Pride Month is a time to honor, celebrate, and uplift LGBTQ+ identities, histories, and communities. One of the most powerful ways to engage with Pride is through literature, using stories that open windows and doors into the diverse experiences of queer people, offering empathy, understanding, and hope. Books have the unique ability to reflect our own lives and introduce us to others’, making them vital tools for education, affirmation, and celebration.
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or reader yourself, exploring LGBTQ+ books tailored to different ages can create meaningful conversations and connections. This guide introduces the key themes woven through Pride books for every stage of childhood and adolescence, highlighting why queer stories matter and how they foster inclusivity, respect, and joy.
Whole Family & Multi-Age Discussions and Activities
Pride Month is a wonderful opportunity to bring together readers of all ages for shared conversations and creative activities that celebrate LGBTQ+ identities, history, and community. Whether you’re a family, a classroom, or a community group with mixed ages, these discussion prompts and activities are designed to be inclusive, adaptable, and meaningful for everyone.
Discussion Prompts
- What does Pride mean to you? Invite everyone to share their own thoughts or experiences with Pride, whether it’s a celebration, a feeling, or a story they’ve heard.
- Who are some important LGBTQ+ people or heroes you’ve learned about? Talk about the people featured in the books or in your community, highlighting the diversity of experiences.
- How can we be good allies and supporters of LGBTQ+ friends and family? Explore ways to show respect, kindness, and advocacy.
- What are some ways people celebrate joy and community? Discuss traditions, events, or personal rituals that bring people together.
- How can stories help us understand others and ourselves better? Reflect on the power of literature to build empathy and connection.
Activities
- Create a Rainbow Flag or Pride Poster: Using art supplies, design your own flag or poster that represents what Pride means to your family or group. Include symbols, colors, or words that feel meaningful.
- Family Story Time: Choose one or more books from the reading lists to read together. Afterwards, have everyone share their favorite part or a character they related to.
- Timeline of Queer History: Make a collaborative timeline highlighting important moments from queer history, including ones learned from the nonfiction books.
- Celebrate Chosen Family: Create a “family tree” that includes not only relatives but also friends and community members who provide support and love.
- Pride Playlist: Compile songs that celebrate LGBTQ+ artists, history, or themes. Listen and dance together, celebrating joy and resilience.
- Attend a Family Pride Event: Join a local or virtual Pride event designed for families. Experience the community spirit firsthand, enjoy festivities, and meet others who celebrate diversity and inclusion.
Take Action Together
The first Pride event began as a riot. Reading is powerful, but action helps make change. Whether you’re queer or an ally, here are ways families can support LGBTQ+ rights during and beyond Pride Month:
- Write or Call Your Representatives
Choose a current LGBTQ+ issue (like anti-trans legislation, book bans, or healthcare access) and send a message as a family. Even young kids can draw pictures or dictate letters. - Learn About Local LGBTQ+ Organizations
Research and share a list of local queer support groups or Pride events. Consider making cards, donating supplies, or attending as a family. - Brainstorm How to Be a Better Ally
Create a “Help and Hope” list, ways your family can speak up, support others, or build a more inclusive community. - Join a Protest, Rally, or Pride March
If safe and accessible, attending a Pride event or LGBTQ+ protest shows solidarity. - Support Queer-Owned Bookstores or Artists
Talk about the importance of representation in business and media. - Create Visibility at Home
Hang a Pride flag, put up affirming signs in your window, or write sidewalk chalk messages of love and support in your neighborhood. - Actionable Steps
Each group of books includes a meaningful way to take real-world action, because Pride isn’t just about celebration, it’s about change.
The Importance of Diverse Voices
Queer communities are wonderfully diverse, encompassing all races, ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds. Inclusive Pride literature must reflect this richness, including stories by and about BIPOC individuals, transgender and nonbinary people, and those with intersectional identities. Diverse stories broaden readers’ perspectives, dismantle stereotypes, and cultivate empathy for the many facets of queer life.
Using This Guide
This general guide introduces the themes and significance of Pride literature at all ages. For practical use, the reading lists, discussion prompts, and activities have been tailored by grade level. Whether you’re selecting books for your family, a classroom, a homeschool co-op, a book club, or personal exploration, these resources can support meaningful engagement with queer stories.
We encourage readers to approach this material with openness and respect, using it as a starting point for conversations about identity, history, and community. Pride Month is a celebration, but it is also a call to ongoing learning and advocacy.
Pride Is a Journey
Pride is more than a month: it is an ongoing commitment to visibility, equity, and love. Through books, we can honor the past, celebrate the present, and imagine a future where everyone can live authentically and proudly.
Dive into these stories. Share them. Learn from them. Let them inspire you to be part of the vibrant, resilient, and joyful queer community we celebrate every day.
Schedule of Guide Posts
Board Books Tuesday 5/20
Picture Books Wednesday 5/21
Middle Grades Books Thursday 5/22
Graphic Novels Friday 5/23
Young Adult Books Tuesday 5/27
Adult Books Wednesday 5/58
Whether you’re new to Rabbit Hole Learning or a returning reader, we’re so glad you’re here. We believe stories have the power to open hearts, spark conversations, and create real change, and we’re honored to help you bring that into your home or classroom this Pride Month. Be sure to check back as we roll out the full guide, one age group at a time. Let’s read, learn, and grow together.
Rabbit Hole Learning 
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