Books & Bibliography
The Pop Luck Club does not endorse or support the advice or services provided by any of these unaffiliated products or organizations, so we encourage you to seek advice particular to your unique situation. If you're a Pop Luck Club member and you'd like to recommend additional books for inclusion in this bibliography, or if you're an author or publisher and would like to recommend relevant publications, please send an email with the appropriate information to our webmaster at plcinfo@popluckclub.org.
Thanks to many PLC members for the bibliography below, including Rich, Alex & Blake, Michael, Steve (and the GLBT Parenting Listserve), Kergan, and anyone else we forgot to mention. Clicking on the links below will take you to Amazon where you can purchase the books.
Many of these books, along with other books and videos, are available for loan through the LA Gay & Lesbian Center's Family Services Program's Lending Library. Click here for additional information, or email familyservices@lagaycenter.org.
Please feel free to submit additional books for consideration! Send your contributions to plcinfo@popluckclub.org.
Kids' books with inclusive textual and/or visual representations of gay families:
Books for kids of GLBT parents, from Tapestry Books.
123: A Family Counting Book, by Bobbie Combs, illustrated by Danamarie Hosler, 2001.
PLC NOTE: About numbers only, but pictures include gay, lesbian, ethnically diverse families, etc.
ABC: A Family Alphabet Book, by Bobbie Combs, illustrated by Desiree Kean and Brian Rappa, 2001.
PLC NOTE: About the alphabet, but pictures include gay, lesbian, ethnically diverse families, etc.
Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story, by Kaitlyn Taylor Considine, 2004.
Everywhere Babies, by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee, 2001.
PLC NOTE: About all kinds of babies, but pictures include gay, lesbian, ethnically diverse families, etc.
How My Family Came to Be: Daddy, Papa and Me, by Andrew R. Aldrich, illustrated by Mike Motz, 2003.
Mama Eat Ant, Yuck!, by Barbara Lynn Edmonds, 2000.
One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dad,by Johnny Valentine, illustrated by Melody Sarecky, 2004.
The Family Book, by Todd Parr, 2003.
Who's In A Family?, by Robert Skutch, illustrated by Laura Nienhaus, 1998.
Kids' books with gay characters, storylines, or gay-related issues:
The Boy Who Cried Fabulous, by Leslie Newman, illustrated by Peter Ferguson, 2004.
PLC NOTE: The little boy in this book is never identified as "gay", but it explores issues like his appreciation of non-traditionally boy things, his unique ways of expressing himself, his parent's initial seeming disapproval and their subsequent discovery of just how wonderful it is that he has such a fresh perspective on the world around them. It also introduces a lot of new and unusual descriptive words that are good vocabulary builders.
King & King, by Linda DeHaan & Stern Nijland, 2002.
King & King & Family, by Linda DeHaan & Stern Nijland, 2004.
The Sissy Duckling, by Harvey Fierstein, illustrated by Henry Cole, 2002.
Kids' books with textual and/or visual representations of Dads only:
Dad Mine, by Dawn Apperley, Jane Kamp, and Clare Waters, 2003.
The Daddy Book, by Todd Parr, 2002.
Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram, 1996.
What Daddies Do Best, by Laura Numeroff Joffe and Lynn Munsinger, 2001.
Kids' books about the "facts of life" with positive gay inclusion:
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health , by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley, 1996.
It's So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families,by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley, 1999.
PLC NOTE: Both of these books are very progressive, though not perfect. They include positive references to different kinds of family make-ups and address gay couples as simply another normal expression on the human spectrum of love. They briefly cover the meanings of words like gay, straight, lesbian, bi, etc., present the varying viewpoints on determinants of sexual orientation (i.e. nature vs. nurture), and include a small section on non-traditional methods of family creation including IVF and adoption.
Kids' books about issues of diversity or special interest:
And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Illustrated by Henry Cole, 2005.
PLC NOTE: Based on a true story about two male penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo who become parents.
Beatrice's Goat, by Page McBrier, illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter, 2001.
PLC NOTE: About poverty and charity.
Best Best Colors/Los Mejores Colores, by Eric Hoffman, Eida De La Vega (Translator), illustrated by Celeste Henriquez, 1999.
Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair, by Harriet Lerner, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, 2001.
I Call My Hand Gentle, by Amanda Haan, illustrated by Marina Sagona, 2003.
PLC NOTE: About constructive vs. destructive uses for hands - i.e. no hitting.
It's Okay to be Different, by Todd Parr, 2001.
Jack & Jim, by Kitty Crowther, 2000.
Odd Velvet, by Mary Whitcomb, illustrated by Tara Calahan King, 1998.
PLC NOTE: A classic tale of the outsider, Velvet never allows the negative comments from the other kids to bother her--in fact, she has a sweet smile on her face in every picture. It gets my vote for a great read.
The Whole Human Race, by Tim McFadden, 2003.
http://www.wholehumanrace.com - Available at this website for $9.95.
PLC NOTE: Only available via resellers on Amazon, for $180!
Books for Older Kids:
How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages, by Judith E. Snow, 2004.
PLC NOTE: All of the kids interviewed in this book have parents who had previously been in heterosexual marriages. The issues addressed are somewhat universal, but the book may be most relevant for kids or parents who have been through divorces.
Adult books about Gay Parenting
For an extensive selection of adult and kids' books about adoption, visit Tapestry Books. Also see Tapestry's categories of books for GLBT parents and for children of GLBT parents.
The Complete Lesbian and Gay Parenting Guide
Families of Value: Personal Profiles of Pioneering Lesbian and Gay Parents, by Robert A. Bernstein, 2005.
Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is, by Abigail Garner, 2004.
Families We Choose, by K. Weston, 1991.
Fatherhood for Gay Men: An Emotional and Practical Guide to Becoming a Gay Dad, by Kevin McGarry, 2003.
The Gay Baby Boom: The Psychology of Gay Parenthood, by S.M. Johnson & E. O'Conner, 2002.
Gay Fathers: Encouraging the Hearts of Gay Dads and Their Families, by R.L. Barret and B.E. Robinson, 2000 revised edition.
Helping the Stork : The Choices and Challenges of Donor Insemination, by Carol Vercollone, Heidi Moss, and Robert Moss, 1997.
PLC NOTE: This is a good book - it's not gay-centric, but it addresses same-sex issues with donor insemination.
The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant: An Adoption Story, by Dan Savage, 2000.
Lesbian and Gay Families: Redefining Parenting in America (The Changing Family), by J.S. Pollack, 1995.
Lesbian and Gay Families Speak Out: Understanding the Joys and Challenges of Diverse Family Life, by J.L. Drucker and H. Schulweis, 2001.
Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook : Creating and Raising Our Families, by A. Martin, 1993.
Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and Their Families, by G. Kaeser, 1999.
Out of the Ordinary : Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents, by N. Howey and E. Samuels, 2000.
Queer Families, Common Agendas: Gay People, Lesbians, and Family Values, edited by T. Richard Sullivan, 1999.
The Queer Parent's Primer: A Lesbian and Gay Families Guide, by S.A. Brill, 2001.
Reinventing the Family: The Emerging Story of Lesbian and Gay Parents, by L. Benkov, 1995.
Sons Talk About Their Gay Fathers, by Andrew R. Gottlieb, 2003.
The Velveteen Father : An Unexpected Journey to Parenthood, by Jesse Green, 2000.
Adult books - General Parenting
Dear Parent - Caring for Infants with Respect, by Magda Gerber, 2003 updated edition.
Your Self Confident Baby, by Magda Gerber, 1997.
