Hi Reader, I celebrated my birthday with my immediate family last night, and tonight my wonderful mom will have dinner for us complete with my favorite ice cream cake. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many people who love me! Maybe because the state of the world and my country feels like a constant dumpster fire these days, I've been thinking a lot about what I DO feel good about from the past year: To go back to my mom, I'm so thankful that she's healthy. This time last year she had a...
6 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, It's been a while since I've shown up in your inbox. That's because I've been hard at work on what I think is the most important resource I've created since my book Raising Antiracist Kids came out in 2019. Past and Present Fights for Voting Rights: An Activity Pack for Kids and Teens is now available! When we talk to young people about voting rights, we too often give the impression that the struggle ended in the 1960s. That's just not true! In the last twenty years: More than...
8 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, How is your summer going? I've been doing a low-key World Mythology course with my teen to help make our first year of homeschooling high school a little less packed. (If you'd be interested in a blog post on mythology related titles, hit reply and let me know. I'll create one if there's enough interest.) I haven't had a new blog post for you in quite a while because I've also been hard at work on a new voting rights product for you. It'll be an activity pack for kids and teens...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Over the next 11 days, your family will be exposed to a lot of half-truths and myths about the history of the United States. Celebrating the Declaration of Independence's assertion that "all men are created equal" without acknowledging the same celebrated document talks about how Britain hasn't protected colonists from "the merciless Indian Savages." Upholding the uniqueness of the U.S. Constitution, with no recognition that many of its ideas were taken from the Haudenosaunee...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, This Friday is Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the actual end to slavery, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Historian Jemar Tisby recently referred to Juneteenth as "the counter-narrative to America 250" because it focuses on truth-telling rather than myth-making. My newest blog post has 9 children's books, plus videos, activities, and resources for Juneteenth. Here's what's inside: 🖤a brand new picture book that reads like a love letter...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I've never met Dr. Debbie Reese, a children's literature scholar who is a member of the Nambé Pueblo nation, but I consider her a mentor. It's been years since I first heard her talk about what happens when you do an internet image search for Native Americans, but I still think about what she shared regularly. Typically, the top images are all of Native people of the past, not the present. This isn't true when you do searches for other racial and ethnic groups. When kids do realize...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Now that I've finished my work on the 2026 Summer Reading Guide, I've had time to create and update book lists for LGBTQIAP+ Pride Month, which starts in just a few days. I've read so many wonderful books for all ages, from laugh-out-loud picture books about rainbow families to thoughtful novels about tweens figuring out who they are. Before I share the book lists, I want to give you a gentle reminder of just how important it is to supports books like these and their authors in our...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, If you've got a reluctant reader, you might wonder how you'll be able to get them to do any reading this summer without tears or grumbling. Believe me, I get it. My kiddo (though now that he's 14 I should probably stop calling him a kiddo ðŸ¤) has always been a reluctant reader. He does however, love being read aloud to. I think a lot of his hesitancy stems from his ADHD and a learning disability. I'm sharing what's worked for our family in case in can help yours: Remember that...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, If you missed my last email, my 2026 Summer Reading Guide is now available for pre-order! If you pre-order now, you'll save 15%, and the guide will land in your inbox on May 20th. Since this is the first time I've offered a summer reading guide, you may be wondering what's inside. That's why I created a blog post with 7 of my favorite reviews from the 40+ titles you'll find in the full guide. Check out the sneak peek into the Summer Reading Guide âš½ Would your soccer fan love to...
3 months ago • 1 min read