Hello! Iâm a picture book author and former educator and bookseller. I also spent over a decade as a professor of Childrenâs Literature. More importantly, Iâve spent hundreds of hours of enjoying picture books with kiddos on my lap or circled up for storytime. (Is there a greater joy?) I was also a queer kid at a time when acknowledging LGBTQIAP2+ kids exist was unthinkable. But that is changing! Especially every time we buy, check out, and share diverse picture books with kids. Or treasure them for ourselves. I do!
Iâll never forget reading this tale of a blue crayon in a red wrapper, struggling to draw red. I stood in the childrenâs book shop, a grown lesbian, feeling the hair on my arms rise, my eyes fill. This story is full of humor as fellow crayons and art supplies offer advice: âhe wasnât warm enoughâ âHeâs got to press harder.â But his struggle also breaks our hearts: âI think heâs lazy,â one crayon says. âThe masking tape thought he was broken inside.â The dread of feeling that you canât be what everyone wants is visceral. Clearly a perfect allegory for gender identity, this story also rang through me. Then, Red tries to draw an ocean. And âIt was easy!â Soon he was âreally reaching for the sky.â
1
author picked
Red
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as "red" suffers an identity crisis in this picture book by the New York Times-bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo and It's an Orange Aardvark! Funny, insightful, and colorful, Red: A Crayon's Story, by Michael Hall, is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way. Red will appeal to fans of Lois Ehlert, Eric Carle, and The Day the Crayons Quit, and makes a great gift for readers of any age! Red has a bright red label, but he is, inâŚ
I am no expert on kindnessâthough more than twenty years at Sesame Workshop, working on a TV show that focuses on kindness, may give me a slight edge. And I am not unfailingly kind, though I try my hardest. But I am passionate about nurturing this quality in children. At the risk of sounding naive, I feel that itâs our last best hope of solving some of the worldâs biggest problems.
Adapted by the author from her bestselling Wonder, this bookis more of a wish for kindness than an actual portrayal of kindness. Auggie looks different from anyone else, but inside he wants the same things: to have friends, to go on adventures, to be loved for himself. Besides, isnât everyone different in one way or another? Itâs a lovely book to read with young children, leading them to the realization that acceptance is not only the best choice, but also the choice that opens up an enormous world of possibilities. As the author concludes, Look with kindness and you will always find wonder.
I know I can't change the way I look. But maybe, just maybe, people can change the way they see...
For younger readers, the unforgettable story of August Pullman and Wonder reimagined in this gorgeous picture book.
With spare, powerful text and richly-imagined illustrations, We're All Wonders shows readers what it's like to live in Auggie's world - a world in which he feels like any other kid, but he's not always seen that way.
We're All Wonders taps into every child's longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are. It's the perfect way for familiesâŚ
In grade school, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was immediately swept up in the craze for space and dreamt of being an astronaut. Until I was told by my teacher that girls werenât allowed to be astronauts. I added that to a growing list of things I was told girls couldnât do. Flash-forward to 2017, when a prominent man insisted that females should âdress like a womanâ at work. Women from all walks of lifeâathletes, astronauts, emergency workers, and scientists posted photos of themselves in gear appropriate for their jobs, not the dress-and-heels implied. I was inspired by those photos and my childhood feelings of injustice.
This book captured my heart from the first time I read it. As a toddler, the main character is praised for being âa big girl,â but as she continues to grow, she discovers that being a âbig girlâ soon becomes a negative thing that prevents her from doing what she wishes.
The illustrations are amazing, and fold-out pages can barely contain the growing main character and the empathy youâll have for her.
A book you will hug when youâre done reading it, then immediately read it again.
3
authors picked
Big
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
Once there was a girl with a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams. She grew and grew and grew. And it was good... until it wasn't.
When the girl grows big, the world begins to make her feel small. She feels out of place and invisible, and soon she isn't herself at all. But with the girl's size comes huge inner strength - and this helps her look past the hurtful words to see how perfect she really is.
With beautiful illustrations and a gatefold flap, this quietly reassuring story explores the experience of being bigâŚ
