Dear parents: You see all this stupidity going around? Please read to your kids. Let them see you reading. Keep books around. Buy them books if you can. Show them how cool the library is. Tell them book banning is bad. Make reading part of their lives. It helps make good people.

“No Kings” demonstration, Ocean Beach, San Francisco

We’re thrilled to share a first look at the beautiful cover for APAPACHO LOVE, written by @cynthiaharmony.bsky.social and illustrated by @erikadraws.bsky.social! APAPACHO LOVE will be published by FSG Young Readers and released on January 13th, 2025. 📖 Learn more: bit.ly/4kkpl4s

Tucson friends: workshop for children Saturday March 15th 2.30pm Education Room 349 and book signing, see you soon! #kidlit #booksigning #tucsonfestivalofbooks

Here’s what I (truly!!!) don’t understand — why? Isn’t? There? Backlash???! Like WHY IS IT ALLOWED??? TO JUST REVERSE??? A CENTURY OF DIPLOMACY??? OFFEND OUR ALLIES??? SIDE WITH OUR ENEMIES??? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS HAPPENING????

Monthly reminder: Many people have a book in them, but it takes a special kind of freak to leave the Land of Laziness, cross the Plains of Procrastination and Insecurity Mountain, find the Blade of No One Made You Do This, and use it to cut your chest open and yank that book out.

For the record, do I think a one-day boycott is going to make much of an economic impact? No. Do I think that a sort of "Baby's First Boycott," performative though it is, might be useful to make some folks aware of the impact of their economic power, and how it might be wielded politically? Maybe.

Striking how easily you can get millions of people to vote for a boot on their own face just by lying to them about the boot going on someone else's face.

Because young people dream, hope, and dare. I was one of them when I voted in my first presidential election in Mexico, my generation didn’t listen to the “adults” and ended a 70 yo corrupt regime. Young people hold change and stories can reaffirm and strengthen that truth.

PEN America: Trump Administration’s EO, 'Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,' claims to undo indoctrination, but in fact enforces its own ideological conformity on public education and poses a serious threat to free expression in education. pen.org/press-releas...

“President Trump issued an executive order to find out what education funds he can legally rescind based on curriculum he doesn’t like. Existing law already answers that question — nothing.” - California Dept. Of Education

What can you do about book banning? How can you support essential public institutions of democracy like public libraries and public schools? Want to understand why "school choice" is an outright lie? I've got OVER FOUR YEARS of those answers and more in this pinned thread.

Friends, A Flicker of Hope is an ALA Notable book!! #kidlit Thank you @wearealsc.bsky.social @devonholzwarth.bsky.social @jmcgowanbks.bsky.social @penguinschoollib.bsky.social www.ala.org/alsc/awardsg...

Authors Against Book Bans responds to the DOE statement supporting book banning in American public schools

In case you missed this quote:

Book people!! Check this out about getting books to LA❤️

One of my favorite #picturebooks of 2024 (we read the Spanish edition) recommended! @elizakinkz.bsky.social @jesustrejo.bsky.social

Amazing news! 🥳

A FLICKER OF HOPE wins an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book award!! And it was also included in the Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2024! 🎉 🎉 www.nsta.org/outstanding-... www.chipublib.org/news/cpl-bes... #kidlit

(ugh, has exacerbated***) it's a messy time to be a creator, so as always, my plea to you is to be vocal about the art you enjoy -- like excessively vocal. support creators in whatever way you can: sign up for newsletters, repost their work, request books/comics from your local indies & libraries

To complete the causal chain: 1) Writing/illustrating children's books is noble. 2) It's noble because it can lead children to become readers. 3) Readers benefit from reading. 4) Nations benefit from readers. 5) An electorate who reads freely and for pleasure is less likely to fall prey to fascism.

"...the website formerly known as twitter - is an absolute dumpster fire. I wouldn't participate in a pitch event on X if you paid me actual American dollars. The publishers who are still there are making a mistake and should STOP being there. For real." www.tumblr.com/literaticat/...

"Make being a book banner an unelectable offense, and we still stop seeing candidates use bans as a springboard for their own political relevance." Thank you for this piece, Maggie! #BanBookBans

If you're feeling like Project 2025 is farfetched and won't reach fruition, I beg you to read this essay from Kelly Jensen about how the framework for it has been built under and around us for years. It's achievable bc facets of it have been ACHIEVED. wellsourced.substack.com/p/youve-alre...

Authors of critically acclaimed (but not best-selling) children's/YA fiction: Consider applying for PEN's Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Grant -- apps close 8/1 More info here: pen.submittable.com/submit/28910... A list of past winners here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEN%2FP... ht @sn0vember.bsky.social

If you're an author/anthology editor or contributor/translator/illustrator and ESP if you are one of those and reposted this post, PLEASE join us: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Oh so happy to see A Flicker of Hope included in this list, both audiobooks narrated by Victoria Villarreal in English and Spanish are absolute gems! And it was such a treat to get to record my own author's note! bookriot.com/compelling-n... #kidlit

Don't miss our IG live with @cynthiaharmony.bsky.social & Devon Holzwarth, Thurs., 5/2/24, 2 pm ET! A Flicker of Hope is a heartwarming story about migration and the power of family and nature, both of which know no borders: www.instagram.com/readyourworl... #ReadYourWorld #kidlit

@cynthiaharmony.bsky.social Your new Flicker of Hope looks spectacular! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ¡Felicitaciones!

Mi Ciudad Sings is a Wonderbook, so kids can listen to the audio while reading (brilliant!) Librarians and teachers can foster literacy and bilingual skills 👇 shop.playaway.com/products/mi-... And A FLICKER OF HOPE and UN ALETEO DE ESPERANZA will be sublicensed in the Spring too! 🥳

World Read Aloud Day is coming up on February 7, 2024, and hundreds of authors & illustrators have volunteered to Zoom into classrooms & libraries for virtual read-alouds on that day! Want one to visit your readers? Here's all the info: katemessner.com/zoom-with-an...

A FLICKER OF HOPE is a star!!! 🌟🙌 Check out this wonderful first STARRED review by Kirkus. www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

As this wild weekend of holiday shopping approaches, don't forget to visit your local bookseller and purchase an incredible amount of books. BE WARNED. Being mean to an indie bookseller this weekend results in an ancient curse that renders you unable to write a synopsis.

If you love a book, write a nice review. It gives the author encouragement on days they want to take up scorpion petting." - @lianabrooks.bsky.social Thanks also to those contributing to the Bluesky community's KidLit/YA Book Recommendation Feed !

😅

Y'all, discoverability is harder than ever. With Twitter all but gone and publishing being --in a mood-- your favorite authors are floundering. We don't know how to reach our fans or find new readers. Telling someone about a book you love is a really big deal. That's the #1 reason people buy books!

I stand with the workers of the Scholastic education division who have 2 just demands: 1. Fair wages for their labor 2. That Scholastic stand by its stated ideals (no siloing of diverse titles, for ex) If you do too, please sign/share this petition! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

OMG SCHOLASTIC STRIKE

Capitulating to book banners, taking a passive role in this fight, and outsourcing courage to educators and librarians is, imo, cowardly at best and actively aiding the rise of fascism at worst. A dereliction of duty as a billion dollar publisher. mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-releas...

A good thing to do is be EXTREMELY vocal about supporting and loving books by marginalized creators, because I promise you the other side is being EXTREMELY vocal about hating them and those comments hold an absurd amount of sway.

Now here's a study that I like! "Storytime ... has an astonishingly positive effect on children’s motivation to read, reading and comprehension attainment and wellbeing.” www.thebookseller.com/news/teacher...

Thanks for this fantastic thread @debbieohi.bsky.social would LOVE to connect with more librarians! My new #picturebook A FLICKER OF HOPE illustrated by the amazing Devon Holzwarth comes out soon: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704727...

Changing the way I'm using social media. Here's my take on social media for kidlit these days, why I'm mainly on Bluesky, tips for Bluesky newbies, links to community connect threads & custom feeds: debbieohi.com/2023/09/soci...

Book bans ⬆️ 33%. If you value the freedom to read, donate & join us for this event! #KidlitAgainstBookBans 10/3/23 7 pm ET Virtual benefit to fight censorship: 30 children's authors/allies tell stories of hope. Any donation gives access to watch. 100% proceeds directly to PEN America. bit.ly/458lAqM

The Bluesky #kidlit community is growing! Here's a list of authors, illustrators, educators, librarians, and publishing professionals to follow: https://shorturl.at/AKLST And here's how to add yourself to the list: https://forms.gle/78Cz3ETu4xo4qsNdA

Hi friends, made it here hoping to talk all things books! Thanks to the very kind @lacarterbooks.bsky.social for sharing an invite with me! And found this helpful beginner guide : )