Could your child soon be reading ‘Bye Bye, Binary’ or ‘She’s My Dad’? Campaigners reveal pupils as young as three are being targeted by picture books promoting transgender issues

• Many are also included on primary school reading lists
• Transgender Trend analysed 60 LGBTQ books aimed at primary-age children

Children as young as three are being targeted by a surge of new books on transgender issues.

Publishing experts say there are now scores of titles aimed at under-11s introducing concepts such as men being mothers and children changing gender. Many are also included on primary school reading lists after being promoted by LGBTQ campaigners.

Transgender Trend, a campaign group concerned about the sharp rise in young people changing gender, analysed 60 LGBTQ books aimed at primary-age children.

Shelley Charlesworth, who led their investigation, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Trans picture books are a completely new phenomenon.

‘This can’t be over-emphasised. Telling young children that hairstyles and clothes will change their sex and that other children will then believe it to be true is a cruel deception.

NEW PHENOMENON: Four of the scores of transgender-themed books targeted at primary schools

Shelley Charlesworth, who led their investigation, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Trans picture books are a completely new phenomenon

Transgender Trend, a campaign group concerned about the sharp rise in young people changing gender, analysed 60 LGBTQ books aimed at primary-age children

‘It’s a cynical trick to use on children who are at an age when fantasy play is at its most intense.’

One book entitled Bye Bye, Binary tells the tale of a baby who refuses to say when asked if they are a boy or girl and instead responds ‘What’s it to ya?’ The baby also declares they are ‘ready to smash gender norms’ as ‘they’re only social constructs anyway’.

She’s My Dad! is aimed at children aged three to seven and tells the story of a child whose parent has transitioned from male to female. The six-year-old girl protagonist explains: ‘My dad’s name is Haley. She used to be a he but now she is a she! Last year she did this thing called transition.’

Meanwhile, a Government-funded LGBT equality programme for primary schools, run by the education consultancy Equaliteach, recommends trans-themed books including But, I’m Not A Boy and 10,000 Dresses.

Judith Nemeth, a former teacher and director of The Values Foundation, which works to protect traditional values in faith schools, warned: ‘Children learn about life through stories. Using narratives to promote politically driven, non-scientifically based notions is not only confusing, it’s irresponsible.’

Publishing experts say there are now scores of titles aimed at under-11s introducing concepts such as men being mothers and children changing gender

HarperKids, part of HarperCollins, has 37 LGBTQ children’s books listed on its website of which nine have a transgender theme. Mother-of-four Julia Williams, who has 30 years’ experience working in the publishing industry, including a spell in children’s books, said: ‘Publishers are not just getting into this out of the goodness of their hearts. They think there’s a market and they think these books will be popular.’

There are growing claims by authors that there is a climate of intolerance within the publishing industry for anyone who disagrees with transgender ideology.

Children’s book authors Rachel Rooney and Gillian Philip ceased writing for young people after they both received a backlash when they became embroiled in the trans debate. Separately, a row has recently broken out over the inclusion of young adults’ book Welcome To St Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure on this year’s Waterstones Children’s Prize Shortlist.

HarperCollins, in a blog post on ‘The Benefits of LGBTQ+ Books for Kids’, said: ‘LGBTQ+ books benefit all students by providing them with meaningful messages of acceptance and encouragement.’

Equaliteach did not respond to requests for comment.

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