83 books like When Aidan Became a Brother

By Kyle Lukoff, Kaylani Juanita (illustrator),

Here are 83 books that When Aidan Became a Brother fans have personally recommended if you like When Aidan Became a Brother. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Mommy, Mama, and Me

Meryl G. Gordon Author Of The Flower Girl Wore Celery

From my list on children with LGBTQ family members.

Why am I passionate about this?

When my son and son-in-law were getting married back in 2010, my cousin’s four-year-old daughter Emma was excited to be their flower girl. I wanted to buy Emma a book about a flower girl to prepare her for the wedding, but I couldn’t find anything that worked for our situation, since we were having two grooms and no bride—at an otherwise traditional Jewish wedding. Then one day, my cousin called, laughing, and said “Emma said she’s afraid to come to the wedding because of the Ring BEAR!” So I needed to write this for Emmaa story where everything isn’t what the child imagines, but it’s all joyful. 

Meryl's book list on children with LGBTQ family members

Meryl G. Gordon Why did Meryl love this book?

There are two companion board books, one for little ones with two mommies and the other for little ones with two daddies, which are the perfect way for babies and toddlers to see themselves and their families in a book, just doing the ordinary things that parents do with their young children. I love how the love shines through in each illustration.

By Lesléa Newman, Carol Thompson (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Mommy, Mama, and Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman [Tricycle Press, 2009] Board book [Board...


Book cover of Maiden & Princess

Mark Ceilley Author Of Cinderelliot: A Scrumptious Fairytale

From my list on GLBTQ+ love story picture books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I identify as a member of the GLBTQ+ community. My husband and I had a church wedding. I have written several stories that have GLBTQ+ representation and are love stories. I have also read and familiarized myself with many GLBTQ+ children’s books. 

Mark's book list on GLBTQ+ love story picture books

Mark Ceilley Why did Mark love this book?

I personally like this book because there are very few picture books representing two women falling in love and getting married. This book celebrates two women, a courageous maiden who attends a royal party, and while there, she ends up finding love with the princess.

This fairytale is written with themes of acceptance and love. 

By Daniel Haack, Isabel Galupo, Becca Human (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Maiden & Princess as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

In this modern fairy tale, a strong, brave maiden is invited to attend the prince's royal ball, but at the dance, she ends up finding true love in a most surprising place.

"The prince is smart and strong,"

she confided in her mother.

"But if I'm being honest,

I see him as a brother."

Her mother said, "Just go!

And have a bit of fun.

The prince might not be right,

but you could meet the one."

Once in a faraway kingdom, a strong, brave maiden is invited to attend the prince's royal ball, but she's not as excited to…


Book cover of Worm Loves Worm

Mark Ceilley Author Of Cinderelliot: A Scrumptious Fairytale

From my list on GLBTQ+ love story picture books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I identify as a member of the GLBTQ+ community. My husband and I had a church wedding. I have written several stories that have GLBTQ+ representation and are love stories. I have also read and familiarized myself with many GLBTQ+ children’s books. 

Mark's book list on GLBTQ+ love story picture books

Mark Ceilley Why did Mark love this book?

In this story, two worms fall in love with each other. When they decide to get married, their friends ask who will wear the dress and who will wear the tux. In the end, it doesn’t matter what they wear, because worm loves worm.

I love the simple, noncomplicated theme that no matter who you want to spend your life with, love is love. The illustrations are delightful and charming. 

By J.J. Austrian, Mike Curato (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Worm Loves Worm as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Perfect for fans of And Tango Makes Three and The Sissy Duckling, this irresistible picture book is a celebration of love in all its splendid forms from debut author J. J. Austrian and the acclaimed author-illustrator of Little Elliot, Big City, Mike Curato. You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of a worm ...and a worm. When a worm meets a special worm and they fall in love, you know what happens next: They get married! But their friends want to know-who will wear the dress? And who will wear the tux? The answer is: It doesn't matter. Because…


Book cover of Jerome by Heart

Sarah S. Brannen Author Of Uncle Bobby's Wedding

From my list on children’s picture books with LGBTQ+ characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

I wrote Uncle Bobby’s Wedding in 2005, just after same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts. It was published in 2008 and immediately became the target of anti-LGBT attacks. Many people attempted to ban it. Some went so far as to burn it – and then they wrote to tell me they had. It was one of the most challenged books in the country that year, and it was one of the 100 most-challenged books of the decade. I have been deeply involved with LGBTQ+ picture books ever since. 

Sarah's book list on children’s picture books with LGBTQ+ characters

Sarah S. Brannen Why did Sarah love this book?

The main character, a little boy named Raphael, loves his friend Jerome. And Raphael loves Jerome for good reasons – Jerome makes him feel protected, Jerome holds his hand, “Jerome always sees me, even when he’s with his friends.” Despite a little opposition from Raphael’s parents, this is the warmest of books about how sweet and life-affirming the love between two children can be.

By Thomas Scotto, Olivier Tallec (illustrator), Claudia Bedrick (translator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Jerome by Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Raphael loves Jerome. I say it. It's easy."
This story follows a little boy named Raphael, whose daily rhythm is steeped in his immense affection for his friend Jerome. The two boys share jokes and snacks and plan future adventures to the Himalayas. Even when Raphael's constant talk of Jerome is driving his parents crazy, he remains steadfast: "Raphael loves Jerome. I can say it. It's easy." And the truth is, when he's with Jerome, Raphael feels happy, liked, and understood- even special. Thomas Scotto's simple, strong, and insightful prose and Olivier Tallec's delightful, expressive illustrations give much emotion and…


Book cover of It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book about Gender Identity

Sarah Warren Author Of Stacey Abrams: Lift Every Voice

From my list on to read when you don’t have the answers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’d been a preschool teacher and a children’s author for years before I decided to become a mom. I was pretty sure I’d kill it at motherhood, I mean, I knew all the songs and I had lots of books. I was always up for giving advice to the caregivers at my school, heck, I was the perfect parent before my son was born. I knew everything then. Not anymore. Thank goodness for books. Over the years, my child has asked some tough questions, read on…you’ll see. Do they sound familiar? If so, these books might help you find your footing as you go looking for answers. 

Sarah's book list on to read when you don’t have the answers

Sarah Warren Why did Sarah love this book?

“Why is that dad wearing a dress?”

It wasn’t the first time my toddler commented on someone’s appearance in front of them, but I was convinced that his question sounded like a judgment. We have never left our grocery store so fast. I was angry. He was worried. Had he done something wrong? Yes! Maybe? I didn’t know. Had I? Yes. I wanted my family to be cool with all forms of gender expression, but I hadn’t built the common ground or the vocabulary to make that vision a reality. I’d projected my own fears, ignorance, and self-consciousness onto my child. I blew it. This book gave me words. We don’t assume anything about ourselves or other people anymore. I can see that my son’s curiosity comes from a place of sincerity and positivity. Now, I have the confidence to follow his lead.

By Theresa Thorn, Noah Grigni (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked It Feels Good to Be Yourself as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Some people are boys. Some people are girls. Some people are both, neither, or somewhere in between.

This sweet, straightforward exploration of gender identity will give children a fuller understanding of themselves and others. Written by the mother of a transgender child and illustrated by a non-binary transgender artist, It Feels Good to Be Yourself provides young readers and parents alike with the vocabulary to discuss this important topic with sensitivity.


Book cover of The Boy & the Bindi

Joy Ellison Author Of Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History

From my list on to celebrate transgender pride.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a kid, I knew that my gender was different. I didn’t feel like a boy or a girl, but I didn’t know the word “nonbinary.” There were no kid’s books about people like me. I grew up with a lot of questions, which drove me to become a doctor of Women’s and Gender Studies and an expert on transgender history. Now I’m passionate about writing the kind of picture books that I needed as a child. If you want the kids in your life to understand transgender identity and feel loved whatever their gender may be, you’ll enjoy the books on my list. 

Joy's book list on to celebrate transgender pride

Joy Ellison Why did Joy love this book?

I love lyrical picture books with colorful illustrations. If you do too, you’ll enjoy The Boy & the Bindi. Vivek Shraya tells the story of a boy who wants to wear a bindi, the red dot Southeast Asian women often wear on their foreheads to show where creation began. Instead of chastising him for wanting to do something reserved for women, the boy’s mother welcomes him into the beauty of the bindi, explaining its significance. This book does a wonderful job of meeting children who are exploring their gender exactly where they are. 

By Vivek Shraya, Rajni Perera (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Boy & the Bindi as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this beautiful children’s picture book by Vivek Shraya, author of the acclaimed God Loves Hair, a five-year-old South Asian boy becomes fascinated with his mother’s bindi, the red dot commonly worn by Hindu women to indicate the point at which creation begins, and wishes to have one of his own. Rather than chastise her son, she agrees to it, and teaches him about its cultural significance, allowing the boy to discover the magic of the bindi, which in turn gives him permission to be more fully himself.

Beautifully illustrated by Rajni Perera, The Boy & the Bindi is a…


Book cover of 47,000 Beads

Joy Ellison Author Of Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History

From my list on to celebrate transgender pride.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a kid, I knew that my gender was different. I didn’t feel like a boy or a girl, but I didn’t know the word “nonbinary.” There were no kid’s books about people like me. I grew up with a lot of questions, which drove me to become a doctor of Women’s and Gender Studies and an expert on transgender history. Now I’m passionate about writing the kind of picture books that I needed as a child. If you want the kids in your life to understand transgender identity and feel loved whatever their gender may be, you’ll enjoy the books on my list. 

Joy's book list on to celebrate transgender pride

Joy Ellison Why did Joy love this book?

When we talk about transgender pride, the voices of Native people are often nowhere to be heard. 47,000 Beads is an exception. This beautiful book tells the story of Peyton, a pow-wow dancer who has stopped feeling comfortable wearing a dress. This book helped me understand more about Indigenous children who are Two-Spirit – a pan-Native term for people whose genders are sacred in their tribal nation, but unintelligible to the white people who colonized the United States. I’m so glad I was able to read it and I hope you will be too. 

By Koja Adeyoha, Angel Adeyoha, Holly McGillis (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 47,000 Beads as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Peyton loves to dance, and especially at Pow Wow, but her Auntie notices that she’s been dancing less and less. When Peyton shares that she isn't comfortable wearing a dress anymore, Auntie Eyota asks some friends for help to get Peyton what she needs.


Book cover of George

Joy Ellison Author Of Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History

From my list on to celebrate transgender pride.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a kid, I knew that my gender was different. I didn’t feel like a boy or a girl, but I didn’t know the word “nonbinary.” There were no kid’s books about people like me. I grew up with a lot of questions, which drove me to become a doctor of Women’s and Gender Studies and an expert on transgender history. Now I’m passionate about writing the kind of picture books that I needed as a child. If you want the kids in your life to understand transgender identity and feel loved whatever their gender may be, you’ll enjoy the books on my list. 

Joy's book list on to celebrate transgender pride

Joy Ellison Why did Joy love this book?

I love middle-grade novels and George is a classic. It reminds me of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, and I can think of no higher compliment! Alex Gino masterfully captures the perspective of a trans girl and her journey to expressing herself. This book isn’t shy about the difficulties that George faces, but its tone is gentle and hopeful. That’s the balance that I try to strike in my own writing. I can only hope I’m as successful as Gino. You’ll love this book.

By Alex Gino,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked George as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

The unforgettable debut from Stonewall Award Winner Alex Gino.

George joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!

When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

Melissa thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part... because she's a boy.

With the…


Book cover of We the Animals

Mecca Jamilah Sullivan Author Of Big Girl

From my list on LGBTQ+ folks of color getting free.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a novelist and a professor of black queer and feminist literature at Georgetown University. But the truth is, my connection to these books goes deeper than that. These books give me life. When I was a little girl, I spent more days than I can count scouring my mother’s small black feminist library in the basement of our home in Harlem, poring over the stories of girls like me: fat, black, queer girls who longed to see themselves written in literature and history. Now I get to create stories like these myself, and share them with others. It’s a dream job, and a powerful one. It thrills me every time. 

Mecca's book list on LGBTQ+ folks of color getting free

Mecca Jamilah Sullivan Why did Mecca love this book?

Justin Torres’s exquisite novel will make you want to beam and bawl and fight in all the best ways.

It tells the story of a clear-eyed, tender-hearted boy navigating a world where true safety is hard to find. As he comes of age in rural New York State in the 1980s, messages about masculinity, race, sexuality, and the expectations of family swirl around him, often violently, punctuating the world of inquisitive play he and his two older brothers create together.

We witness as Torres’s narrator fights for a vision of his own freedom, a complex fight that resists tidy endings, offering echoing truths instead. 

By Justin Torres,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked We the Animals as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Three brothers tear their way through childhood - smashing tomatoes all over each other, building kites from rubbish, hiding when their parents do battle, tiptoeing around the house as their mother sleeps off her graveyard shift. Paps and Ma are from Brooklyn - he's Puerto Rican, she's white. Barely out of childhood themselves, their love is a serious, dangerous thing. Life in this family is fierce and absorbing, full of chaos and heartbreak and the euphoria of belonging completely to one another. From the intense familial unity felt by a child to the profound alienation he endures as he begins…


Book cover of Ghost Tamer

Terry S. Friedman Author Of Bone Pendant Girls

From my list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love jewelry that calls to me. When I make jewelry, I believe some of my spirit is infused in it. Later, the buyer’s spirit takes over the piece. I believe in life after death, and I interviewed a medium who performed spirit releases, which helped me build my ghost framework. A cold case of a missing teen I knew gave me a scene I still cry about. The best mysteries have revelations of the heart. My book, even after revising many times, still makes me laugh and cry too. In my opinion, there is no clock or calendar dictating forgiveness for the living or dead. There is only hope.

Terry's book list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world

Terry S. Friedman Why did Terry love this book?

I love a book with a damaged narrator who grows stronger while solving the mystery. And what a great idea—a comedian as the narrator. Raely’s life has been a trainwreck and what happens next? A real trainwreck. Suddenly she has a new friend of the invisible variety, a not-so-welcome sidekick.

Lyons builds her ghosts, extending their capabilities to include telekinesis, which to me is the scariest of capabilities. Raely attracted some really nasty spirits who attached to her. Just when I was afraid she’d be consumed by the ghostly evil, a twist. I actually shed tears while reading this one, which is not at all what I expected.

By Meredith R. Lyons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghost Tamer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Death is one thing, it's what you do afterward that matters.

Aspiring-comedian Raely is the sole survivor of a disastrous train wreck. While faced with the intense grief of losing her best friend, she realizes that someone is following her-and has been following her all her life. Trouble is, no one else can see him. For a ghostly tag-along, Casper's not so bad. He might even be the partner Raely needs to fight the evil spirit hell-bent on destroying her.

Raely and her friend must learn why this demonic spirit is haunting Raely and how she can stop him before…


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