Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - Pride Month

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more nonfiction. My plan is to read at least 100 nonfiction picture books this year. So far, I've read 62 this year.

June is Pride month and both of these books do a wonderful job of explaining Pride celebrations and even how they came to exist. Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community by Robin Stevenson is a middle grade nonfiction title that immediately catches the eye. The cover is gorgeous and the book is filled with many wonderful photographs that capture the excitement and celebratory spirit of Pride events. You can see many of them in the book trailer below.

Along with amazing images, the book shares the people and events that brought Pride celebrations into existence. There are other books sharing this type of information, but there aren't many for this particular age group so it's a welcome addition.

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman is generally shelved in the picture book section, but I included it here because it shares what a Pride celebration is like and has a reading guide full of informational text at the end. The 'Note to Parents and Caregivers' includes history and culture of Pride and how to talk to children about LGBTQ issues in age appropriate ways. The book is bright and engaging and the main text is delivered in short rhymes. This book would be especially great for families preparing to attend a Pride celebration or as a follow-up after attending. Aside from that, it's a fun celebratory book that could be enjoyed any time of year.

I appreciate both of these books and can only hope we continue to see more publications like them.