Picture Books
Anderson, Arlie. Neither. An animal judged to not belong or conform in the Land of This and That finds a happy home in the Land of All.
Arnold, Elana K. What Riley Wore. Gender-creative Riley knows just what to wear for every occasion during a busy week with family and friends.
Hall, Michael. Red, A Crayon’s Story. A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as “red” suffers an identity crisis. Almost everyone tries to “help” him be red, until a friend offers a new perspective.
Loney, Andrea J. Bunnybear. Although Bunnybear was born a bear, he feels more like a bunny. He loves to bounce through the forest, wiggle his nose, and munch on strawberries. The other bears don’t understand him, and neither do the bunnies. Will Bunnybear ever find a friend who likes him just the way he is?
Love, Jessica. Julián is a Mermaid. While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess she makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?
Underwood, Deborah. Ogilvy. When Ogilvy moves to a new town , he discovers that bunnies who wear dresses play ball and knit socks, and bunnies in sweaters make art and climb rocks, and Ogilvy must figure out a way to do it all.
Juvenile Illustrated Literature (JIL)
Phi, Bao. My Footprints. Upset after being bullied, Thuy, a Vietnamese American, pretends she is different creatures, including an especially strong, wonderful being made up of her two mothers and herself.
Parent & Teacher (P&T)
Gabriel, Dani. Sam. Based on a true story, this picture book is focused on the relationship between Sam and his sister, in whom he finally confides his gender identity, although his family knows him as “Isabel.”
Herthel, Jessica and Jazz Jennings. I am Jazz. Co-author Jazz Jennings tells her story of knowing from the time she was two that she was a girl in a boy’s body, and how her parents and teachers learned about gender identity and adjusted. Told in a picture book format.
Hoffman, Sarah and Ian. Jacob’s Room to Choose. A class navigates the confusion of how to decide who should use which bathroom. What if you’re wearing pants but the person on the sign is wearing a dress? The class comes up with their own signage including, “Everyone uses the bathroom” and “I have to pee so let me be.”
Thorn, Theresa. It Feels Good to Be Yourself. A straightforward exploration of gender identity, providing young readers and adults with the vocabulary to discuss the subject with sensitivity.
Walton, Jessica. Introducing Teddy. One day, while on the swings, Errol’s teddy bear reveals that he has always known that’s he’s a girl teddy and not a boy teddy, and would like to be known by a new name.
Fiction
Clarke, Cat. The Pants Project. A middle grade novel in which Liv, who considers himself a boy, takes on his school’s policy requiring the wearing of skirts.
Gino, Alex. George. George knows that deep down inside he is a girl. With the help of a friend, George comes up with a plan when the teacher won’t let her try out for the part of Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web.
Hennessey, M.G. The Other Boy. It becomes trickier for twelve-year-old Shane, who has managed to keep the fact that he is transgender a secret, to maintain the secret from other members of the baseball team in the locker room. Issues of who can be trusted to talk to will make this story relatable to many pre-teens and teens.
Picture Books on the Broader Topic of Self-acceptance
Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace. When Grace wishes to play the part of Peter Pan her classmates point out that Peter Pan was a boy, and that, in addition, he wasn’t Black. This book has been appreciated for years for its writing, illustrations and ability to inspire.
Lionni, Leo. Little Blue and Little Yellow. This story of friendship and acceptance is as touching today as it was when it was published in 1959. When Little Blue and Yellow become friends and thereby turn green, they are distressed to find that their parents don’t recognize them.
Lionni, Leo. Pezzetino. In this lovely, mosaic style picture book, Pezzetino (“little piece” in Italian) comes to understand he is his own self, and not a piece of sombody/something bigger.
Parr, Todd. It’s Okay to Be Different. Bright and appealing illustrations show all the different things it is okay to be.
Percival, Tom. Perfectly Norman. Young Norman finds that hiding his wings rather than having them is making him unhappy.
Small, David. Imogene’s Antlers. What will Imogene and her family do in response to her waking up with antlers one morning?
