Out on the Shelves: Diverse Sexualities (Tamariki)

The books in this list feature:

  • Characters with different sexualities
  • Characters figuring out who they like
  • Families with two mums or two dads
  • Information about different sexualities.

There are many other books out there with information about sexuality and with rainbow characters, but we hope that this list helps get you started.

Updated May 28, 2025
W
Wellington City Libraries Children's team at Wellington City Libraries
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The curse of Eelgrass Bog
Averling, Mary
Paper Book
Dark secrets and unnatural magic abound when a twelve-year-old girl ventures into a bog full of monsters to break a mysterious curse. Nothing about Kess Pedrock's life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family's Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for...
Uncle Bobby's wedding
Brannen, Sarah S
Paper Book
Chloe's favorite uncle is getting married, and she's not happy about it. But after a magical day with Uncle Bobby and his boyfriend, Jamie, Chloe realizes she's not losing an uncle, but gaining one. Selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best picture books of 2020 and by the American...
Daddy & Dada
Brockington, Ryan
Paper Book
Families can come in all shapes and sizes, and this heartwarming picture book affirms that no matter what your family looks like, love is the most important part! Hi, I'm Rumi. Some of my friends have one mom and one dad. Some have one mom or one dad....
Hurricane child
Callender, Kacen
Paper Book
Prepare to be swept up by this exquisite novel that reminds us that grief and love can open the world in mystical ways.Winner of the Stonewall Book Award!Winner of the Lambda Literary Award!Caroline Murphy is a Hurricane Child.Being born during a hurricane is unlucky, and twelve-year...
Mr. Watson's chickens
Dapier, Jarrett
Paper Book
Interrupting Chicken meets Click, Clack, Moo in this zany classic-in-the-making! With rollicking rhythms, nonsensical refrains, and too many chickens to count, this modern classic will inspire unstoppable giggles and endless rereads. Bawka-bawka! Mr....
The Lotterys plus one
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
The bestselling author of the adult novel Room bursts onto the children's book scene with this cross between Little Miss Sunshine, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Modern Family.Sumac Lottery is nine years old and the self-proclaimed "good girl" of her (VERY) large,...
Better Nate than ever
Federle, Tim
Paper Book
Soon to be a Disney+ Original movie! "The Nate series by Tim Federle is a wonderful evocation of what it's like to be a theater kid. Highly recommended." --Lin-Manuel Miranda, star and creator of the musical, Hamilton A New York Times Notable Book of the...
Rick
Gino, Alex
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of Melissa, the story of a boy named Rick who needs to explore his own identity apart from his jerk of a best friend. Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his...
Answers in the pages
Levithan, David
Paper Book
A bold, timely novel about speaking up and coming out as parents lobby to ban a beloved book from the school curriculum by New York Times-bestselling author David Levithan. When Donovan left his copy of The Adventurers on the kitchen counter, he didn't think his mom...
Snapdragon
Leyh, Kat
Paper Book
Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town's witch and discovers the strange magic within herself. Snap's town had a witch. At least, that's how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks...
This is our rainbow : 16 stories of her, him, them, and us
Locke, Katherine (EDT)/ Melleby, Nicole (EDT)
Paper Book
The first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym, including realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi stories by authors like Justina Ireland, Marieke Nijkamp, Alex Gino, and more! A boyband fandom becomes a conduit to coming out. A former...
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...
The sword of summer
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows--a man his mother...
The sun and the star
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro. Percy Jackson fans, rejoice! Nico and Will...
Ellen outside the lines
Sass, A. J.
Paper Book
Winner of a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor! A heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent thirteen-year-old navigating changing friendships, a school trip, and expanding horizons for fans of Rain Reign and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World. ...
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...
Pride Families
Taylor, Amie.
Paper Book
Families come in all different shapes and sizes, and each one is perfect! Come and celebrate what it means to be a PRIDE FAMILY in this beautifully illustrated book written by LGBTQIA+ author, Amie Taylor and Illustrated by Kaspa Clarke. LGBTQIA+ families come in all the...
Grandad's camper
Woodgate, Harry
Paper Book
A Stonewall Honor Book Children's Illustrated Book of the Year--British Book Awards Best Illustrated Book -- Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2022 Discover a wonderful grandfather-granddaughter relationship, as a little girl hatches the...

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