This article examines reader development as a key factor in understanding the pathways through which readers connect to gender expansive books, and relates those concepts to the corpus of books available for elementary level readers. The article provides evidence for the importance of attending to both book quantity and quality, as well as thoughtfully scaffolding the use of gender inclusive texts in rich classroom contexts, bringing new lenses of connections and disconnections, queering, and other ways of reading against the grain to reconsider mainstream titles. A qualitative study of gender expansive elementary school students engaging in a book group discussion using literature with gender expansive characters is presented. The study was aimed at understanding how children interact with books inclusive of gender diversity and how the visibility of gender creative and transgender characters is essential for reader empowerment, self-development, and acceptance of others.