The Library

Hiya Feminist Friends!

Imagine if we, as feminist families, could gather in a local library and sip tea (or coffee) together. We could pour over the pages of these beautiful books and plan the feminist utopia for our children. Until this is a reality, please enjoy this curated list of feminist children’s books. 

I have organised the books by theme as best as I can, sometimes a book may appear in two categories. Please know this list is constantly being updated. If you have suggestions for titles that need to be added please feel free to email me on kate@futurefeminists.org

Feel free to print this list out, screenshot, send it to your friends, request these books from your library or ask your local indie bookshop to order them in. You may even be able to find them second-hand online. 

In solidarity as always, 

Kate BC x

  • Bye Bye Binary by Eric Geron and Charlene Chua

    C is For Consent by Eleanor Morrison

    Feminist Baby by Loryn Brantz

    Feminist Baby Finds Her Voice by Loryn Brantz

    Feminist Baby (He’s a Feminist Too) by Loryn Brantz

    HAIR by Kate Bullen-Casanova (me!) and Freya Bennett

    Feminism is for Boys by Elizabeth Rhodes

    My Feminist ABC by Irene Pizzolante

    Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie

    A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

    Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan and Sarah Walsh

    We are Little Feminists: Families

    We are Little Feminists: On the Go

    We are Little Feminists: Hair

    My First Book of Girl Power by Julie Merberg

    Baby Business by Jasmine Seymor

  • The Girls - Lauren Ace & Jenny Lovlie

    Rosie Revere Engineer - Beaty/Roberts

    Ada Twist, Scientist - Beaty/Roberts

    Bronte: Me and My Boots - Penny Harrison & Evie Barrow

    ABC: What Can She Be? - Sugar Snap Studio

    Izzy and Frank - Katrina Lehman and Evie Barrow

    The Spectacular Suit - Kat Patrick & Hayley Wells

    Howl - Kat Patrick and Evie Barrow

    Princess Freya’s Great Escape - Rebecca Taylor

    The Paper Bag Princess - Robert Munsch

    Some Girls - Nelly Thomas

    Girls are pretty... - Susan Hoffman

    Ivy Bird - Tania McCartney and Jess Racklyeft

    The Girl and the Dinosaur - Holly Hughes

    Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World - Susan Hood

  • Tough Guys Have Feelings Too - Keith Negley

    I’m a Boy Oh Yes I am! - K.A. Farrell

    Be Your Own Man - Jessica Sanders

    Arthur and the Tiger - Sophie Beer

    Some Boys - Nelly Thomas

    Boys will be.... - Susan Hoffman

    Julian is a Mermaid - Jessica Love

    Julian at the Wedding - Jessica Love

    Iggy Peck, Architect - Beaty/Roberts

    Pink is for Boys - Rob Pearlmann

    Fred Gets Dressed - Peter Brown

    When Langton Dances - Kaija Langley and Keith Mallett

    This Boy Can! - Cori Brooke

    The Boys - Lauren Ace and Jenny Lovlie

  • Girls and Boys: Identity and Body - Created by Naizen

    Not a story book but is a free trans-inclusive educational resource pdf all about bodies. It specifically says “There are girls with a vulva and girls with a penis. There are boys with a penis and boys with a vulva.”

    Available to download for free here.

    A House for Everyone: A Story to Help Children Learn about Gender Identity - Jo Hirst and Naomi Bardoff

    Not Quite Narwhal - Jessie Sima

    This Day in June - Gayle E. Pitman

    Grandad’s Camper - Harry Woodgate

    Grandad’s Pride - Harry Woodgate (coming 2023)

    Who’s Your Real Mum? - Bernadette Green & Anna Zobel

    Love Makes a Family - Sophie Beer

    Red: A Crayon’s Story- Michael Hall

    Zoom - Sha’an D’Anthes

    Making a Baby: An Inclusive guide to how every family begins - Rachel Greener & Clare Owen

    We are Little Feminists: Families

    They, She, He, Easy as ABC - Maya Christina Gonzales

    The Art of Drag - Jake Hall

    What Riley Wore

    Being You: A First Conversation About Gender- Megan Madison

    The Hips of the Drag Queens Go Swish, Swish, Swish- Lil Miss Hot Mess

    People of Pride: RuPaul Charles- Vincent Chen

    Have Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement - Grace Stewart

    The Girl With Two Dads - Mel Elliot

    When Aidan Became a Brother Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita

    Introducing Teddy- Jessica Walton and Dougal MacPherson

    Prince & Knight - Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis

    Santa’s Husband - Daniel Kibblesmith

    Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and The Rainbow Flag- Rob Sanders

    Stonewall: An Uprising - Rob Sanders

    Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero - Ellie Royce and Hannah Chambers

    Uncle Bobby’s Wedding - Sarah Brannen and Lucia Soto

    Princess Princess Ever After - K. O’Neill

    The Boy and the Bindi - Vivek Shraya and Rajni Perera

    Our Family Pledge - Emmaline Caroll Southwell and Vivian Minekar

    The Trans Self-Care Workbook - Theo Nicole Lorenz

    From Archie to Zack - Vincent X. Kirsch

    ‘Twas the Night Before Pride - Joanna McClintick and Juana Medina

    The Rainbow Flag: Bright, Bold and Beautiful - Michelle Millar Fisher and Kat Kuang

  • When We Say Black Lives Matter - Maxine Beneba Clarke

    Antiracist Baby - Ibram X Kendi

    The Colors of Us- Karen Katz

    Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness - Anastasia Higginbotham

    Separate Is Never Equal - Sylvia Mendez

    Happy in Our Skin - Fran Manushkin and Lauren Tobia

    Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race- Jessica Ralli

    Eyes that Kiss in the Corner - Joanna Ho and Dung Ho C

    The AntiRacist Kid- Tiffany Jewell

    Hair Twins - Raakee Mirchandani

    Muslim Girls Rise - Saira Mir and Aaliya Jaleel

  • Hats of Faith - Medeia Cohan and Sarah Walsh

    The Proudest Blue - Ibtihaj Muhammed with S.K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly

    Rama and Sita: The Story of Diwali- Malachy Doyle & Christopher Corr

    The Miracle of Hannukah- Malachy Doyle & Christopher Corr

    Ramadan Moon- Na’ima B Robert and Shirin Adl

    La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story- Antonio Sacre

    Daddy Christmas And Hannukah Mama- Selina Alko

    Too Many Tamales- Gary Soto

    Tree of Cranes - Allen Say

    My First Chanukah - Tomie dePaola

    It’s a Miracle: A Hannukah Storybook - Stephanie Spinner

    Diwali - Rebecca Pettiford

    Amal’s Eid - Amy Maranville and Joshua Stevens

    Amal’s Ramadan - Amy Maranville and Joshua Stevens

    Rashad’s Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr - Holli Conger

    Christmas in a Noisy Village - Astrid Lingren

    Little Glow - Katie Sahota and Harry Woodgate

    The Gift of Ramadan - Rabiah York Lumbard and Laura K Horton

  • Change Starts with Us- Sophie Beer

    Kindness Makes us Strong - Sophie Beer

    Sofia Valdez, Future Prez - Beaty/Roberts

    If I was Prime Minister - Beck & Robin Feiner

    I’m Australian Too - Mem Fox & Ronojoy Ghosh

    Goat on a Boat - Nick Dent and Suzanne Houghton

    Usborne Politics for Beginners - Louie Stowell, Alex Frith and Rosie Hore and Illustrated by Kellan Stover

    Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley lyrics turned into a book

    Peaceful Fights For Equal Rights - Rob Sanders

    If You’re Going to March - Martha Freeman and Violet Kim

    The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye - Cynthia Levinson and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

    The Pink Hat - Andrew Joyner

    Protest! How People Have Come Together to Change the World - Alice and Emily Haworth-Booth

  • This is MY Body- Lil Carle

    Bodies are Cool - Tyler Feder

    All Bodies are Good Bodies - Charlotee Barkla and Erica Salcedo

    Love Your Body - Jessica Sanders

    How To Say Hello - Sophie Beer

    Vaginas and Periods 101: A Pop Up Book - Christian Hoeger and Kristen Lilla, Illustrated by Sara M. Lyons

    U.S. Stockist available here: https://period.shop/products/vaginas-and-periods-101-a-pop-up-book

    The Calicolour Cat - Curtis Ackie and Sydney Jackson

    Published by small independent publisher Formy Books - amplifying Black representation and creative talent. Find them on instagram here.

    What’s an Abortion Anyway? - Carly Manes

    Own Your Period - Chella Quint —> Inclusive book about puberty, periods, fertility all the way up to perimenopause and menopause.

    Welcome Period! - Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang

  • Demystifying Disability - Emily Ladau

    The Brain Forest - Sandya Menon

    A Friend for Henry - Jenn Bailey - A sweet picture book about a book called Henry looking for a friend. Henry exhibits lots of attributes of being autistic but it is never explicitly mentioned.

    Wild for Winnie - Laura Marx Fitzgerald

    Remarkable Remy - Melanie Hayworth

    I am Not a Label - Cerrie Burnell

    Proud to be Deaf - Ava Beese

    Brilliant Bea - Shaina Rudolph

    We are Little Feminists: On the Go

    What Happened To You? - James Catchpole

    Benji, The Bad Day and Me - Sally J Pia

    A Friend Like Simon - Kate Gaynor
    This book seems okay from an autistic point of view but is quite gender binary.

    My Friend With Autism - Beverly Bishop
    Note: this book uses person-first instead of identity-first language, (eg. person with autism instead of autistic person). Personally, we use identity-first language with our children because listening to autistic adults has taught us to do so.

    When Charley Met Emma - Amy Webb and Merilee Liddiard

    Yes I Can! A Girl and Her Wheelchair - Kendra J. Barrett

    A Plan For Pops - Heather Smith and Brooke Kerrigan

    My Brother Otto - Meg Raby and Elisa Pallmer

    A story about an autistic boy called Otto and his siblings. Features use of an AAC Device, (Augmented and Alternative Communication Device)

    Note: This book uses language like “naughty” to describe behaviours which look like an autistic meltdown- this is not neuroaffirming.

    Other than this the book is a simple way of explaining some things like deep pressure, stimming and different learning and listening styles.

    I am Me from A-Z - Victoria Nelson

    Features sign language (possibly American sign language?), positive character traits of autistic people and a variety of disabilities.

    AAC Rhyme Time - Amanda Hartmann and Nanhee Ha

    Something to Say About My Communication Device - Eden Molineux

    Can Bears Ski? - Raymond Antrobus and Polly Dunbar

    A Different Sort of Normal - Abigail Balfe

    Good for older kids - roughly 8+ Written by an autistic author about her experience as an autistic girl and teenager.

    Some Brains - Nelly Thomas - Note: In the glossary, this book makes a reference to “Aspergers Syndrome” as a place on the Autism Spectrum. Through my journey parenting recently diagnosed autistic children, I commit to listening to autistic and disabled voices in the language I use. Overwhelmingly, autistic voices have said that the term “Aspergers” and other functioning labels, (eg. high functioning and low functioning) are hurtful and damaging. As such, I will not use these labels.

    Love Your Brain- Chrissie Davies

  • Change Starts with Us - Sophie Beer
    The Australian Climate Change Book - Polly Marsden and Chris Nixon
    Your Planet Needs You - Philip Bunting
    Greta and the Giants - Zoe Tucker and Zoe Persico
    You Can Change the World - Lucy Bell
    Plastic: Past, Present and Future - Eun-ju Kim and Ji-won Lee
    What A Waste: Rubbish, Recycling and Protecting Our Planet - Jess French
    Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt - Kate Messner
    Compost Stew: A Recipe for the Earth - Mary Elizabeth McKenna Siddals
    Usborne Lift the Flap: Looking After our Planet - Katie Daynes
    Usborne Climate Crisis for Beginners - Eddie Reynolds
    How Does My Garden Grow? - Gerda Muller
    Stand Up! Speak Up! A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution - Andrew Joyner