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5 New Picture Books Set at Pride Parades!

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Danika Ellis

Associate Editor

Danika spends most of her time talking about queer women books at the Lesbrary. Blog: The Lesbrary Twitter: @DanikaEllis

I hope you’re all having a great Pride month so far. It’s also my birthday month — extremely fitting — so this is definitely my favorite time of year. We don’t have our celebrations here until July, which just means I get to stretch Pride out over most of two months.

One thing I’ve noticed this year is a handful of picture books set at Pride parades, so here is a little round-up that is hopefully just in time to stock up before taking the kiddos to the festivities. This isn’t a complete list: it’s just five that came out this year or last year. There are some other great picture books set at Pride parades published in previous years, like Pride Puppy, written by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Julie McLaughlin, but 2024 seems to have just about doubled the books in this microgenre.

The Rainbow Parade cover

The Rainbow Parade: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Identities and Allies by Shane Jordan, Rick Hendrix, and Jieting Chen

This picture book follows two nonbinary kids at a rainy Pride parade: one who is celebrating their gender identity, the other who is more nervous about being themselves. It includes a question on each page for readers to answer, like, “When do you feel the most pride?”

It's Pride, Baby! cover

It’s Pride, Baby! by Allen R. Wells and Dia Valle

This book is set at Black Pride in Washington, D.C.! It follows a queer Black family as the two parents tell their child about how they’ll love and support them, whoever they grow up to be.

I Think We Can!: A Visit to the Pride Parade cover

I Think We Can!: A Visit to the Pride Parade by G. M. King and Jill Howarth

It makes me happy that a character created almost a hundred years ago has a book about Pride out this year! On the way to the Pride parade, The Little Engine’s wheel breaks, and she gets help from her friends to get there on time.

Marley's Pride cover

Marley’s Pride by Joëlle Retener and DeAnn Wiley

Marley’s grandparent Zaza is getting an award at Pride, so they want to go to support them…but they’re anxious about the crowds and noise. I love that this book stars a Black, nonbinary, neurodivergent kid! We need lots more books like Marley’s Pride.

Grandad's Pride cover

Grandad’s Pride by Harry Woodgate

And finally, here’s one that came out last year: the follow-up to Grandad’s Camper. When Milly finds her grandad’s old Pride flag in the attic, she convinces him to help her start a Pride parade in their small town.

LGBTQ Book Riot Post

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The 2024 Lambda Literary Award Winners

Your queer reading TBR is going to grow by miles with this year’s array of incredible winners in poetry, comics, literature, and more.

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to talk myself out of buying this Pancake the Pansexual Possum Plush ($45) since I first saw it. I love it so much. The little hoodie!! There are other plushes for different pride flags, too, like a bisexual hyena and a trans raccoon.

What’s your favorite LGBTQ picture book? Let me know in the comments!

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