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Children’s Books

We've compiled a selection of children's books that promote inclusion, gender equality, and respectful relationships.

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Bodies
& Consent
Challenging Gender Stereotypes
Big
Feelings
Respectful
Relationships
First Nations
Multicultural Communities
All
Abilities
LGBTIQ+ Inclusion
Bodies & Consent
My Body is My Home
A joyful celebration of bodies of all shapes and kinds, with a gently inclusive message about being at home in your own skin.
Every Body: A First Conversation About Bodies
A for kids that reassures them that all kinds of bodies can be healthy, and that bodies should be celebrated and taken care of.
Yes! No!: A First Conversation About Consent
A gentle, empowering book that normalises asking for permission and respecting bodily autonomy.
Don't Hug Doug (He Doesn't Like It)
How can you tell if someone likes hugs or not? There’s only one way to find out: Ask! Because everybody gets to decide for themselves whether they want a hug or not.
My Safety Network
Introducing a Safety Network (3 to 5 trusted adults a child can go to if they feel unsafe).
All Bodies Are Wonderful
Through science, help prepare children for the big feelings that come with developing bodies.
ABC Let's Celebrate You and Me
Full of positive attributes kids can celebrate, including their bodies, skin, eyes, and hair, on the outside, as well as inner qualities, such as their interests, kindness, and personalities.
Boss of Your Own Body
A fresh and funny picture book from the two women behind kid's band Teeny Tiny Steevies.
Love Your Body
Love Your Body encourages young girls to admire and celebrate their bodies for all the amazing things they can do, and help girls see that they are so much more than their bodies.
Consent
A simple introduction to consent and a child’s right to their own personal space.
Challenging Gender Stereotypes
Some Girls
Written by Australian comedian Nelly Thomas and illustrated by Sarah Dunk, Some Girls is a beautiful and funny book that inspires all girls to be free of stereotypes and encourages other kids – and adults – to allow them to be.
Boys Will Be...
Boys will be ... CALM. Boys will be ... FUNNY. Boys will be ... KIND. Inclusive, uplifting and celebratory, Boys Will Be empowers boys to challenge the age-old assumption that boys will just be boys.
We Are All Strong
No matter who you are, how big, how small, how short, how tall, this book celebrates the power and resilience in all of us, and the many different ways of showing that ... we are all STRONG.
Be Your Own Man
This book encourages young boys to broaden their ideas about what it means to be a boy, supporting them to feel free and proud to be who they truly are.
Girls Are Pretty
Inclusive, uplifting and celebratory, Girls are Pretty challenges the value that is placed on beauty, and empowers girls to be whoever they want to be
Pink Is For Boys
This timely and beautiful illustrated book rethinks and reframes the stereotypical blue/pink gender binary and empowers kids and their grown-ups to express themselves in every color of the rainbow.
The Questioneers Collection
A 3-book boxed set that includes bestselling picture books: Iggy Peck, Architect; Rosie Revere, Engineer; + Ada Twist, Scientist.
This Girl Can!
Showing girls all the very many things they can be when they grow up, this book is a playful, inclusive romp through the world of jobs and vocations.
All The Ways To Be Smart
A joyful ode to all the unique and wonderful qualities that make children who they are.
Some Boys
Written by Australian comedian Nelly Thomas, Some Boys encourages all boys to be free of stereotypes and other kids – and adults – to allow them to be.
The Paperbag Princess
Written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, this children's book was first published in 1980. The story reverses the princess and dragon stereotype.
Wolves Will Not Be Wolves
The wild woods are waiting, and Little Red wants to have an adventure, but weighed down by the King's Decree to "Be Good" and warnings from other fairy tale characters that the Big Bad Wolf is about, Little Red's journey suddenly seems fraught...
Mary Wears What She Wants
Inspired by the true story of Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing 19th-century doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants, comes a charming picture book from the award-winning creator of My Dad Used to Be So Cool and Tough Guys Have Feelings Too.
Dolls and Trucks Are For Everyone
Dolls and trucks are for boys and girls and everyone, as are fabric and wood, flutes and drums, hockey and figure skating, and many more. This is a fun, playful, and important board book for parents and toddlers to read together.
Yes You Can!
YES YOU CAN shows kids that all toys, colours & hobbies are for ALL children and explains gender stereotypes in a child-friendly way.
Who Am I? I Am Me!
Allowing your child to do the things they love and simply be themselves is one of the greatest gifts you can provide. In this engaging and beautifully illustrated story, we learn Frankie loves dress-ups, playing soccer, visiting Grandpa, cooking pancakes, and so much more.
Big Feelings
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
In My Heart explores a full range of emotions, describing how they feel physically, inside. With language that is lyrical but also direct, toddlers will be empowered by this new vocabulary and able to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions.
The Very First You
Encouraging young readers to embrace their uniqueness and see the joy that their individuality brings to the world.
What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say
Teaching young children how to negotiate new experiences and big emotions with empathy and words from the heart.
Feelings: Inside my heart and in my head...
Explore a world of emotions with this stunning peep-through picture book. Richard Jones' enchanting illustrations and the lyrical text make each and every feeling come to life to help children understand the emotions they experience.
Lila Greer: Teacher of the Year
This moving picture book about an anxious girl’s arrival at a new school celebrates kindness, learning to face your fears, and the profound difference one brilliant teacher can make in a child’s life.
The Boy With Big, Big Feelings
This bestselling picture book tells the story of one little boy with some big, big emotions -- and how he learns to see them for the gifts they are.
You Matter
In this bright and beautiful picture book, many different perspectives around the world are deftly and empathetically explored – from a pair of bird-watchers to the pigeons they’re feeding, from the hugest dinosaur to the tiniest fly.
The Worlds Inside My Head
A celebration of all children whose energy and passion for life brings wonder and amazement to everyone around them.
Tough Guys Have Feelings Too
Did you know that wrestlers have feelings? Knights do too. Even superheroes feel sad sometimes. In fact everyone has feelings – even dads who love their children!
Respectful Relationships
An ABC of Equality
A is for Ability, B is for Belief, C is for Class. An ABC of Equality introduces complicated concepts surrounding social justice to the youngest of children.
How to Say Hello
Inclusive, vibrant and uplifting, How to Say Hello supports children in establishing boundaries as they navigate relationships.
Family All That You Dream it to Be
Empowering and fun picture book from the cool musician mums. You love who you love, and you build a great team because family's all that you dream it to be.
Our Family Pledge
This is the perfect book for any family that wants to teach their children compassion for themselves, others and the planet. Featuring messages of kindness woven into memorable verses.
We Are All Equal
A diverse group of animals comes together to celebrate one very important idea: no matter our differences, we are all equal.
Our Family Pledge
This is the perfect book for any family that wants to teach their children compassion for themselves, others and the planet. Featuring messages of kindness woven into memorable verses.
We Are All People
We are all people, some big and some small, sharing a world big enough for us all. A joyful celebration of difference and all the important things that unite humanity
Different
Mia sees the world differently. Sometimes it's the food. Sometimes it's the smells, or even the sounds. Sometimes it all gets a bit scary. But no matter how different Mia is, or how different you are, we all have qualities and interests that are the same - everyone is equal!
Pearl Barley & Charlie Parsley
Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley are the best of friends. But they are different in almost every way . . . A delightfully uplifting tale about self-belief, courage - and above all - the power of friendship.
Stanley Paste
Stanley Paste is small. Really small. And he hates it. But when a new girl arrives at school, Stanley learns that perhaps being small is not so bad after all.
The Boys
This story follows four boys whose lifelong friendship gives them the freedom to grow, feel, and express themselves in different ways. A tender and affirming exploration of boys’ emotional capacity, it offers a hopeful counter to narrow gender stereotypes.
A Little Bit of Respect
A subtle yet powerful message about the importance of self-respect and respecting others.
How To Be A Lion
A charming and empowering picture book about being true to yourself, showing courage, and standing by your friends.
First Nations
Welcome to Country
A generous Welcome to Country from a most respected Elder, Aunty Joy Murphy, illustrated by Indigenous artist Lisa Kennedy.
My People
Following on from the success of Eddie's first book MY KIND, join Eddie and his ‘kindness crew’ of lil’ homies as they immerse themselves in Aboriginal culture. Rap and rhyme the text out aloud to help your own lil’ homies read with confidence.
Our Home, Our Heartbeat
A celebratory and rallying call to emerging Indigenous generations forging their own paths.
Mooie's Stories
Dja Dja Wurrung Ancestors’ stories as told to me by my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother and my great-great-grandmother before her.
My Kind
MY KIND, Eddie Betts' first book for children, is all about spreading kindness and helping kids understand acceptance and equality.
Family
Family is a thoughtful contemplation for all to learn the different ways that family makes us whole. This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book shows everyone that ‘family’ can be about heart and home; an endless sky; stories and songs.
Respect
This eloquent and delicate story shows young and old alike, what Respect looks like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Multicultural Communities
We Are Family
This engaging picture book celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of families—and no matter how different they may seem, the love that is shared is all the same
My Two Blankets
This is a story about new ways of speaking, new ways of living, new ways of being.
I'm An Australian Too
A celebration of multiculturalism and an exploration of the cultural diversity that is modern Australia.
All Abilities
Just Ask
Be Different, Be Brave, Be You. A kind and caring book about the differences that make each of us unique.
Talking is Not My Thing
This little sister might not use words, but she’s got plenty to say! Narrated through thought bubbles, this energetic book invites readers into the day of a nonverbal girl with autism.
Come Over to My House
A delightful and celebratory Australian picture book that explores the home lives of children and parents who are Deaf or disabled.
Some Brains
A book celebrating neurodiversity. Some Brains encourages us all look for our strengths and to understand that brains are like fingerprints – uniquely, wonderfully ours.
Two Mates
A true story of the special mateship between two young boys who have grown up together in the coastal town of Broome in Australia's north-west. Jack is Indigenous and Raf is a non-Indigenous boy who has spina bifida.
LGBITQ+ Inclusion
My Shadow is Purple
A heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary, by the bestselling author of My Shadow Is Pink.
Love Makes a Family
This fun, inclusive board book celebrates the one thing that makes every family a family . . . and that’s LOVE. Love is baking a special cake. Love is lending a helping hand. Love is reading one more book.
My Shadow is Pink
My Shadow Is Pink is a beautifully written rhyming story that touches on the subjects of gender identity, self acceptance, equality and diversity.
What Makes a Baby
Geared to readers from preschool to age eight, What Makes a Baby is a book for every kind of family and every kind of kid
Gender Identity For Kids
A Book About Finding Yourself, Understanding Others, and Respecting Everybody! Help kids make sense of who they are and how they feel with this illustrated guide to understanding and answering questions about gender.
What Are Your Words?
Follow Ari through their neighborhood as they try to find their words in this sweet, accessible introduction to gender-inclusive pronouns that is perfect for readers of all ages.
My Magic Family
A celebratory, reassuring rhyming story about a little girl with two mummies who shares the magic of her family and discovers how magic all her friends' families are too.
Sparkle Boy
Young Casey loves sparkly things, just like his older sister, who does not approve until an encounter with teasing bullies helps her learn to accept and respect Casey for who he is.

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