At a time when gay culture is gaining much wider acceptance in American society, when it comes to children, sensitivities run higher than usual. Despite dismal sales, more publishers are beginning to market children’s books which contain gay and lesbian themes. In addition, an onslaught of teen fiction revolving around such characters has become available to young readers.

The fairly new literary genre has become so prolific in recent years that popular online bookstore Amazon.com has developed a category listing of books geared towards gay and lesbian youth, children with gay parents and other youths who would like to explore such themes.

Despite an increase of available children’s books which include gay issues on the market, schools and libraries seem less interested in stocking books geared towards young readers, opting instead to increase purchases of books which contain gay and lesbian themes written for teenagers. Purchases of similar books written for younger children have been low--and controversial at best.

In 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported on the story of Martha Freeman, author of The Trouble With Babies. The book introduces readers to Holly, a 9-year-old girl who goes on many quirky adventures with new friends when she moves into a new neighborhood with her parents. The once lonely and frightened Holly is positively transformed through her friendships, which solidifies a theme that promotes acceptance amongst children of all backgrounds.

The Trouble With Babies was released to glowing reviews, yet bombed in sales, leading to a loss of paperback rights. Though the book was not specifically related to homosexuality, it contains a brief passage regarding two gay fathers and their adopted son. Regardless of the fact that the book does not focus on children with gay parents in any significant way, the simple reference to homosexuality discouraged many librarians from purchasing the title. Claiming the author was writing with a "homosexual agenda" deemed inappropriate for children, librarians pulled the title from most of the scarce shelves that had decided to stock it nationally.

During the three years since Freeman’s run-in with unhappy parents, those who wish for schools, libraries and bookstores to equally stock children’s books with homosexual and heterosexual themes are gaining more ground.

A particularly strong example of popular contemporary literature geared towards educating children about homosexuality is the much-lauded children’s book And Tango Makes Three. Written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and illustrated by Henry Cole, the story is inspired by the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo who appeared to be "mating for life." The couple first adopted a stone to raise together before zookeepers gave them a rejected egg from a mixed-sex penguin couple. Roy and Silo successfully hatched the egg and raised the baby penguin, called Tango, together. The book sweetly chronicles the penguin couple’s time raising Tango, and indicates to child readers that there is no need to mourn the lack of a stereotypically traditional family. And Tango Makes Three is the winner of multiple book awards and in 2006 was named an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book. The title is available from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

The responsibility for stocking varied children’s literature does not lie in the hands of librarians alone. Weary of fights with parents over controversial issues, many librarians and teachers feel a need to avoid the parents who will inevitably object to book sales, and carry their fights on to the school board where the books are inevitably removed from shelves to avoid larger conflict.

Advocates for equality in children’s literature say that this is "clearly an issue of censorship." Saying if someone objects to a book, they can choose not to read it or buy it for their child, Boston mother Jessica Davis says: "No one has the right to impose their views on others. That’s the bottom line." Jessica says that she purchased And Tango Makes Three for her 7-year-old daughter after she expressed an interest in penguins. "It was a chance to expose her to the realities of the world in a warm, non-threatening way. She is going to find out about homosexuality eventually anyway, I’d rather my daughter read it in this context than get inaccurate information from peers." 

In addition to The Trouble With Babies and And Tango Makes Three, the following shortlist of highly-regarded books are recommended for children and teenagers which contain positive homosexual themes:

King and King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, Tricycle Press, 2002

King and King starts out with the fickle queen of a colorful kingdom deciding that she is tired of her reign of power. The queen dictates that her son must marry at the end of the summer and assume the throne. Though his mother chooses many lovely princesses as potential suitors for the future king, he remains unimpressed.

One day, the future king meets another prince and the two fall for one another. After a charming courtship, all is well in the kingdom.

Children will be drawn to the book’s bright, stylized artwork--a mix of collage and watercolor painting.
King and King is a perfect introduction to same-sex love, its prose speaking to children in a matter-of-fact, accepting tone. For the king and his prince, love is truly all that matters.

Asha’s Mums by Rosamund Elwin, Michele Paulse and Dawn Lee, Women’s Press, 2000

When a teacher tells Asha that in order to attend a school field trip she must have a permission slip signed by both her mother and father, Asha is devastated. According to her teacher, she cannot have two mothers, despite the fact that her, her brother, and two moms have been living together as a happy family for their lifetime.

Asha must confer with other students about the issue, most of whom are confused by her family situation. In the end, Asha’s moms intervene, telling the teacher that their family structure is just as normal as any other. Because of this intervention, Asha is able to go on the trip where she is adamant in informing other school children that both of her moms are "real" parents.

Asha’s Mums raises the issue of children from gay families not being accepted among their peers, something that many children will relate to. Asha chooses to defend her family, echoing the reality that many children of gay and lesbian parents face. This story is an important tool which can help teach children of all backgrounds acceptance of alternative families.

Hello, Sailor by Andre Sollie and Ingrid Godon, Macmillan U.K., 2004

Hello, Sailor tells the story a lighthouse keeper named Matt who is constantly watching the sea in hopes that his friend "Sailor" will return to him. Matt becomes obsessed with the idea that "Sailor" has not come, and his friends are not much help in providing comfort. But despite opinions to the contrary, Sailor does return and the pair spends a blissful night together before setting off to sail around the world as a pair.

Hello, Sailor is unique in that it acknowledges an assumed romantic crush on one man by another, whereas in most other books with gay themes geared towards children, the romantic aspect of the relationship is already established. The book is a wonderful supplement to the above titles, which focus mainly on family.