Adoption by Lesbians and Gay Men: a New Dimension in Family Diversity. David Brodzinsky & Adam Pertman, Editors, $46.95

The practice of adoption has changed dramatically over the past half century, with profound implications for children and families. Perhaps the most remarkable and controversial transformation during this time has been the growing willingness of adoption professionals to place children with sexual-minority individuals and couples. Yet, despite considerable research showing that lesbians and gay men can make good parents, they continue to experience difficulties and barriers in many parts of the country in their efforts to adopt and raise children. Indeed, while progress in this area has been significant, it has been impeded by the homophobia and heterosexist attitudes of adoption professionals and the judiciary; by numerous stereotypes and misconceptions about parenting by lesbians and gay men, and by a lack of adequate guidelines and training for establishing best practice standards in working with this rapidly growing group of adoptive parents.

ADOPTION BY LESBIANS AND GAY MEN explores the gamut of historical, legal, sociological, psychological, social casework, and personal issues related to adoption by sexual-minority individuals and couples. Leading experts in a variety of fields address — and often shatter — the controversies, myths, and misconceptions hindering efforts by these individuals to adopt and raise children. What makes this book all the more valuable is that it provides insights and specific recommendations for establishing empirically validated best practices for working with an important sector of our society, for treating all prospective and current parents fairly and equally, and, perhaps most importantly, for increasing a still largely untapped resource for providing families for children who need them.

And Baby Makes 4. Judith Benjamin & Judith Freeman, $16.95

This delightful book is about a child with 2 moms who is expecting a sibling. Written for gay and lesbian families, the book is also a wonderful addition for parents and schools interested in having books about non-traditional families on their shelves.    

And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families. Edited by Susan Goldberg & Chlöe Brushwood Rose, $19.95

A quirky, funny, and occasionally heartbreaking collection of personal essays, this book offers an intimate look at the relative risks and unexpected rewards of queer, do-it-yourself baby-making, and the ways in which families are formed in the process. The contributors — donors, biological and non-bio parents, and their children — offer provocative, nuanced insights into what it means to be or to use a known donor, and how queer families are being re-conceived to include new roles, new rules, and kinship ties that transcend biology.

At My House What Makes a Family is Love. Dee Dee Walter-Goodspeed, $26.95

What makes a family? A single mom? Two dads? This book talks about all different families because families are what you make them!

The Baby Kangaroo Treasure Hunt: a Gay Parenting Story. Carmen Martinez Jover, $18.95

Two kangaroos, Jack and Sam have a baby by egg donor and surrogacy. This illustrated tale helps young children understand the complicated methods related to their conception in a simple and loving way.

Between Mom and Jo. Julie Anne Peters, $8.99

Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky, some pet fish, and two moms who think he's the greatest kid ever. And he happens to think he has the greatest Moms ever, but everything changes when his birth mom and her partner Jo start to have marital problems. Suddenly, Nick is in the middle, and instead of having two Moms to turn to for advice, he has no one. Nick's emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with his parents will remind readers that a family's love can survive even the most difficult times.

Blood, Marriage, Wine and Glitter. S. Bear Bergman, $18.95

The celebrated essayist sheds necessary (and humorous) light on gender, sexuality, and family.

S. Bear Bergman is an acclaimed writer and lecturer who travels regularly across North America to speak on trans issues. Bear’s first two books, Butch Is a Noun and The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You, are considered essential texts on the subject of trans life. In his third essay collection, Bear enters, describes, and rearranges our ideas about family as a daughter, husband, father, and friend. In Bear's extended family "orchard," drag sisters, sperm-donor's parents, Sparkles and other relations provide more branches of love, support, and sustenance than a simple family tree. Defiantly queer yet full of tenderness and hilarity, BLOOD, MARRIAGE, WINE AND GLITTER is a beautifully thought-provoking book that redefines the notion of what family is and can be.

Christian, the Hugging Lion.  Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell, $21.99

From the moment Ace and John brought Christian the lion cub home from a London department store, they knew they had created a special family. But Christian soon grew too big to live with them so Ace and John flew Christian to Africa to live with other lions. A year later they went to visit. Would Christian remember them?

Confessions of the Other Mother: Nonbiological Lesbian Moms Tell All! Harlyn Aizley, editor, $21.00

A lively collection of true tales that illuminate and celebrate lesbian parenting from the nonbiological mother's perspective, Confessions of the Other Mother is an exciting collection of personal stories by women who are creating new parenting roles, redefining motherhood, and reshaping our view of two-parent families. This candid peek into a previously unexamined side of lesbian parenting sheds light on the many facets of motherhood, offering gay and straight readers alike a deeper understanding of what it means to love and parent in the twenty-first century.

Daddy, Papa and Me. Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson, $10.99

Rhythmic text and warm illustrations show a toddler spending the day with its daddies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, this sweet boardbook shows that there is no limit to what a loving family can do together.

Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight? Confessions of a Gay Dad. Dan Bucatinsky, $16.99

In 2005, Dan Bucatinsky and his partner, Don, found themselves in an L.A. delivery room, decked out in disposable scrubs from shower cap to booties, to welcome their adopted baby girl—launching their frantic yet memorable adventures into fatherhood. Two and a half years later, the same birth mother — a heroically generous, pack-a-day teen with a passion for Bridezilla marathons and Mountain Dew — delivered a son into the couple’s arms. Bucatinsky moves deftly from sidesplitting stories about where kids put their fingers to the realization that his athletic son might just grow up to be straight and finally to a reflection on losing his own father just as he’s becoming one. Bucatinsky’s soul-baring and honest stories tap into that all-encompassing, and very human, hunger to be a parent — and the life-changing and often ridiculous road to getting there.

Donovan's Big Day. Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Mike Dutton, $17.99 (ages 4-9)

In this celebration of family and marriage, Lesléa Newman captures the joy and excitement of a wedding day, while Mike Dutton's humorous illustrations perfectly capture the day's events through the eyes of a child.

Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is. Abigail Garner, $19.99

Drawing on a decade of community organizing, and interviews with more than fifty grown sons and daughters of LGBT parents, Abigail Garner addresses such topics as coming out to children, facing homophobia at school, co-parenting with ex-partners, the impact of AIDS, and the children's own sexuality. Both practical and deeply personal, Families Like Mine provides an invaluable insider's perspective for LGBT parents, their families, and their allies.

Families of Value: Personal Profiles of Pioneering Lesbian and Gay Parents. Robert Bernstein, $20.50

A Gay Couple’s Journey through Surrogacy: Intended Fathers. Michael Menichiello, $18.95

A deeply personal account of the trials and tribulations of the surrogacy journey, A Gay Couple’s Experience with Surrogacy is the inspiring tale of a couple fiercely wanting to become parents. This is the moving true story of a gay couple’s decision to have their child through a surrogate mother. With humor and emotion, the author traces their intense experience from the initial decision to have a child through surrogacy on through the entire pregnancy and birth. Chronicling this couple’s no-holds-barred account of the emotional toll, the legal matters, the financial concerns, and the ultimate fulfillment of parenting a child, author Michael Menichiello has written a touching memoir that reveals the kinds of challenges that face gay and lesbian couples who may be considering either adoption or surrogacy.

Gay Dads: a Celebration of Fatherhood. David Strah & Susanna Margolis, with photos by Kris Timken, $22.00

Gay Dads: a Celebration of Fatherhood includes twenty-five personal accounts from men describing their unique journeys to fatherhood and the struggles and successes they have experienced as they raise their children. For most of the men featured in this book, parenthood did not come easily, but the rewards — as you will learn — are immeasurable.

In Our Mothers’ House. Patricia Polacco, $20.00 (ages 8 and up)

Here is a story of a home full of love and the passage of time.

Keesha & Her Moms Go Swimming. Monica Bey-Clarke & Cheril Clarke, $16.95

Keesha and her two moms have a fun day swimming at the local pool with Keesha's best friend Trevor.

The Interracial Adoption Option: Creating a Family Across Race. Marlene Fine & Fern Johnson, $22.95

The perfect starting point for parents of transracially adopted children and those who are considering adopting transracially. THE INTERRACIAL ADOPTION OPTION is a personal guide to interracial adoption which draws on the lives and experiences of the authors, a white lesbian couple, who adopt two African-American children. Starting from their decision to adopt their first child interracially, it describes the situations and decisions that followed as a result of their child's racial background. The authors' combine their personal experiences with practical advice. An accessible introduction to the complex world of interracial adoption, this book is the first book you need to read if you are thinking of adopting transracially or have done so already.

Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming. Amy Hequembourg, $18.50

Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming analyzes the personal stories of 40 lesbian mothers to discover the complex ways their sense of self is constructed in the current legal, political, and social climate. These intimate narratives are examined by using Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s conceptual framework to understand subjectivities by focusing on the many flexible lines of movement that constitute subjectivities, or ’becomings.’ This unique source reveals deep insight into a lesbian’s construction of self through her stories about her own sexuality, parenting, and other experiences in becoming a mother.

The Lesbian Parenting Book: a Guide to Creating Families and Raising Children, Second Edition. D. Merilee Clunis & G. Dorsey Green, $24.50

The Lesbian Parenting Book has been updated to reflect the contemporary cultural and political landscape, as well as current trends in parenting. This practical and extensive guide covers topics from how to get pregnant to coping with today's teens.

Let’s Get This Straight: the Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents. Tina Fakhrid-Deen, $18.50

Let’s Get This Straight reaches out to young people with one or more gay, lesbian, bi, or trans parents to provide them with the tools to combat homophobia, take pride in their alternative family structures, and speak out against injustice. This short but thorough book profiles forty-five diverse youth and young adults, all of whom voice their opinions and provide advice for other youth living in LGBTQ households.

Love Song for Baby X: How I Stayed (Almost) Sane on the Rocky Road to Parenthood. Cheryl Dumesnil, $19.95

Love Song for Baby X follows Cheryl and her unlawfully wedded wife through four conceptions, three miscarriages, a temporarily legal wedding during San Francisco’s Winter of Love in 2004, a stint as poster children for the marriage equality movement, and finally the arrival of their longed-for son — after twenty-five hours of labor. Along the way Dumesnil fails often (and comically) in her attempts to cultivate inner peace. Though she struggles mightily with the opposing forces of hope and fear, in the end, she finds the middle ground between them: acceptance.

Making Grace. A Film by Catherine Gund. $27.95 DVD (86 minutes)

Ann and Leslie wanted to be mothers. They had everything... but sperm.

This captivating documentary follows their journey of creating a family — from selecting a sperm donor and deciding who will carry the baby, to prenatal classes, baby showers and the challenges and joys of motherhood.

Mom and Mum are Getting Married! Ken Setterington, illustrated by Alice Priestley, $15.95

When Rosie finds out that her two mothers are planning to get married, she has only one worry — will she get to be a flower girl? A joyful celebration of love in a changing world.

Mommy, Mama and Me. Lesléa Newman, illustrated Carol Thompson, $10.95

Delightful rhymes and affectionate illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, this charming boardbook shares the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.

Mommy Man: How I Went from Mild-Mannered Geek to Gay Superdad. Jerry Mahoney, $26.95

As a teenager growing up in the 1980s, all Jerry Mahoney wanted was a nice, normal sham marriage: 2.5 kids and a frustrated, dissatisfied wife living in denial of her husband’s sexuality. Hey, why not? It seemed much more attainable and fulfilling than the alternative — coming out of the closet and making peace with the fact that he’d never have a family at all. Twenty years later, Jerry is living with his long-term boyfriend, Drew, and they’re ready to take the plunge into parenthood. But how? Adoption? Foster parenting? Kidnapping? What they want most of all is a great story to tell their future kid about where he or she came from.

Their search leads them to gestational surrogacy, a road less traveled where they’ll be borrowing a stranger’s ladyparts for nine months. Thus begins Jerry and Drew’s hilarious and unexpected journey to daddyhood. From then on, they’re in uncharted waters. They’re forced to face down homophobic baby store clerks, a hospital that doesn’t know what to do with them, even members of their own family who think what they’re doing is a little nutty. One thing’s for sure. If this all works out, they’re going to have an incredible birth story to tell their kid.

My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family. Zach Wahls, with Bruce Littlefield, $17.00

A resounding testament to individuality and the power of family in all forms from the young man who "lit up the Internet" (Ellen DeGeneres.)

My Uncle's Wedding. Eric Ross, $12.50

There's so much to do to get ready for Uncle Mike and Steve's wedding!

Operation Marriage. Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Lea Lyon, $16.95

A heartwarming and humorous story about Alex and her younger brother Nicky, who want to convince their parents to get married.

Otis and Alice. Ariane Bertouille, illustrated by Marie-Claude Favreau, $18.95

Uncle Dan had brought Chris a very special gift: a little mouse named Alice. Otis is overjoyed — he has wanted a pet mouse forever! But will he be able to convince Mom, Mama, and Rocket the cat that their family hahs room in it for this energetic little mouse?

Queering Reproduction: Achieving Pregnancy in the Age of Technoscience. Laura Mamo, $28.95

Reflecting on the issues facing lesbians who become parents through assisted reproductive technologies, Laura Mamo explores questions about the legal rights of co-parents, concerns about the genetic risks of choosing an anonymous sperm donor, and the ways decisions to become parents affect sexual and political identities. In doing so, she investigates how lesbians navigate the medical system with its requisite range of fertility treatments, diagnostic categories, and treatment trajectories. Combining moving narratives and insightful analysis, Queering Reproduction reveals how medical technology reconfigures social formations, individual subjectivity, and notions of kinship.

She Looks Just Like You: a Memoir of (Nonbiological Lesbian) Motherhood. Amie Klempnauer Miller, $18.00

After ten years of talking about children, two years of trying to conceive, and one shot of donor sperm for her partner, Amie Miller was about to become a mother. Or something like that. Part love story, part comedy, part quest, She Looks Just Like You is a candid memoir and a much-needed cultural roadmap to what it means to become a parent, even when the usual categories do not fit.

A Tale of Two Daddies. Vanita Oelschlager, illustrated by Kristin Blackwood & Mike Blanc, $9.95

Beautifully illustrated and fun, A TALE OF TWO DADDIES is a little love story about a girl and her Daddy and Poppa.

A Tale of Two Mommies. Vanita Oelschlager, illustrated by Mike Blanc, $10.25

With gentle, rhyming text and beautiful illustrations, A TALE OF TWO MOMMIES tells the story of a young boy and his day-to-day life with his parents.

This Is My Family: a First Look at Same-Sex Parents. Pat Thomas, $8.99

This charming picture book introduces children to families that have same-sex parents. It shows that all parents love, care for and support their children.

Times Two: Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made. Kristen Henderson & Sarah Kate Ellis, $27.99

Times Two is about two women meeting, falling madly in love, and realizing that they are so crazy about each other that they want to have a family together. The fact that they both get pregnant at the exact same time is where things start to get interesting.

Sarah Kate Ellis, a high-powered magazine executive, and Kristen Henderson, a laid-back rock star, decide it's time to start their family. After determining that Sarah should get pregnant first while Kristen works on her band's new CD, they head to a fertility doctor to start the process. But after months of drug treatments, miscarriages, and heartbreak, Kristen decides to start trying, too. That's when the utterly improbable happens: Sarah and Kristen find out that they are both pregnant — and are due three days apart.

Overjoyed by the news that they are both expecting, Sarah and Kristen are also overwhelmed by all that lies ahead. The difficulties of having two pregnant women under the same roof are multiplied by the legal and social obstacles of being a gay couple. This touching, modern family adventure will entertain, enlighten, and resonate with readers of all stripes.

Transforming Law's Family: the Legal Recognition of Planned Lesbian Motherhood. Fiona Kelly, $29.95

In the past few decades, gays and lesbians, along with their families, have become more visible members of Canadian society, enjoying increasing levels of legal recognition. In TRANSFORMING LAW'S FAMILY, Fiona Kelly explores the complex issues encountered by planned lesbian families as they work to define their parental rights, roles, and family structures within the normatively heterosexual tenets of family law. 

While Canadian courts recognize lesbian parenthood, they do so only to the degree that lesbian families are equivalent to heterosexual families in form and structure. Issues that are largely unique to planned lesbian families, such as the legal status of known sperm donors or non-biological mothers, remain undefined within the existing legal framework. Drawing on numerous interviews with lesbian mothers, TRANSFORMING LAW'S FAMILY sheds light on changing definitions of family and suggests a model for law reform that allows for the legal recognition of alternative forms of parentage. 

The first empirical study in Canada to address the legal dimensions of planned lesbian families, this book makes an important contribution to family law, queer studies, and law reform literature.

The Twin Kangaroo Treasure Hunt: a Gay Parenting Story. Carmen Martinez Jover, illustrated by Rosemary Martinez, $19.50

A sweet children’s story of how two kangaroos, Jack and Sam, have their own twins by means of an egg donor and surrogacy. This cheerful book helps children understand the complicated methods related to their conception in a simple and loving way.

What Makes a Baby? A Book for Every Kind of Family and Every Kind of Kid. Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth, $16.95

This amazing, wonderful, delightful book tells the story of where babies come from. While it doesn’t include any information on sexual intercourse, donor insemination, fertility treatments, surrogacy or adoption, it does give the facts of how babies are made in the most open, accurate and inclusive manner imaginable. A book to be shared and cherished.

Who's Your Daddy? And Other Writings on Queer Parenting. Edited by Rachel Epstein, $28.95

Who's Your Daddy is a timely and dynamic collection that offers an honest exploration of the diversity that exists within queer families and a broader understanding of the complex issues that concern both queer parents and their children. These writings make a profound contribution to queer parenting discourse, looking at issues that have been previously unaddressed and introducing new and vibrant perspectives.

Who's Your Daddy not only contains a wealth of information for new parents and those thinking of becoming parents but also provides invaluable information for counsellors, health care workers, social workers and human resource professionals. Website resources and recommended readings are provided and boxed information highlights support groups and organizations.

Who's Your Mama? The Unsung Voices of Women and Mothers. Yvonne Bynoe, Editor, $21.50

While most books about motherhood center on the experiences of affluent, married white women, Who's Your Mama focuses on the voices, perspectives, and complexities that are most often left out of this dialogue. From the adoption process for a gay couple, a feminist juggling the roles of activist and mother, to a mother's celebration of her own vibrant sexuality, the book explores the intersection between motherhood and the facets of the authors' lives, which include race, class, sexuality, politics and personal tragedy. Who's Your Mama offers the perspectives of women from all cross-sections of society who are actively engaged in crafting identities and family structures  that speak practically to their personal beliefs, intimate relationships, and socio-economic realities.

The Wonder of You: a Book for Celebrating Baby’s First Year. Nancy Tillman, $21.95

This is the perfect gift to welcome the little ones in your life. The Wonder of You celebrates milestones and creates memories in this exquisite and fully inclusive baby book.