Suzanne Lang

About Suzanne Lang

Suzanne Lang is an American children's book author and television producer based in the United States. She frequently collaborates with her husband, animator and illustrator Max Lang, and together they have created some of the most popular picture books of the last decade. Suzanne brings the words; Max brings the art—a partnership that has produced a warm, visually distinctive body of work.

Her 2018 picture book Grumpy Monkey, illustrated by Max Lang, tells the story of Jim, a chimpanzee who insists he's not in a bad mood—even as everything around him suggests otherwise. The book debuted at #8 on the New York Times bestseller list for children's picture books and climbed to #1, spending 25 weeks on the list. A sequel, Grumpy Monkey Party Time, followed in 2019.

Families, Families, Families!

Published in 2015, Families, Families, Families! is a bright, inclusive picture book that depicts children with all kinds of family structures—single parents, same-sex parents, grandparents, blended families, and more—united under the simple message that what makes a family is love. The book was welcomed by educators and librarians as a gentle, affirming resource for classrooms with students from diverse home situations.

Lang also wrote Hooray for Kids! (2016) and All Kinds of Families (2019), further expanding her focus on inclusion and celebrating children's lives in all their variety.

Bans and Challenges

Families, Families, Families! has been challenged and removed from school libraries in multiple states. Objections have centered on its positive portrayal of same-sex parent families—a depiction that some parents and school boards have argued is inappropriate for young children. Advocates for the book counter that children from LGBTQ+ households deserve to see their families reflected on library shelves, and that acceptance and diversity are exactly the values a public school library should model.