Pride Month Booklist

June is Pride Month - a time when communities around the world come together to celebrate the simple but profound idea that every person deserves to be accepted exactly as they are. No matter who you love, how you feel, or how you show up in the world: you belong. It's a message that matters at every age, but it's one that takes root most deeply in childhood - and few things plant it more gently, or more lastingly, than a great book.

Stories do something that conversations alone can't. When a child finds a character who feels the way they feel, or a family that looks like theirs, something quietly powerful happens - they feel seen. And when they read about a life completely different from their own, they grow in a different way: they begin to understand that other people's experiences are just as real, just as valid, and just as worth knowing as their own. That's empathy. That's acceptance. And it starts on the page.

This Pride Month, we're celebrating the books that help children understand themselves, each other, and the wonderfully diverse world around them. Whether your child is curious, questioning, or simply ready for a brilliant story - there's something on this list for them. Because every reader deserves a book that makes them feel at home in who they are.

For Early Year Readers (ages 3-5)

And Tango Makes Three

by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole

Based on a true story, this beloved picture book follows Roy and Silo, two male penguins who build a nest and raise a chick named Tango. Tender and uplifting, it celebrates the many forms families can take and the love and care that make them special.

ABC Pride

by Louie Stowell, Elly Barnes, Amy Phelps

A is for Acceptance, B is for Belonging, C is for Celebrate! This bright and engaging alphabet book introduces young readers to Pride, identity, inclusion, and kindness. With colourful illustrations and discussion prompts for adults, it’s a fun and accessible way to start important conversations at home or in the classroom.

My Daddies!

by Gareth Peter, Garry Parsons

A little girl and her two dads enjoy magical bedtime stories filled with dragons, dinosaurs, and adventure. Written in playful rhyme by Gareth Peter, this heartwarming picture book celebrates the joy of reading and the love that brings families together. Perfect for ages 3+.

Love Makes a Family

by Sophie Beer

Simple, bright, and full of heart, this charming board book follows a day in family life, celebrating the everyday moments that show love. Featuring diverse families of all kinds, it shares a joyful message: love is what makes a family.

Super Duper You

by Sophy Henn

A loving big brother notices every wonderful, contradictory, glorious thing about his little sister — sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes sparkly, sometimes scruffy — and celebrates every single bit of her. This warm and witty rhyming picture book is a joyful reminder that children don't have to fit into a box, and that the most extraordinary thing any of us can be is simply, unapologetically ourselves. A wonderful read-aloud for ages 3 and up, and a real confidence-booster for every kind of child.

Uncle Bobby's Wedding

by Sarah Brannen, Lucía Soto

When Chloe's favourite uncle announces he's marrying his boyfriend Jamie, she's not upset about Jamie being a man — she's worried she'll lose her beloved uncle altogether. What unfolds is a tender, funny, and deeply reassuring story about love, change, and the wonderful truth that family doesn't shrink when it grows — it just gets bigger. Named one of BookTrust's 100 best children's books of the last 100 years, this is a gentle gem for ages 3 and up.

For Key Stage 1 Readers (ages 5-7)

Pink Is for Boys

by Robb Pearlman, Eda Kaban

A joyful and vibrant picture book that challenges the idea that colours belong to any one gender - pink is for boys AND girls AND everyone. Through bright, inclusive illustrations of children playing, dancing, and adventuring, it sends a simple and powerful message: life is not colour-coded.

The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

by Jarvis

David is the boy with beautiful flowers growing from his hair - loved by everyone, until one day the flowers begin to fall and the other children don't quite know what to make of him. A deeply moving story about friendship, kindness, and what it really means to show up for someone when things change.

The Pirate Mums

by Jodie Lancet-Grant, Lydia Corry

Billy wishes his two mums would just be a bit more normal - but when a school trip to the seaside takes a dramatic turn, it's their swashbuckling pirate skills that save the day. A brilliantly funny, rainbow-hued adventure that celebrates the brilliant truth that what makes your family different is exactly what makes them special.

My Shadow Is Pink

by Scott Stuart

A little boy has a secret - his shadow is pink, full of the princesses and fairies and sparkle he loves, while his dad's shadow is blue. Inspired by a real father and son, this rhyming picture book is a warm and empowering story about the courage it takes to be yourself, and the unconditional love that makes that possible.

Grandad's Camper

by Harry Woodgate

Grandad and Gramps spent years adventuring together in their beloved camper van - but since Gramps passed away, Grandad doesn't feel much like having adventures anymore. A beautifully illustrated, award-winning story about love, loss, and the way a grandchild's imagination can gently bring joy back into the world.

Little People Big Dreams Ru Paul

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Wednesday Holmes

Part of the beloved Little People Big Dreams series, this picture book biography traces RuPaul's journey from a little boy who loved dressing up to one of the world's most iconic performers and entertainers. A bright and encouraging celebration of self-expression, authenticity, and the idea that embracing who you truly are is the greatest performance of all.

Perfectly Norman

by Tom Percival

Norman has always been perfectly normal - until the day he suddenly grows a magnificent pair of wings. When he tries to hide them under a big coat, he becomes miserable, and it takes real courage to finally let them unfurl - and discover he's not the only one with something wonderful to show the world. A gorgeously illustrated story about the freedom that comes from embracing what makes you different.

'Twas the Night Before Pride

by Joanna McClintick, Juana Medina

Modelled on the beloved Christmas poem, this joyful picture book follows a family the night before the Pride parade, as an older sibling explains the history and meaning of Pride - including the Stonewall Riots - to their youngest. Bright, buoyant, and age-perfectly pitched, it's a wonderful way to introduce children to Pride's roots and its joyful, community-filled spirit.

For Key Stage 2 Readers (ages 7-11)

Nen and The Lonely Fisherman

by Ian Eagleton, James Mayhew;James Mayhew

Deep beneath the waves, a merman named Nen longs for love - and when his song of hope travels across the sea to reach a lonely fisherman named Ernest, something magical begins. Winner of the Polari Prize, this breathtaking retelling of The Little Mermaid is a lyrical, tender celebration of love in all its forms and the courage it takes to reach across different worlds.

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow

by Benjamin Dean, Sandhya Prabhat

When twelve-year-old Archie overhears his parents keeping a secret, he sets off on a chaotic, hilarious, and ultimately heartwarming adventure to the Pride parade to find answers. A joyful, funny, and deeply moving debut novel about family, honesty, and the way love — in all its forms — finds a way through.

Glitter Boy

by Ian Eagleton, Scholastic

Eleven-year-old James loves dancing, Mariah Carey, and performing in the school choir - but with a bully on his case, a struggling dad, and secrets building at every turn, his usual sparkle is starting to dim. A raw, funny, and ultimately uplifting novel about identity, friendship, and finding the courage to let your true self shine.

The Dad Trap

by Ian Eagleton, Scholastic

When instant enemies William and Florence discover that their dads are dating each other, they reluctantly team up to sabotage the relationship - with chaotic and hilarious results. A warm-hearted and brilliantly funny modern twist on The Parent Trap that explores adoption, neurodivergence, LGBTQ+ family life, and the unshakeable bond between a parent and their child.

The Accidental Diary of B.U.G

by Jen Carney

Meet Billie Upton Green - and don't you dare call her B.U.G. - a brilliantly funny, doodle-filling, chaos-causing heroine navigating school, friendship, and the very exciting upcoming wedding of her two mums. In the same laugh-out-loud spirit as Tom Gates and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this is inclusive, joyful, and completely irresistible reading for ages 7 and up.

Jamie

by L.D. Lapinski

Jamie Rambeau is a happy, non-binary eleven-year-old - until they discover that secondary school means choosing between a boys' school and a girls' school, and suddenly the whole system seems to have forgotten they exist. A funny, brave, and genuinely moving novel about standing up for yourself, the power of friendship, and fighting for a world that makes room for everyone.

Death in the Spotlight: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery

by Robin Stevens

When sharp-witted detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong find themselves caught up in a murder mystery at a London theatre, the glittering world of the stage hides jealousy, secrets, and danger at every turn. Set in 1930s Britain, this gripping seventh instalment in the beloved series also features Daisy's heartfelt coming out, woven into a story that quietly but powerfully reflects on how far society has - and still needs to - come.

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