Out on the Shelves: Rainbow Families

Out on the Shelves is an online reading resource that connects rainbow young people with the stories that represent them. During the month of June they encourage libraries across Aotearoa to take part in their annual Campaign Month, and one of the things we're doing here is highlighting some rainbow titles in our collection!

The books we've put together here feature families of all shapes and sizes: families with two mums, families with two dads, parents who help their children through transitioning, and children who spend time with their two grandads.

Within this list you'll find books that highlight the relationships between different family members, and many relatable family situations. There are books that discuss different kinds of families, stories that show the awkwardness in welcoming someone you love back home after they've been away, stories that show a day at the beach or a family wedding or the arrival of a new baby or the special time spent with grandparents, and even one that shows the frustration felt when your parents just won't stop talking to the neighbour when you're on the way to the park.

We're running several exciting events across our libraries for Out on the Shelves, so check out our previous blog post to learn more about them, and there's still time to sign up for our Read the Rainbow challenge - why not read one of these books as part of the challenge?

• Uncle Bobby's wedding / Brannen, Sarah S.
• Daddy & Dada / Brockington, Ryan
• Tōku whānau rerehua = My beautiful family / Cooper, Rauhina
• Families : a lift-the-flap book about families / Forshaw, Louise
• My parents won't stop talking / Hunsinger, Emma
• Things in the sea are touching me / Keegan, Linda Jane | te reo Māori edition
• Mama and mummy and me in the middle / LaCour, Nina
• When Aidan became a brother / Lukoff, Kyle
• My rainbow / Neal, Trinity
• My daddies / Peter, Gareth
• And Tango makes three / Richardson, Justin
• A plan for Pops / Smith, Heather | French language edition