Celebrating Pride Month through reading: Here's a librarian's list of LGBTQ books for kids and teens
Carmen Groleau | CBC News | Posted: June 9, 2019 11:00 AM | Last Updated: June 9, 2019
June is Pride Month and Waterloo Public Library is marking it by highlighting their LGBTQ options
The Waterloo Public Library is celebrating Pride Month by highlighting a wide variety of LGBTQ literature and other materials for kids, teens and adults.
"It's been a response from the publishing world in the last five years that has really allowed us to have a much more diverse and inclusive selection," Laura Peacock, manager of collections with the library, said.
To mark Pride Month, Peacock has a few recommendations that would make for good reads.
Books for kids
Peacock has two books to recommend for young readers.
Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis is a play on the classic fairy tale, where the damsel is rescued by the prince.
But in this version, the prince and the knight work together to stop a dragon from destroying their kingdom and end up rescuing each other and falling in love.
"The illustrations in this book I particularly love, and the rhyming makes it a really great read-out-loud book," Peacock said.
Next, for kids ages eight to 12, Peacock recommends To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer.
Two girls discover their fathers are in love and find out they are being sent to the same summer camp. Just as the girls are becoming excited with the idea of becoming sisters, it is revealed that their dads' relationship is in jeopardy.
"What I really love about this one is how it displays the challenges of blending families and how the girls want their dads to be happy," Peacock said.
Books for teens
For teens, Peacock recommends Mariko Tamaki's graphic novel, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me.
She said the story illustrates a "kaleidoscope of emotion" and touches on the hard parts of being in a relationship.
"In the story there's evidence of a toxic relationship, but the graphic novel is really about re-discovering yourself and who you are outside of your relationship," she said.
Peacock adds there is some mature content and recommends this graphic novel for teens 15 and over.
Another on her list is It's Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender.
Peacock said this romantic comedy is a refreshing, light read because of the authenticity and diverse backgrounds of each character.
She adds this book would be ideal for younger teens.