Books by members of Out For Our Children

Want Toast

AuthorAnna Wilson
IllustratorVanda Carter
DescriptionPicture book telling the story of a very young, very adventurous girl. Although Ruth knows what she wants, the delights of waking up at first hint of daylight prove hard to share with her mummies. And soon she learns there's more to learn. This is a joyous tale of discovery wherein Ruth plans her next steps.
Price£5.99
ISBN978-0-9561053-0-1

If I Had 100 Mummies

AuthorVanda Carter
IllustratorVanda Carter
DescriptionA picture book. "If I had a hundred mummies they would have to form a queue to give me goodnight kisses, blow my nose and tie my shoes."
Age groupEarly readers
PublisherOnlywomen Press
Price£5.99

Spacegirl Pukes

AuthorKaty Watson
IllustratorVanda Carter
DescriptionAn adventure for young astronauts. When nausea grips intrepid Spacegirl on the day of a mission to the stars she is lucky to have two mummies to help her out, but soon - yes - everyone is going "Bleurgh!" Will there be enough buckets? Will her mission be cancelled? Will Spacegirl ever reach the stars?
Age group2 - 6
PublisherOnlywomen Press
Year2006
Downloadspacegirl_pukes_activities.zip (1.2mb)

Book package bargain

We are offering a great package of books which we have put together with the book distributors, Letterbox Library. The Letterbox Library Book Package includes eight of the books featured in the OFOC Foundation Stage Pack at a bargain price of £59 (inclusive of p&p) . We think you will agree that this is a very good deal. To order the Letterbox Package, contact info@letterboxlibrary.com / 020 7503 4801.

Book list

Out For Our Children have compiled this list of books for Early Years and Primary School age children featuring same-sex parent families, lesbian & gay characters and themes. The age categories are only intended as a rough guide. We do not necessarily recommend all the books on the list. Sometimes an imperfect book is better than no book? We have tried to indicate where books are out of print or hard to get. We have listed a web address for books currently without UK distribution. Please tell us about any other books you think should be included in our list. You can download ofoc_booklist_feb-2012as a separate Word document.

0 to 3 years

ABC: A Family Alphabet Book

AuthorCombs, Bobbie
DescriptionThe watercolours in this alphabet book depict families headed by gays and lesbians.
Age groupBaby to Preschool
PublisherTwo Lives Publishing
CountryUSA
Year2001

Best, Best Colours (Los Mejores Colores)

AuthorHoffman, Eric
DescriptionWith the help of his two mammas, Nate learns he can have more than one best colour and one best friend. Includes activity and teaching ideas.
Age groupBaby to Preschool (Bilingual English/ Spanish)
PublisherRedleaf Press
CountryUSA
Year1999

Daddy, Papa and Me

AuthorNewman, Leslea
IllustratorCarol Thompson
DescriptionBoard book for very young children.
Age group0 to 3 years
PublisherTricycle Press
CountryUSA
Year2009

Emma and Meesha my Boy

AuthorConsidine, Kaitlyn Taylor
DescriptionThe story of a little girl with two mums, who learns how to be nice to her cat.
Age groupBaby to Preschool
CountryUSA
Websitewww.twomombooks.com

Flying Free

AuthorJennifer Gregg
DescriptionA picture book for children of LGBT and diverse familes.
Age group2 to 6
PublisherBookSurge Publishing.

Mama Eat Ant, Yuck!

AuthorEdmonds, Barbara
DescriptionA funny story in the family life of one-year-old Emma, her Mama and Mommy, and her siblings
Age groupNewborn to 7
PublisherHundredth Munchy Publications.
CountryUSA
Year2000

Mommy, Mama and Me

AuthorNewman, Leslea
IllustratorCarol Thompson
DescriptionBoard book for very young children.
Age group0 to 3
PublisherTricycle Press
CountryUSA
Year2009

Not Ready Yet!

AuthorTamsin Walker
DescriptionIn this colourful picure book a child goes on a fun filled camping holiday with their mum and their mum's girlfriend. The whole family enjoy themselves enormously and parents and children alike will enjoy reading this book again and again. Children will particularly enjoy the sounds of the rhymimg words and trying to find the snail in each image.
Age group2 to 7
PublisherOnlywomen Press
CountryUK
Year2009

Something Else

AuthorKathryn Cave
IllustratorPicture Puffin
Description‘Something Else’ is a funny looking little blue creature. He tries to be like the other animals. But everything he does shows how different he is. Then ‘Something’, a blond fella with a snout, turns up and wants to be friends. But ‘Something Else’ isn’t sure he’s at all like him. Enchanting.
Age group2 to 7
CountryUK
Year1995

Spacegirl Pukes

AuthorKaty Watson
IllustratorVanda Carter
DescriptionAn adventure for young astronauts. When nausea grips intrepid Spacegirl on the day of a mission to the stars she is lucky to have two mummies to help her out, but soon - yes - everyone is going "Bleurgh!" Will there be enough buckets? Will her mission be cancelled? Will Spacegirl ever reach the stars?
Age group2 - 6
PublisherOnlywomen Press
Year2006
Downloadspacegirl_pukes_activities.zip (1.2mb)

The Manu Series

AuthorMoreno Velo, Lucía
IllustratorJavier Termenón Delgado
DescriptionManu is a series of bilingual Spanish-English cardboard picture books dealing with situations from the daily life of Manu and his two mothers. Includes Manu sets the table, Manu’s bedtime & No, Manu! Currently only available in the UK online.
PublisherTopka
CountrySpain
Year2006
Websitewww.topka.es

The Mommy Book

AuthorParr, Todd
DescriptionThe Mommy Book celebrates all different kinds of moms and highlights the many reasons they are so special. Whether your mom goes fishing or goes shopping, whether she works at home or in a big building, whether she has short hair or big hair, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of mother you have, every mother is special in her own unique way.
Age group2 to 7
PublisherLittle, Brown Young Readers
Year2010

4 to 8 years

123: A Family Counting Book

AuthorCombs, Bobbie
IllustratorDanamarie Hosler
DescriptionCelebrates alternative families as it teaches kids to count from one to twenty
Age group4 to 8
PublisherTwo Lives Publishing
CountryUSA
Year2001

And Tango Makes Three

AuthorParnell, Peter & Justin Richardson
DescriptionBased on a true story about two male penguins living in New York City's Central Park Zoo who hatch an egg together and look after the penguin chick.
Age group4 to 8
PublisherSimon & Schuster Children's Publishing
CountryUSA
Year2005

Dad David, Baba Chris and Me

AuthorEd Merchant
DescriptionBen is eight years old. He lives in an ordinary house in an ordinary street and goes to an ordinary school. In fact he's just like everybody else. Or is he? Ben lives with his two dads who adopted him when he was four. Children at school find out and tease him. Ben gets worried because he doesn't want to be different from everyone else.
PublisherBritish Association for Adoption and Fostering
CountryUK
Year2010

Giraffes Can’t Dance

AuthorGiles Andreae
IllustratorGuy Parker-Rees
DescriptionGerald was a tall giraffe Whose neck was long and slim, But his knees were awfully bandy And his legs were rather thin... Every year Gerald dreads the great Jungle Dance, and feels ashamed that he cannot tango and two-step with the rest of the jungle animals. But then one day he realises that it doesn't matter that he is different from everyone else--its just that he needs a different tune to dance to.
Age group3 to 5
PublisherOrchard
CountryUK
Year2001

Going to Fair Day

AuthorBrenna and Vicki Harding
IllustratorChris Bray-Cotton
DescriptionA young girl goes to the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair with her two mums and meets a friend who has two dads. Available online.
Age group2 to 8
PublisherLearning to Include
CountryAustralia
Year2003
Websitewww.hotkey.net.au/~learn_to_include/index.htm

If I Had A Hundred Mummies

AuthorCarter, Vanda
DescriptionA little girl imagines what it would be like to have 100 mummies, eventually deciding that she is happy with just the two she’s got.
Age group4 to 8
PublisherOnlywomen Press
CountryUK
Year2007

It’s OK To Be Different

AuthorParr, Todd
DescriptionA celebration of diversity.
Age group4 - 8
PublisherLittle, Brown Young Readers
CountryUSA
Year2004

Josh and Jess have Three Mums

AuthorArgent, Hedi
DescriptionJosh and Jess are five-year-old twins who have been adopted by a lesbian couple. They are anxious when their school teacher asks them to produce a family tree. With their mums they produce a family tree that wins the admiration of their classmates.
Age group4 to 7
PublisherBritish Association for Adoption & Fostering
CountryUK
Year2007

King and King

AuthorDe Haan, Linda
IllustratorStern Nijland
DescriptionPresents same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within a fairy tale. Translated from Dutch.
PublisherTricycle Press
CountryUSA
Year2002

Koalas on Parade

AuthorHarding, Brenna and Vicki
IllustratorChris Bray-Cotton
DescriptionThe narrator's two mums help her make a koala costume & win first prize in her school’s costume parade. Available online.
Age group2 to 8
PublisherLearning to Include
CountryAustralia
Year2003
Websitewww.hotkey.net.au/~learn_to_include/index.htm

Let’s Talk: About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families & Friends

AuthorRobie H. Harris
IllustratorMichael Emberley
DescriptionYoung children ask so many questions about their bodies and how they were made. With lively language, engaging art and clear, accurate information, this book answers those perfectly normal questions and will help even pre-school children feel proud and comfortable about their own bodies. Includes lesbian and gay families alongside others. It is an invaluable resource for parents, teachers, librarians and health professionals to use with children. Others are available in this series for older children.
PublisherWalker Books Ltd
CountryUK
Year2007 (new edition)

Molly’s Family

AuthorGarden, Nancy
IllustratorSharon Wooding
DescriptionMolly's classmates tell her, "No one has two mommies"
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux (Books For Young Readers).
CountryUSA
Year2004

Mom and Mum Are Getting Married

AuthorSetterington, Ken
IllustratorAlice Priestly
DescriptionRosie's two mothers are going to get married.
PublisherSecond Story Press
CountryUSA
Year2007

Monday Is One Day

AuthorArthur A. Levine
IllustratorJulian Hector
DescriptionIdeal for families with working parents. The hardest part of going to work is being apart from you. / Let’s count the days till we’re both at home with a special thing to do. Levine focuses upon special moments of togetherness wherever they happen to fall. Hector's grinning cartoon-style illustrations are delightful, based in reality but accented with unexpected colour, such as the carnival stripes of a farmer’s distant field. But the book's greatest accomplishment might be its cross-section of society: white, black, old, young, white-collar, blue-collar, straight, and gay.
PublisherScholastic Press
CountryUSA
Year2011

Mummy Never Told Me

AuthorBabette Cole
DescriptionOpen this delightful book for a sneaky peek at life's little secrets, like why to grown-ups spend so much time in teh bathroom, or why Mum and Dad sometimes lock their bedroom door? A witty exploration of taboos.
PublisherRed Fox
CountryUK
Year2004

One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dad

AuthorValentine, Johnny
IllustratorMelody Sarecky
DescriptionCarries the message that all people are basically the same whatever their skin color or sexual orientation.
PublisherAlyson Wonderland Books
CountryUSA
Year2004

Our Story – for children conceived by DI into lesbian parented families

Description"One day I said 'Have I got a dad? Then my mums told me all about how a hospital helped them to have a baby - me! I am really happy my mums could do this and I am proud of us and our family."
Websitewww.donor-conception-network.org/dcn_pubs.htm

Picnic in the Park

AuthorGriffiths, Joe and Tony Pilgrim
IllustratorLucy Pearce
DescriptionA charming picture book for children which shows that families are diverse and come in all shapes and sizes. Jason is going to have a picnic in the park for his fifth birthday. Amy and Stuart are there with their foster parents and Amber is there too with her two mummies and what’s more…they’ve all bought presents!
Age group3 to 8
PublisherBritish Association for Adoption and Fostering
CountryUK
Year2007

Tales of Zebedy-do-dah

AuthorGeorgina Crawford
IllustratorEmily McCann
DescriptionCurious, clever puppy-dog Zebedy-do-dah gets into mischief. Lost at a crowded country fair she meets all sorts of dogs and finally is reunited with her family.
Age group3 to 8
PublisherOnlywomen Press
CountryUK
Year2009

The boy who cried fabulous

AuthorLeslea Newman
IllustratorPeter Ferguson
DescriptionA boy keeps getting sidetracked when walking to school by all the 'fabulous' things he sees. The story ends with lesson of accepting each others' unique gifts. A simple story with lightly gay sub-text?
Age group4 to 8
PublisherTricycle Press
Year2004

The Day They Put A Tax on Rainbows

AuthorValentine, Johnny
DescriptionA collection of fairytales in which some of the characters are gay.
Age group4 to 8
PublisherAlyson Books
CountryUSA
Year1992

The Different Dragon

AuthorJennifer Bryan
DescriptionThe care and curiosity of a little boy, with some help from his mums, can lead to magical and unexpected places.
Age group4 to 8
PublisherTwo Lives Publishing
Year2006

The Family Book

AuthorTodd Parr
DescriptionParr introduces children to an array of families including those with two mums or two dads.
Age group4 to 8
PublisherLittle, Brown Young Readers.
Year2004

The Great Big Book of Families

AuthorMary Hoffman
IllustratorRos Asquith
DescriptionGreat little book that shows all the varieties of families, including lesbian and gay parents, and also features homes and holidays, schools and pets.
PublisherFrances Lincoln Children's Books
Year2010

The Many-Colored Love / El amor de todos los colores

AuthorMoreno Velo, Lucía
IllustratorJavier Termenón
DescriptionBilingual English/Spanish story of a girl who is expecting a new sibling. She makes up a fantastic story about how her two-mum family came about. “The many-colored love was born when Maite's mothers met, and Maite was born from the many-colored love…” Currently only available in UK online from publisher.
Age group4 to 6
PublisherTopka
CountrySpain
Year2007
Websitewww.topka.es

The Paper Bag Princess

AuthorRobert Munsch
IllustratorAnnick Press Ltd
DescriptionElizabeth is a beautiful princess living in a castle with expensive princess clothes and about to a marry a prince named Ronald. And then a dragon attacks the castle and carries off Ronald. She sets out to rescue him. A delightful alternative take on a traditional story.
Age group3 to 7
CountryUSA
Year2009

The Rainbow Cubby House

AuthorHarding, Brenna and Vicki
IllustratorChris Bray-Cotton
DescriptionA little girl, her mums, her friend Jed and his dads build a cubby house in the back yard. Available in large size (A3) for classroom use or standard A5 size, and online.
Age group2 to 8
PublisherLearning to Include
CountryAustralia
Year2003
Websitewww.hotkey.net.au/~learn_to_include/index.htm

The Sissy Duckling

AuthorFierstein, Harvey
DescriptionElmer is not like the other boy ducklings. They box while Elmer bakes, build forts while Elmer makes sand castles. But Elmer proves he is a hero.
Age group4 to 8
PublisherAladdin
CountryUSA
Year2005

The Story of Ferdinand

AuthorLeaf, Munro
IllustratorRobert Lawson
DescriptionA classic story for children about a young bull who prefers to sit and smell flowers rather than fight. Banned in 1930’s Spain during the Civil War and burned in Nazi Germany, this classic story carries a powerful message about having the courage to be yourself, daring to be different and resisting bullying and violence.
PublisherGrosset & Dunlap – Reading Railroad Books
CountryUSA
Year2000

Want Toast

AuthorWilson, Anna
IllustratorCarter, Vanda
DescriptionPicture book telling the story of a very young, very adventurous girl. Although Ruth knows what she wants, the delights of waking up at first hint of daylight prove hard to share with her mummies. This is a joyous tale of discovery wherein Ruth plans her next steps.
PublisherOnlywomen Press
CountryUK
Year2010

Who’s In A Family?

AuthorSkutch, Robert & Laura Nienhaus
DescriptionLooks at multicultural contemporary family units, includings lesbian and gay parents
Age group3 to 7
PublisherTricycle Press
CountryUSA
Year1997

8 to 12 years

Belinda’s Bouquet

AuthorNewman, Leslea
DescriptionExamines body-image, sexual orientation, same-sex parents and other issues.
Age group9 to 12
PublisherAlyson Publications
CountryUSA
Year1989
AvailabilityNot currently available

Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones, The

AuthorBrown, Forman
DescriptionJeff lends his two dads to his friends and then regrets it.
Age group9 to 12
PublisherAlyson Publications
CountryUSA
Year1992

Book outlets

  • Gay's the Word Lesbian and Gay Bookshop Independent bookshop in London with a good stock of pro-diversity children's books. Website has a list of books for children, or ring them to get a copy: 0207 278 7654.
  • Letterbox Library 'Celebrating equality and diversity in the best children's books'. Mail order catalogue. On their website, look in 'Families' and also 'Gender equality'. Autumn 07 Catalogue 92 included an article on lesbian and gay representations for early years and primary, and they recommend If I Had a Hundred Mummies amongst other titles.
  • Learn to Include Early childhood education material (readers) that include same sex parent families. My House, Going to Fair Day, The Rainbow Cubby House and Koalas on Parade - easy-to-read books which include same sex parent families. Written by an Australian primary school student and her lesbian mum (who could not find any readers featuring same-sex families to donate to her daughter's school). Bright and happy, and given the thumbs up by year one students and teachers, what better way to show children that every family is important.’  There is also a teachers' manual.

Publishers

Children’s books