Post submitted by Kimmie Fink, Welcoming Schools Consultant.

As children around the world return to school, HRC is celebrating back to school season with quality read-alouds. This fall, make sure you pick up at least one of these six books that embrace family diversity, as recommended by Welcoming Schools:

The Family Book by Todd Parr. Written and illustrated in the distinct style of Todd Parr, this book celebrates all kinds of families in a funny yet reassuring way. This book features adoptive families, stepfamilies, two-mom and two-dad families and single-parent families.

The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman. Ros Asquith’s detailed illustrations will delight youngsters. Each spread showcases a different aspect of home and family life, from houses and holidays to schools and pets.

One Family by George Shannon. This book is deceptive in its simplicity. What on the surface is a book about the concept of “one” is actually a rich depiction of an array of multigenerational, interracial and LGBTQ people and families.

Families by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly. This inclusive look at families will help children see beyond their experiences and begin to understand others. Kids will love the photographs of real families.

Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne and Max Lang. Presented as framed portraits, silly animals represent a host of different family types in a warm celebration of family love.

Who’s In My Family? All About Our Family by Robie Harris. Readers join Nellie and Gus and family for a day at the zoo and a look at all kinds of families. This engaging and matter-of-fact story reassures children that no matter their makeup, their families are not just normal but wonderful!

By showing a wide variety of diverse family structures through your choice of books, you can help your child develop pride in their own family at the same time you expose them to the diversity of the world around them. Books like these help your child understand the common theme that runs through all families: love. We at Welcoming Schools believe a focus on family, diversity and love is a great way to start the school year.

Housed by the HRC Foundation, Welcoming Schools and Time to THRIVE are national programs to help LGBTQ youth succeed. Welcoming Schools provides professional development to educators and free resources to educators and families to support a respectful elementary school climate for all students. Time to THRIVE is an annual national conference that brings together K-12 educators, counselors and other youth-serving professionals to build awareness and cultural competency to better support LGBTQ youth.