An Origin Story

Posted
Filed under Other Stuff

My name is Jennifer and I’m a 30-something with a doctorate in Cultural Studies and a MA in Literary Studies. I also have a toddler. I didn’t give children’s picture books much thought until I was pregnant; until then my research focused on “grown-up” culture: films, literature, even pornography. But, as a Lefty mama with a PhD I understood the role cultural texts, like picture books, play in shaping how we perceive ourselves, the world, and all the people in it (and the animals, environments, ideas, ext.). I wanted the hours a week I knew we’d spend reading to help my child understand the most important lesson I think a parent can teach – you are good if you do good.

This blog reviews some of our favorite children’s books. I hope it helps other parents find awesome books! Feel free to email recommendations, comments, and questions to raisethemrighteous@gmail.com.

For Publishers and Authors: I review diverse, LGBTQ* inclusive, and social justice themed children’s picture books, early chapter books, middle grade books, and young adult books. I prefer hard copies (especially for children’s picture books and graphic novels). But, I understand the cost can be prohibitive and accept E-books. *It is currently taking me 4 – 6 weeks to review picture books and 8 – 12 weeks to review MG and YA. Email me with requests at raisethemrighteous@gmail.com.

How to use the blog: Scroll down, discover great books, buy the books, read the books!

Joseph Kennedy’s Lucy Goes to the Country (1998)

Posted
Filed under Review, Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit

Lucy Goes to the Country (Alyson Wonderland)

Lucy Goes to the Country (1998), written by Joseph Kennedy and illustrated by John Canemaker, is an Alyson Wonderland publication told from the point-of-view of a well-loved cat with gay pet-parents. Lucy spends most of her time with her “Big Guys” at an apartment in the city. But Lucy is lucky on multiple accounts. Her Big Guys work at home so she’s never lonely, and every weekend the family goes to the country. Continue reading →

Heather Jopling with Nickname Press (2006)

Posted
Filed under Review, Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit

Monicka's Papa is TallRyan's Mom is TallThe Not-So-Only Child

Monicka’s Papa is Tall (2006) and Ryan’s Mom is Tall (2006), written by Heather Jopling and illustrated by Allyson Demoe, were both published by Nickname Press, an independent press founded by the author in 2006 to meet the needs of lesbian and gay families. While she was a surrogate for a gay family Jopling noticed that there were “very few children’s stories that dealt with non-traditional families in a down-to-earth manner.” These books, and a third, also published by Nickname Press, The Not-So-Only Child (2006), written by Jopling and illustrated by Lauren Page Russell, represent Jopling’s attempt to change that by providing lesbian and gay families with stories about same-gender parents. Continue reading →

MaryKate Jordan’s Losing Uncle Tim (1989)

Posted
Filed under Review, Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit

Losing Uncle Tim by Marykate Jordan (1989-12-02)Losing Uncle Tim, written by MaryKate Jordan and illustrated by Judith Friedman, was published by Albert Whitman & Company in 1989. It is narrated in the first person by a boy, Daniel, who is processing the illness and eventual death of his uncle due to an AIDS-related illness.

The story is breathtakingly painful. It beautifully captures the relationship between Daniel and his uncle, Tim, as well as Daniel’s deep emotions. Friedman’s illustrations, which face Jordan’s text, look like snapshots from a photo album. This technique provides a sense of intimacy and urgency as the story progresses. Continue reading →

Denise Barry’s Tooth Fairy, You Have Some Explaining to Do! (2019)

Posted
Filed under Review, Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit

Tooth Fairy, You Have Some Explaining to Do! (2019), written by Denise Barry and illustrated by Alejandro Echavez, is a recent Mascot Books publication about a child who loses a tooth and does not get the visit from the tooth fairy  they were expecting. The blond, blue-eyed child with rosy pink skin wonders if they did something wrong.

Echavez’s images are silly and sweet. He does a wonderful job breaking with gender stereotypes beyond the character themself. For instance, the protagonist’s messy bedroom has drums and soccer balls as well as pink notebooks and purple stuffed toys. Continue reading →

Craig Pomranz’s Made by Raffi (2014)

Posted
Filed under Review, Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit

Made by Raffi (2014), written by Craig Pomranz and illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain follows Raffi as he identifies and explores activities that make him happy. The story takes place in the spring, and Chamberlain’s bright illustrations of green grass, pretty flowers, and clear blue skies set the tone of possibility and growth that is thematically explored by Pomranz. Continue reading →

Angela Dalton’s If You Look Up to the Sky (2018)

Posted
Filed under Review

If You Look Up to the SkyWritten by Angela Dalton and illustrated by Margarita Sikorshai, If You Look Up to the Sky, is a beautiful story that subtly explores intergenerational love and nurturance as well as the vastness and intimacy of the universe.

The book opens with the narrator telling a story to an unknown listener: “When I was a little girl,/ I used to sit on my grandmother’s lap/ and we would look up to the sky/ and she would say…”. The accompanying warmly illustrated image depicts a young girl with brown skin in a pink dress sitting in the lap of an older brown-skinned woman whose long grey hair is braided. The older woman sits in a rocking chair and they both look up at the sky. Continue reading →