While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it’s hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.

Errol’s best friend Thomas the Teddy is afraid Errol will stop being her friend if she shares that she is really a girl teddy, not a boy teddy, and that she wishes her name was Tilly. Errol reassures Tilly that he does not care if she is a girl or boy teddy, just that she is his friend. Tilly and Errol continue to play together and with their friend Ava. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on OverDrive/Libby.

In the summer before middle school, eleven-year-old Bug must contend with best friend Moira suddenly caring about clothes, makeup, and boys; a ghost haunting; and the truth about Bug’s gender identity. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.

Yadriel aspires to be a respected brujo by summoning his deceased cousin, a magical mistake results in conjuring a former classmate. More of a YA novel with witchy romance and coming of age elements, this is an enchanting read that breaks out of the romance genre mold. You can also check out this title as eBook and as eAudio on Libby and as eAudio on Hoopla.

In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen-year-old Jam’s mother created, a hunter from another world seeking a real-life monster. This title is also available as an eBook and eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.

Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity–what it means and how to think about it–for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere. You can also check out this title as an eBook on OverDrive/Libby.

“Good Omens” meets “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” in a defiantly joyful adventure set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby, an eAudio on Libby, and an eAudio on Hoopla.  

This short story collection features transgender characters and their unique experiences with personal transformation. As the stories explore change using a mix of magical realism, alternative history, and horror, they ultimately challenge the idea that transgender people can only experience one transition. 

An obsession with a legendary 1960’s band leads a fan to write a series of letters to the enigmatic former frontman (who sounds a lot like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys). These letters are rooted in adoration, but as they progress they unveil magical manifestation, self-discovery, and trans identity. You can also check out this title as eAudio on Hoopla.