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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Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
Rob Sanders
Paper Book
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rainbow Pride Flag with the very first picture book to tell its remarkable and inspiring history!In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social...
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 Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets
Gayle E Pitman
Paper Book
This book is about the Stonewall Riots, a series of spontaneous, often violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBTQ+) community in reaction to a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan,...
What Was Stonewall?
Nico Medina
Paper Book
In the early-morning hours of June 28, 1969, police arrived at the Stonewall Inn's doors and yelled, "Police! We're taking the place!" But the people in this New York City neighborhood bar, members of the LGBTQ community, were tired of being harassed. They rebelled in the streets, turning one moment...
Were I Not A Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barry
Lisa Robinson
Paper Book
This unique picture book biography tells the story of Dr. James Barry, born female, who lived as a man from age 18 to his death. Like other girls of her time, Margaret Bulkley didn't go to school. She wouldn't grow up to own property, be a soldier, a doctor, or hold any job other...
Be Amazing: A History of Pride
Desmond Napoles
Paper Book
In Be Amazing, drag kid Desmond is Amazing walks you through the history of the LGBTQ community, all while encouraging you to embrace your own uniqueness and ignore the haters. Desmond is amazing--and you are, too. Throughout history,...
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...
Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride, and Protest in the Fight for Queer Rights (Illustrated Children's Book)
Jamie Lawson
Paper Book
A book about the fight for queer rights with bold and beautiful illustrations by pop artist Eve Lloyd Knight. Around one o'clock in the morning on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York, sparking days of intense rioting. What happened at Stonewall...
Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg (Who Did It First?)
Rob Sanders
Paper Book
Get to know Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a first-of-his-kind candidate running for a one-of-a-kind office, in Rob Sanders' inspiring picture book biography, featuring illustrations by Levi Hastings. When Pete Buttigieg announced he was running for president, he became the first...

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