Did you know that having at least 20 age-appropriate books in the home can improve a child’s educational success? The Greater Austin Reading Coalition and Success By Six Coalition – convened by United Way for Greater Austin – want to make sure that all local children and families have access to books that illustrate a diversity of backgrounds and cultures.
This June marks the 51st celebration of Pride Month — a month where we uplift, celebrate, and support the LGBTQIA+ community. United Way is excited to celebrate this month with all of our friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors.
In honor of Pride Month, here are 10 age-appropriate books that reflect the LGBTQIA+ community to help raise awareness about different types of families, what it means to be LGBTQIA+, and promote inclusivity. Many of these titles are available to check out at your local library or in audio form on YouTube.
Top 5 board books for babies to toddlers: (ages 0-4)
1.”Love Makes a Family” by Sophie Beer
2. “My Two Moms and Me” by Michael Joosten, illustrated by Izak Zenou
3. “Peanut Goes for the Gold” Jonathan Van Ness, illustrated by Gillian Reid
4. “Baby’s First Words” by Christiane Engel
5. “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, and Henry Cole
Top 5 books for young readers: (K- 4th)
1. “Julian is a Mermaid” by Jessica Love
2. “I am Jazz” by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
3. “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag” by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Steven Salerno
4. “All are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
5. “Stonewall: A Building. An uprising. A revolution.” By Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jamey Christoph
Ensuring that all kids are happy, healthy, and ready to succeed in school and beyond is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty in our community. Access to diverse books and high-quality education will help us get more kids there. Learn more about how the Success By Six Coalition and the Greater Austin Reading Coalition are bringing together people, ideas, and resources to do just that!