#WNDB – LGBTQIA+ Representation

When Charlie & Mouse won Geisel gold, it was thrilling for many reasons. One of these was the inclusion of the neighbors Mr. Michael and Mr. Eric, bringing some librarians to tears. Mr. Michael and Mr. Eric, based on two of Laurel Snyder’s actual neighbors, appear in just one of the stories included in Charlie & Mouse, and then only briefly. But they are notable as the first depiction of a same-sex couple in any beginning reader title (or as some might point out, the first canonical, human same-sex couple).   

Despite their very brief appearance, at least one reviewer found their presence objectionable, calling out their presence and Mouse’s choice to wear a tutu, headband, and cowboy boots in another of the stories as evidence of a “LGBTQ agenda”. Author Laurel Snyder took the criticism in stride, tweeting “MWAHAHAHAHA! I am coming for your children with my insidious “all children deserve to feel like people” agenda”.

All children deserve to feel like people. They deserve to see themselves, their families, and their communities depicted in the books they read. Children who are transgender, or gender creative, or who have gay parents, or gay grandparents – they all deserve to see their experience reflected in books, including the books they are learning to read. Books for beginning readers have lagged behind other books – including board books – when it comes to incorporating diverse characters and experiences. With regards to LGBTQIA+ representation, we can speculate as to why this gap exists. With the picture books “And Tango Makes Three” and “I am Jazz” taking a place among the top 10 most challenged books of 2017 is it any wonder that publishers might play it safe with regards to any potential “LGBT content” in a format that relies heavily on marketability to schools?

And yet, all children deserve to feel like people. Including, and especially, those just learning to read. There’s room on our shelves for so many more types of readers to see themselves reflected at every age and stage of learning to read. With love and appreciation to Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes for introducing us to Mr. Michael and Mr. Eric, and for Mouse’s tutu – I hope that they are just the beginning. We need everyday LGBTQIA+ representation in beginning readers.