Children grow up in many different structures of families, and at different times in their lives, their family structure may change. For young children, the family they live in is their “normal” family. It is important that all children understand the various diverse family structures of their peers in their immediate communities and beyond and know that all family structures hold high value and importance to their members.
What kind of family books are these?
Check out the picture book recommendations below for ideas of ways to talk about family structures with little feminists of all ages! We have listed four books (across age ranges 0-9) that will introduce your child to family structures such as families that have a mom and a dad, families that have two moms or two dads, single parent or guardian families, conditionally separated families (members who are incarcerated, hospitalized, or in service to the military), children who are adopted, multiracial families, blended families, LGBTQ+ families, co-custody families, cross-cultural families, immigrant families, migrant families, and more.
Diving into more detail
After you read about the diverse family structure books, don’t miss the curated list of our absolute favorite picture books that happen to have diverse family structures of various themes. For each family structure listed, we combed through all the picture books containing those family types and curated the best of the best list just for Little Feminist readers. Use these great books as a jumping-off point for deeper discussions with your kiddos!
Activities and more
After you read about the diverse family structure books, don’t miss the curated list of our absolute favorite picture books that happen to have diverse family structures of various themes. For each family structure listed, we combed through all the picture books containing those family types and curated the best of the best list just for Little Feminist readers. Use these great books as a jumping-off point for deeper discussions with your kiddos!
Our Top Book Picks About Diverse Family Structures
We Are Little Feminists: FAMILIES by Archaa Shrivastav
- Best for ages 0-2
Beautiful, full-color photos of real-life LGBTQ and ally families showcase all the wonderful forms of family, gender, and sexuality in this fun and award-winning board book. Each spread features simple, poetic text for building vocabulary and empathy.
What we love: FAMILIES helps families and educators discuss sexuality, celebrate all genders, and advocate for LGBTQ equity.
Things to know: FAMILIES was the first ever board book to win an American Library Association medal!
Families by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly
- Best for ages 2-6
Celebrate diversity with this picture book for very young children about the many faces of contemporary families. Bright photographs capture families having fun together, enjoying all the ways they are similar and different.
What we love: We love the real-world photographs of everyday families of all kinds and simple text that spark conversations about young readers’ own family history. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a tidy family or a messy one, readers are assured that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.
Things to know: In many ways, this book is similar to another favorite by Todd Parr called The Family Book. We generally like to feature books that depict humans, not animals, so that kids can relate the illustrations to real people they know (or will one day meet), but Todd Parr’s joyous and silly illustrations can make kids feel like they could also write a book themselves and we love that idea! Take a look at both books with your kids and compare Rotner’s photos with Parr’s drawings.
Activity Idea: Have your child draw a picture of something that makes your family unique and then include a caption that starts with “Some families…” just like Todd Parr does! You can even make a book with many unique characteristics of your family or families your child knows. Older kids can try to draw in the style of Todd Parr.
The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman
- Best for ages 4-7
A treasury featuring all kinds of families and their lives together.
What we love: So many types of family structures are featured! The family tree includes step-parents and step-siblings, and many gender role stereotypes are debunked.
Things to know: As much as we love this book, there are a few improvements we would like to see in future prints. Use these comments to begin discussions with your child on subsequent readings:
- On the page with kids dressing up for a costume party, a child is wearing a Native American Headdress. We recognize that cultures are not costumes and Native Americans are real people, not simply a costume to put on.
- Suggestion: Fix your copy by drawing a hat over the headdress, and discuss why with your kids.
- We wish there were more holidays included on the celebrations page. The Jewish celebration included is Hanukkah which is a minor holiday that falls near Christmas so it’s more well-known (Rosh Hashanah, Passover, or Purim may have been better choices). The Hanukiah (Menorah) in the illustration also doesn’t have the correct number of candles. Diwali, Eid, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year are also included – It’s a good start, but including more would be better.
The Zero Dads Club by Angel Adeyoha
- Best for ages 7-9
All the kids in Ms. May’s classroom are making cards for Father’s Day. What are the kids with no dads supposed to do? Akilah has a great idea – with her friend Kai, she creates a club for kids with families that don’t include dads. There are mamas and tías and babas and abuelas! Find out how the kids celebrate their families in The Zero Dads Club, a beautifully illustrated story showing that all families are just right.
What we love: The kids in this book are organizers and problem-solvers!
Things to know: The author, Angel Adeyoha, identifies as two-spirit, queer, gender-defiant, Indigenous and mixed-race, with a complex ability status. We love supporting small presses (this is from Flamingo Rampant) and showcasing OwnVoices authors and illustrators!
More Book Recommendations
Here are a few book recommendations that are less didactic, meaning that they are wonderful stories on their own that littles will want to read time and time again (and grownups alike will want to also!). They just happen to feature realistic, diverse family structures in the background of the story at the same time! Use these to widen your child’s understanding of other families and/or mirror their own family structures.
Note: The following books are written for kids ages 4-9 but can still be engaging for older or younger children depending on the ideas you discuss while reading together.
Single parent
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Divorced parents
Fred Stays with Me by Nancy Coffelt
Interracial marriage
The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko
Two dads/Two moms
Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour
Papa, Daddy, & Riley by Seamus Kirst
My Footprints by Bao Phi
Foster care
Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Dunca
Border separation/immigration issues
Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins
Polyamorous parents
A Color Named Love by M. Ellery
Parental incarceration
Missing Daddy by Mariame Kaba
Transgender parent
Rachel’s Christmas Boat by Sophie Labelle
Bilingual family
I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada
Multiracial & multicultural family
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown
Adoption
In Our Mothers’ House by Patricia Polacco
New sibling
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
Want a recommendation for a specific family structure we missed, or want to share your little feminist’s favorite book that features a unique family? Leave us a comment!
in Oakland, CA