At Children’s Books Ireland we champion diverse and inclusive books that best reflect the world, with characters of all genders and sexualities and families of all kinds. We believe that everyone deserves to see their story within the pages of an excellent book.
The Read with Pride reading guide 2026 contains 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive stories for young readers aged 0–18 with 100 recommended ‘read also’ titles for further reading.
‘Níl seans dá laghad ann go mbraitheann Nick an bealach céanna [fúmsa] … nó an mbraitheann?’ Sin an cheist atá ag déanamh tinnis do Charlie sa chéad leabhar Heartstopper. Ach tá deireadh le héiginnteacht agus le crá croí faoin tríú leabhar, más aon chomhartha an sliocht seo as dialann Nick: ‘is buachaillí muid go hoifigiúil agus is breá liom é sin a rá’.
If you want to know anything about wolves, Jasmine is the girl to ask – what she doesn’t know about wolves is not worth knowing. Like wolves, Jasmine loves her family and friends but life isn’t always easy and this book explores a topsy-turvy time when young Jasmine finds herself counting on her favourite wolf book just to get through the day.
When seventeen-year-old Sam, who has cerebral palsy, is once again excluded from a class trip because the school bus is not wheelchair accessible, he decides to start a fundraiser to raise money for an inclusive bus. While the bus may be the catalyst for this story, what unfolds goes far beyond any fundraiser.
When Kofi gets a scholarship to a prestigious school, his dream of being an athlete seems within reach. However, the changing dynamic of old friendships, pressure from his mum to excel academically, the expectations of his community, being the only Black working-class student in his year, and a jealous new classmate are just some of the challenges facing him
Kian loves to play football with his best mate Azeem. However, when the chance arises to join the local team with his buddy, Kian is very reluctant. What’s even stranger is that he’s the best footballer on the estate.
There’s nothing quite like the discovery of someone who loves you wholly and completely for who you are and every version of yourself you’ve ever been. That’s who Penny and Tate are for each other, they just haven’t quite figured it out yet. Growing up with moms who were best friends, Penny and Tate have been together through thick and thin while stuck in the never-ending tension of undiscovered feelings. When their moms combine their households, the girls are finally forced to face their feelings.
Erin, her parents, and her younger sister Lena go on a camping holiday in Wales. They’re going to visit their grandfather and see where their mother and deceased aunt grew up. When Erin meets Bess she is both fascinated and repelled by Bess’s abrasive manners but ends up going into the nearby forest with her. There, Erin discovers her love of birds and nature when a bird she names Fable befriends her.
Navigating loss can be tough. Sixteen-year-old Noori’s grief is made even tougher as family tensions rise, leaving her feeling completely alone. Seventeen-year-old Aamir is running away from his past, and his grief. Over a week, the two become intertwined. Bonding over their shared love of Rumi’s poetry, their feelings of isolation and the unexpected invisible thread that links them together.
Saffron is a first-year university student navigating friendship shifts, family tensions, and a fraught relationship with her body. Amara Sage delivers a sharp and emotionally resonant exploration of the complex pressures shaping young women’s identities in the digital age.
