This is Jessica Love’s debut picture book, and every choice she makes - the spare text, a color palette both muted and lively, full-bleed pages that make even subway cars and apartment rooms feel as expansive as the ocean - imbues the story with charm, tenderness and humor…Alongside Julián, readers learn that anyone can be a mermaid: All it takes is love and acceptance, a little imagination and a big swishy tail.Ī Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary Palacio, author of Wonder, for The New York Time's Book Review

Stompy” works so well: Illustrated with four sets of legs - hairy legs wearing fancy red stilettos, prosthetic legs playing soccer, black legs in pink ballet slippers, and fishnet-stockinged legs in punk-rock platform boots - it shows the multifarious world in all its glory. As with any successful picture book, the art in Lovely doesn’t just illustrate the text, it expands it. On other spreads, we see a tall woman walking a short dog (“tall”) opposite a short man walking with a tall dog (“short”), and a red-haired girl with a “fluffy” cat opposite a straight-haired girl with a “sleek” snake. On the facing page, the word “white” accompanies a black woman with white hair. The word “Black” is next to a white woman wearing black clothes. Then comes a series of illustrative plays on words. “Lovely is different.” A girl with one blue eye and one brown eye looks directly at the viewer. Lovely, a debut picture book written and illustrated by Jess Hong, is a lively ode to being different. This book gives a positive view of LGBTQ families and are great books for kids with two mums or two dads, as well as for kids who could benefit from seeing a different kind of family structure.

From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together, sharing the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children. One of the only original board books about gay parents! Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. Mommy, Mama, and Me Daddy, Papa, and Me by Lesléa Newman From race to gender identities to abilities and more, we’ve created a list of our favourite books which we hope will encourage kids to use their imagination, exposing them the beauty of uniqueness and inclusion

Jess hong lovely