"STELLA BRINGS THE FAMILY" BY MIRIAM B. SCHIFFER
When Stella's class hosts a Mother's Day celebration, she doesn't know what to do. Her family comes in a different shape, because she has two daddies who tuck her in at night, help with her homework, and make her feel special each and every day. But she doesn't have a mommy like the other kids do.
What will Stella do? In this book, Stella solves her dilemma through the exploration and understanding of love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.
A heartwarming tale told by Miriam B. Schiffer and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown, this book shows young kids how love provides the quintessential component in any family, regardless of what its design looks like on the outside.
"THE MISADVENTURES OF THE FAMILY FLETCHER" BY DANA ALISON LEVY
Four adopted brothers, alongside their two dads, contend with a fussy neighbor who doesn't respond well to the boys' good nature.
This book describes a diverse and loving family, including a same-sex couple who cares for four siblings of different colors and origins. While diversity has become more and more celebrated throughout today's literature, it's the matter-of-fact description of this tight-knit unit that makes this book so special.
In this way, author Dana Alison Levy shows readers how to focus on love and togetherness instead of the way a family fits within a traditional model. Imagine a world where everyone showcases such maturity.
"THEY CALLED US ENEMY" BY GEORGE TAKEI
Writing alongside Justine Eisinger and Steven Scott, George Takei leverages the graphic novel format to tell a visually stunning but narratively sobering recountment of his childhood years spent in Japanese American internment camps during the second World War.
Partnered with illustrations from Harmony Becker, this nonfiction piece provides an eye-opening view into the discrimination that happens based on the way a person was born. In this regard, Takei's personal remembrance holds a mirror up to the discriminatory challenges many of our neighbors in LGBTQ+ community face today.
Ideal for middle-schoolers, this book highlights the importance of acceptance while also providing an eye-opening historical context of what happened on American soil during World War II.