#WeNeedDiverseBooks - Campaign May 1-May 3

Please don't ask us
(with surprised eyes)
where on Earth and how we met,
as though we are a phenomenon.
We are not the only family
that looks like this.
P.S. My 5-year-old would love it
if strangers stopped touching
his hair.

There's been a big conversation going on about diversity in publishing lately.

Regardless of what you look like, which religion you practice (or don't practice), or the country you live in or come from, this is not just an issue for 'people of color' or 'minority' authors.

This is an EVERYONE issue.

Diversity builds understanding and empathy. 

Our world could use more understanding and empathy.

What my daughter
is reading right now

I hope I've got your interest. I'm sure you know that this issue has had me interested for awhile (heck, I'm part of the group that got the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks started - and you can meet all the great people here).

There are a lot of readers, writers, teens, parents, kids, and teachers on board who really see the genuine need for books to have both "windows and mirrors."

The question is: What do we do about the lack of diversity in children's books? Or, how do we help boost the visibility of some already great books out there on the market - ones that aren't getting the promotion they deserve?





Well, first, let's make some noise.

I hope you'll participate in the #WeNeedDiverseBooks discussion. It's already begun unofficially (Trending on Twitter! Veronica Roth, Laurie Halse Anderson, and John Green have tweeted in!), but we have official events going on May 1 - May 3, 2014.

Here's the site where you can learn a whole lot more:

http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/

P.S. I promise a longer post on my thoughts on diversity and #kidlit when I get a chance to slow down and write them out.

Thank you to authors, agents, and publishers
who are putting books like these on the shelves.