sexuality of his parents is the conflict of the story, but the book attempts to place the focus more on individual difference than sexual orientation.

Asha’s Mums by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse

Plot Summary: Asha, an African-Canadian girl whose lesbian mums become an issue for the teacher and the curiosity of classmates, responds with clarity and assuredness that having two mums is no big deal--they are a family.
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gw4ZrFX6s0
The fact that Asha has two moms is the conflict of the story; not only do her classmates not believe her, but neither does her teacher. One classmate even suggests that it is bad to have two moms. Everything is solved by Asha’s moms coming in together to talk to her teacher, but we don’t get to see what they said. Afterwards everyone is accepted and all issues are resolved. The book has a nice multi-racial cast, but does not explain its hasty resolution.

I Have Series (I Have Two Dads and I Have Two Moms) by Colleen LeMaire

Plot Summary: Families come in all shapes and sizes. The I Have Series believes every "Once Upon A Time" deserves a "Happily Ever After", and I Have Two Dads shows the beautiful love a same-sex family has for each other.
Youtube link: N/A
This series of 6 books includes all sorts of diverse families and was written to normalize diverse families.

Lucky Love and His Moms by Casey Lane

Plot Summary: Meet Lucky Love! It's adoption day and he's a pup just trying to make sense of a big new world. But with two quirky moms, there's bound to be an endless supply of love and adventures outside (and inside) his lucky little heart!
Youtube link: N/A
A pair of lesbians adopt a puppy. The book is narrated from the dog’s point of view. This book was released in January 2020.

Queer Love Stories

Trans and Gender Queer Stories

101 LGBTQ Picture Books