Inclusion Alphabet

Written & Illustrated by: Kathryn Jenkins For ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Literacy, Inclusion, Neurodiversity, Disability, Friendship, Vocabulary, Family, Love, Global Community, Social-Emotional Learning & Development. Summary: For our second skill to take into 2020 we’ve chosen Inclusion! Our planet is a wonderful, weird, diverse place.  It becomes better when we include and advocate for everyone, especially…

We’re here to profile #lgbtcharacters who #smashstereotypes!

It’s Day 10 folks, and we’re so excited that the topic of #lgbtcharacters has come up, because as two queer educators, we are super passionate about the representation that younger LGBTQ folks can experience with the wealth of books now available! To check out our list of Top Books with LGBTQ Characters, read on! from…

I Am Jazz

Written by: Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings Illustrated by: Shelagh McNicholas For Ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Trans youth experience, gender identity, self-acceptance, self-love, courage. Summary: Jazz is just a regular girl!  She loves dancing, the color pink, and mermaids.  Jazz also has a “girl brain but a boy body”.  Jazz explains that…

Beautiful

Written by: Stacy McAnulty Illustrated by: Joanne Lew-Vriethoff For Ages: 5-6 years Language: English Topics Covered: Self-Expression, Individuality, Self-Acceptance, Inclusiveness. Summary: This book takes the stereotypes fed to women and young girls through the media and turns them on their head with illustrations. Suddenly, “smiling sweetly” means enjoying sticky orange slices with friends rather than…

A Family is a Family is a Family

Written by: Sara O’Leary Illustrated by: Qin Leng For Ages: 4-7 years Language: English Topics Covered: Family, Self-Acceptance, Foster Families, LGBT, Acceptance, Family Structure. Summary: This book covers a multitude of family types when a teacher asks their class to describe who they live with.  The narrator is nervous, because their family “is not like…

Sparkle Boy

Written by: Lesléa Newman Illustrated by: Maria Mola For Ages: 4-8 years Language: English, slight Spanish mention. Topics Covered: Self-Expression, Gender Expression, Family Acceptance, Inclusiveness. Summary: This book opens with two siblings, sister Jessie and younger brother Casey, in the living room of their home.  Jessie is dancing in a sparkly skirt, and Casey reaches…

Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest

Written by: Sarah Hampson Illustrated by: Kass Reich For Ages: 3-7 years old Language: English Topics Covered: Activism, Self-Respect, Inclusiveness, Initiative. Summary: Dr. Archibald Coo is fed up with being disrespected.  He’s a worldly pigeon, and knows how important pigeons have been throughout history.  Messenger pigeons were used in Ancient Greece and some dropped medicine…