Queer History for Kids

Introductions to learning about LGBTQ+ people throughout history. This list has books appropriate for elementary school children through teens.
Updated September 19, 2022
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This Day in June
Gayle E. Pitman
Paper Book
"The pride primer." --The New Yorker An excellent tool for teaching respect, acceptance, and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. This day in June.... Parade starts soon....  Rainbow arches.... Joyful...
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
Rob Sanders
Paper Book
JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION . Celebrate Pride and it's iconic rainbow flag--a symbol of inclusion and acceptance around the world-- with the very first picture book to tell its remarkable and inspiring history! "Pride is a beacon of (technicolor) light." --Entertainment Weekly<...
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World
Sarah Prager
Paper Book
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2017 * A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book for Teens 2017 This first-ever LGBTQ history book of its kind for young adults will appeal to fans of fun, empowering pop-culture books like Rad American Women A-Z and...
Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights
Ann Bausum
Paper Book
That's the Stonewall. The Stonewall Inn. Pay attention. History walks through that door. In 1969 being gay in the United States was a criminal offense. It meant living a closeted life or surviving on the fringes of society. People went to...
A Queer History of the United States for Young People
Richie Chevat
Paper Book
Named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 by School Library Journal Queer history didn't start with Stonewall. This book explores how LGBTQ people have always been a part of our national identity, contributing to the country and culture for over 400 years.
The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World
Mason Funk
Paper Book
THE BOOK OF PRIDE captures the true story of the gay rights movement from the 1960s to the present, through richly detailed, stunning interviews with the leaders, activists, and ordinary people who witnessed the movement and made it happen. These individuals fought...
Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, with 21 Activities
Jerome Pohlen
Paper Book
2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People List Lambda Literary Award Finalist On the Rainbow Book List  Who transformed George Washington's demoralized troops at Valley Forge into a fighting force that defeated...
Sewing the Rainbow: A Story About Gilbert Baker
Gayle E Pitman
Paper Book
5th-6th grade Finalist in 2019 Children's Choice Book Awards 2019 ALA GLBT Round Table Rainbow Book List National Parenting Product Award Winner (NAPPA) Gilbert Baker always knew he wanted a life full of color and sparkle. In his small, gray, flat Kansas hometown, he...
Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ People Who Made History
Sarah Prager
Paper Book
One of Time Out's "LGBTQ+ books for kids to read during Pride Month," this groundbreaking, pop-culture-infused illustrated biography collection takes readers on an eye-opening journey through the lives of fifty influential queer figures who have made a mark on every century of...
What Was Stonewall?
Nico Medina
Paper Book
How did a spontaneous protest outside of a New York City bar fifty years ago spark a social movement across America? Find out about the history of LGBTQ rights in this Who HQ title. In the early-morning hours of June 28, 1969, police arrived at the Stonewall Inn's doors and...
Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington
Jacqueline Houtman
Paper Book
Chosen a Best Children's Book of the Year by the Bank Street Center! Voted a Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews! A biography for younger readers about one of the most influential activists of our time, who was an early advocate for African Americans...
History Comics: The Stonewall Riots: Making a Stand for LGBTQ Rights
Archie Bongiovanni
Paper Book
Turn back the clock with History Comics! In this graphic novel, experience the Stonewall Riots firsthand and meet iconic activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Three teenagers--Natalia, Jax, and Rashad--are magically transported from their modern lives to the...

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