Out on the Shelves: Rainbow Families (Tamariki)

The books in this list are full of rainbow families! There are picture books and chapter books, adventure stories and books that celebrate all the different kinds of family there are.

There are many other books out there featuring rainbow families, but we hope that this list helps get you started.


Updated May 28, 2025
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Uncle Bobby's wedding
Brannen, Sarah S.
Paper Book
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...
The misadventures of the family Fletcher
Levy, Dana Alison
Paper Book
"Fans of Beverly Cleary's Quimbys, Judy Blume's Hatchers, and, more recently, Jeanne Birdsall's Penderwicks will fervently hope that more Fletcher misadventures are yet to come." --School Library Journal, Starred The start of the school year is not going as the Fletcher...
When Aidan became a brother
Lukoff, Kyle
Paper Book
Stonewall Book Award Winner - American Library Association (ALA) 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...
My rainbow
Neal, Trinity
Paper Book
A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter, based on the real-life experience of mother-daughter advocate duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal. Warm morning sunlight and love fill the Neal home. And on one quiet day,...
And Tango makes three
Richardson, Justin
Paper Book
And Tango Makes Three is the bestselling, heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a nontraditional family. At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family...
Stella Brings the Family
Schiffer, Miriam B.
Ebook
"A tender story about the variety of people that make children feel loved and supported." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books   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...
A plan for Pops
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
"A positive and realistic representation of both a wheelchair user and an elderly, interracial gay male couple." --Kirkus Reviews "A beautiful and uplifting book." --School Library Journal Lou spends every Saturday with Grandad and Pops. They...

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