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
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...
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 footprints
Phi, Bao
Paper Book
Every child feels different in some way, but Thuy feels "double different." She is Vietnamese American and she has two moms. Thuy walks home one winter afternoon, angry and lonely after a bully's taunts. Then a bird catches her attention and sets Thuy on an imaginary exploration. What if she could...
And Tango makes three
Richardson, Justin 1963-
Paper Book
The heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a nontraditional family is now available in a sturdy board book edition. 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.
Paper Book
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 someone to help her with her homework or tuck her in at night. Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make...
Harriet gets carried away
Sima, Jessie
Paper Book
From the author and illustrator of the bestselling Not Quite Narwhal comes a sweet and funny story about remembering where you belong, no matter how far you roam, or what you're wearing when you get there. Harriet loves costumes. She wears them to the dentist, to...
The list of things that will not change
Stead, Rebecca
Paper Book
EIGHT STARRED REVIEWS! The reassuring book kids and families need right now. "An absolute original . . . a story that kids will love." --R. J. Palacio, bestselling author of Wonder At a time when everything is changing for Bea and her family, the important things...
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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