#KidlitForUkraine benefit raised nearly $15,000 for children

At 7 pm EST on 3/22/22, from multiple continents, for an hour and ten minutes, 28 award-winning and otherwise notable authors of books for young people each told a short story of hope as part of a virtual benefit to raise money for young people of Ukraine. 

#KidlitForUkraine: Stories of Hope took place less than a month after Russia invaded Ukraine—an event over 20 days in the making!

The cost of admission to this unprecedented fundraiser was whatever amount a person wished to donate. Every dollar helps!

Number of tickets sold: 356.

Total raised as of showtime: $14,524. 

This will be distributed by Save the Children. 

You can still donate. (As of 4/24/22, this post-show effort raised $1,270 more.)

Thank you yet again to the brave participants (special bow/hug to the Ukrainian authors), the generous donors, the countless social media supporters, and KidLit TV for making it possible. Another special bow/hug to Julie Gribble and Rocco Staino for saying yes to my proposal—and the unforgiving time crunch that went with it.

The cast (in order of appearance):

1. Adrianna Bamber | Адріянна Бамбер
2. Neal Shusterman
3. Carmen Agra Deedy
4. Kathi Appelt
5. Dan Gutman
6. Dan Stewart, Head of News, Save the Children UK
7. Donna Barba Higuera
8. Rita Williams-Garcia
9. Jarrett Lerner
10. Victoria Amelina | Вікторія Амеліна (6/27/23 killed in Ukraine)
11. Jason Chin
12. Katherine Marsh
13. Peter Reynolds
14. Samantha Berger
15. Padma Venkatraman
16. Nick Bruel
17. K.A. Holt
18. Richard Michelson
19. Charles R. Smith Jr.
20. Tara Lazar
21. Minh Lê
22. Roxie Munro
23. Duncan Tonatiuh
24. Nikki Grimes
25. Jack Gantos
26. Jane Breskin Zalben
27. Kate Messner
28. Marc Tyler Nobleman
29. Olha Kupriyan | Ольга Купріян

Bold names were not announced in advance (i.e. surprise guests).

Special thanks:

• Steven Colucci
• Oksana Ziobro at Old Lion Publishing House in Ukraine
• Sarah McLoughlin at Save the Children
• Courtney Nields at Save the Children
• Mike Curato (who designed the lovely logo)
• Dr. Oleh Kotsyuba at the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
• Lidia Wolanskyj (translator)
• Allyson Hickey at booked 
• Uliana Hlynchak at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation
• Lisa DiSarro
• Samantha Berger
• Aurielle Kuehl

Coverage:

• School Library Journal
• Publishers Weekly
• Horn Book

мир для України.

#KidlitForUkraine: Stories of Hope—virtual author benefit

The day Russia invaded Ukraine (2/24/22), I was moved to try to throw together a virtual benefit for children of Ukraine. My simple vision: an evening of diverse, beloved authors sharing short stories of hope, open to anyone who makes a donation to Save the Children’s efforts for Ukraine. 

Entertainment + empathy.

While I have organized other small events (like the author variety show for the students of Sandy Hook Elementary held two months after the tragic shooting), I had no experience arranging online events, so I reached out to Rocco Staino, who connected me with Julie Gribble and KidLit TV. I was instantly in good hands.

 

On 3/2/22, the three of us met over Zoom. To their credit, they were willing to take on this effort despite the many moving parts and tight deadline. At first we discussed aiming to air in mid-April, but that felt too far off, so even though it would mean a more breakneck pace, we agreed that a sooner date was a) better and b) doable. Nervously, I floated the insanely imminent date of 3/22/22—and they did not hang up on me.

We decided to make the donations open-ended—any amount will help, and any amount will earn admission to the live stream program. People will also be able to donate during and after the event via a link we will provide during the program and afterward on social media. 

On 3/4/22, I hit the ground bolting, reaching out to Save the Children to set up the fundraiser and to a diverse group of authors to build the cast, which ended up including both the Newbery and Caldecott 2022 recipients. We also needed to fast-track a logo (courtesy of Mike Curato), a platform for registration (Eventbrite), marketing, and a ton of technical details from designing on screen graphics to translating videos in Ukrainian for English subtitles.

Luckily we have received heartening volunteer support, press coverage from School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, and enthusiasm on social media. On the day we announced (3/15/22), we raised close to $2,000. 

Hosted by Rocco, the event features an all-star lineup of 21 award-winning storytellers, including three Ukrainian authors…plus surprises. 

Starring:

Victoria Amelina | Вікторія Амеліна

Kathi Appelt

Adrianna Bamber | Адріянна Бамбер

Samantha Berger

Nick Bruel

Jason Chin

Carmen Agra Deedy

Nikki Grimes

Donna Barba Higuera

K.A. Holt

Olha Kupriyan | Ольга Купріян

Tara Lazar

Minh Lê

Jarrett Lerner

Kate Messner

Roxie Munro

Neal Shusterman

Charles R. Smith Jr.

Duncan Tonatiuh

Padma Venkatraman

Rita Williams-Garcia

The stories the authors will share are not necessarily taken from their books. I encouraged them to tell personal stories or stories they have encountered in their travels. The stories did not have to be explicitly about Ukraine but rather for Ukraine, though of course the Ukrainian authors do tie in that connection in a highly emotional way, as do some of the American authors.

Ukrainian Embassy, 3/15/22

Julie Gribble at KidLit TV has been a dream partner: collaborative, responsive, efficient, and connected, not to mention downright nice. She has endured a barrage of emails from me that would flatten even the stronger among us.

If this goes well, I hope to do more events like it—for Afghans, for Syrians, for whoever we can.

If you are reading this before 3/22/22, please spread the word…and please attend!

Click here to register.

To that end, here is a tweet you can copy and paste:

#KidlitForUkraine: 3/22/22 7 pm EST

Virtual benefit for children of Ukraine: all-star lineup of American + Ukrainian children's authors sharing stories of hope. To watch, pls donate: https://www.kidlit.tv/KidLitForUkraine; 100% of proceeds go directly to @SavetheChildren. Hosted @KidLitTV_NYC.

Ukrainian flag over embassy, as seen from canal trail 

behind building

Michigan, take three

In October 2019, I keynoted the MAME conference in Michigan and after, I booked a potpourri of school visits in the state for March 2020 and beyond.

You might remember what else happened in March 2020.

So one group of schools, in St. Joseph, MI (on the shore of Lake Michigan) rescheduled me for 2021…and then when 2021 revealed itself, the schools rescheduled me again for 2022. 

This trip finally took place the week of 3/7/22…and was more than worth the wait. Students and staff were sweet as cherries. (The sweet kind.)

In an effort to be more environmentally responsible, I now tote a reusable water bottle to visits rather than accept one-time-use plastic bottles. Tip: do not fill your bottle in your layover airport, put it back in your backpack, and stash it sideways in the overhead bin. 

Also not fun: when the car rental company doesn’t know the number of the space where your car is parked and asks you to find it by wandering the lot while pushing the unlock button on the remote till a car’s lights blink/horn honks. Detracting more from the fun: when it’s dark and snowing, and the car is on the far side of the lot, and the car doesn’t blink/honk because (at first unbeknownst to you) one of the rear doors is not quite closed.

But it was all uphill from there. After two invigorating days on the western side of the state, I drove three hours east to visit a middle school in a Detroit suburb. 

A few notable moments there:

Two questions I’d never been asked after a presentation: 

• May I have $20? 
• Where do babies come from? 

(You can guess my answers.) 

Though teachers were mortified, I didn’t mind. Both questions, of course, got a laugh from other kids—and there’s value in that. And both kids came up to me to apologize (likely due to an adult’s prodding). One of the two then asked not one but several thoughtful questions.

My favorite moment was during the 7th grade assembly. As I usually do, I said that Bill Finger’s son Fred was gay. Sometimes that fact triggers a reaction that is intolerant by way of ignorance. 

The school produced Bill Finger pins for all 6th graders. Most wore the pin on their shirt...but not Finn.

This school was the first time a group of kids cheered and applauded it. I read the looks on their faces—it was genuine, not mocking. They were jubilant. I was overjoyed. Hope springs eternal again.

Special thank you to Jamie Culver (west; in following photo, on right) and Maureen Watson (east) for taking lead!

Every which way to zoom

I spent the week in Las Vegas, speaking at eight schools for Nevada Reading Week.

The last time I was here was in January 2020…AKA shortly before the world screeched to a halt. So it felt almost poetic that one of my first author trips since author trips have resumed was back here.

One positive of the pandemic is that it forced authors to diversify (and, to trot out an overused word of the COVID era, pivot). Before the pandemic, I’d spoken in schools (indoors). Now:

• I’ve spoken at schools outdoors. 
• I’ve spoken via Zoom to kids who were distance learning (i.e. all of us were home). 
• I’ve spoken via Zoom to kids who were in school (i.e. one screen for each class).
• I’ve spoken at schools where some kids were in the room with me while others were on Zoom from elsewhere in the building. 

And as of this week, I’ve now spoken at a school where all the kids were on Zoom from elsewhere in the building and the librarian and I were alone in the library. 

Sandra Abston Elementary

Next: I will be alone in the school and all the kids will Zoom from my house.

Thank you to all the kind librarians who hosted me. Extra special good vibes to Jen Jiron at Kenneth Divich Elementary, who coordinated all eight schools/eleven talks—a task that can be stressful at any time and is even more admirable during a pandemic!

with Nikki Bylina-Streets at Abston

with my excellent host Jen Jiron (narwhal costume for 

“Dress as a Children’s Book Character Day”)

Best of the blog 2021

This blog launched on 2/19/08.

Every February 19, I share the posts of the previous 12 months that I feel are most worth a look.

This year's contenders:

a year under COVID-19

supporting people who lost out when a children’s books festival was canceled due to anti-LGBTQ+ policy

a short film I storyboarded in college...but filmed 28 years later

asking a Tennessee school board to reverse its ban on the Holocaust graphic memoir Maus

changing a cartoon depicting an Indigenous ceremony

the first picture book on the creation of Wonder Woman

a non-Jewish German baker bakes us his first hamantaschen

visiting Beatles sites in London

formative moments from my time in the Jewish youth group BBYO

school visits 2019 vs. during COVID-19

Bill Finger’s birth hospital and first address (in Denver!)

Bill Finger co-created Batman (and lived most of his life) in New York. But Bill was created in Denver...at this address. 

(That house, at 1526 Lowell Boulevard, was built in 1980. Fingers crossed I can find a photo of what stood there in 1914...) 

It is around the corner from this synagogue-turned-church (a situation I also saw in the Cleveland neighborhood where Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman).

How did I find out the address where Bill’s family was living when he was born?

From Bill’s birth certificate (what Colorado calls a testimonial letter), which I first requested in 2013—but did not receive till 2022. (There were several requests and setbacks during that period.)

It also indicates that Bill was born in Mercy Hospital, which opened in 1901 and was seemingly demolished in 1966. Photos courtesy of Denver Public Library Special Collections:

sometime between 1901 and 1910

1917

According to Dr. Jeanne Abrams, Professor and Director, RMJHS and Beck Archives at the Center for Judaic Studies and University Libraries at the University of Denver: 

1526 Lowell was then in the heart of the West Side Eastern European Jewish community. The area was filled with small Orthodox synagogues, Jewish-run businesses including grocery stores and bakeries, etc. Around that time, [future Israeli prime minister] Golda Meir lived in the neighborhood in a typical West Side duplex for about a year and a half. She had run away from her parents so she could continue her schooling. She was staying with her married sister, who had moved to Denver because she had tuberculosis. Denver featured two Jewish TB sanatoriums that were national in nature of support and patients.

This is not the first time that chasing Bill has led me to other notables.

2/11/22 addendum: History Colorado, Denver Public Library, the University of Denver, and the Beck Archives of Rocky Mountain Jewish History at the University of Denver could find a photo of the house site circa 1914 nor any other info related to the site or Bill Finger. This is no surprise, since Bill Finger was not an infant when he co-created Batman, and in fact would not be publicly notable till years after his death.

Great school parking lot sign on first author trip to NC

I've been to close to 30 states to visit schools or present at conferences, and the latest to join the list is North Carolina. On February 2-3, 2022, I spoke to students at three NC schools (two elementaries and one university).

One of the elementaries, Marshville, has not one but two signs/displays that must be amplified.

One is bedecking a stall door in a bathroom, and it echoes a message I share at the end of my presentations.

The other is at the exit of the parking lot. No, not the one about left turns.

Thank you again to Melanie Keel at Wingate University for organizing this trip!

German news asking me about Tennessee school board ban of “Maus”

The German news outlet Die Welt (“The World”) interviewed (and overdubbed) me for this short piece about the Tennessee school board banning of Maus.

I do not remember exactly what I said, nor do I know which portion they excerpted. If your German, like mine, is rusty, the best I can do as far as a translation: I probably repeated something I already wrote here.

Changing a cartoon depicting an Indigenous ceremony

In 2005, the first of my two books called Vocabulary Cartoon of the Day came out, featuring 180 single panel cartoons for grades 4-6. To get the joke, kids must learn the bolded word in each caption.

In 2020, my publisher, Scholastic, told me that a reader in Canada had contacted them to report a cartoon that he/she/they felt was a “stereotypical representation of Indigenous people.” My editor asked me to replace it with a new cartoon for future printings.

 

* Please do not repost without a link to this post, for context. *

I have no doubt I referred to photos and images of rain dances to create this cartoon, for two reasons. One, I go to significant lengths to ensure my work is accurate, including art (even when I am not the one illustrating, as with all of my picture books). Two, then and now, I couldn’t even begin to pull from my brain what such a scene should look like. 

But in this case, I neglected to save my sources—which is both regrettable and uncharacteristic, since I keep meticulous notes on sources for my writing. 

Admitting that glaring lapse, I sought perspective from tribal chairpeople and organizational directors of multiple Indigenous nations whose customs have included rain dances. 

The feedback I got included differing opinions, some with historical frameworks—all tremendously helpful and equally appreciated. I suspect you’ll also find them illuminating. Quoted verbatim:

1)

The cartoon is not acceptable and is disrespectful. Do not incorporate it into your work.

—Osage Nation Wahzhazhe Cultural Center

2)

Perhaps the complaining person thought the immediate rain might was disrespectful. The rain dance is done as a spiritual ceremony. I suppose some Indians would say that the head dress does not depict their traditions. It is so with the Potawatomi Nations containing 10 Indian Tribes. All tribes that I know of were long pants, not short pants.  Even so, I can’t imagine anyone complaining about a picture cartoon. Also, all Tribes that I know wear long pants, not short pants. 

I don’t think it is in good taste to complain about a picture cartoon in a children’s book. I would not do so, but there are “different strokes for different folks” all around the world. 

—Citizen Potawatomi Nation

3)

Since Rain Dances are really prayer dances, some may have taken exception to a humorous portrayal of a religious ceremony. Personally, I do not find the cartoon offensive, given your intent to demonstrate or illustrate a vocabulary word for educational purposes. People need to lighten up a bit on ethnic outrage. Your cartoon was not intended to offend, and did not.

—Citizen Potawatomi Nation [different person than previous]

4)

Insulting.

—Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office

5)

I would state that “rainmaking” is an old trope that marginalizes the realities of complex Native science and religion. This perpetuates harmful stereotypes that infantilizes Native ceremony by removing all context of Native ceremonial life and imposes Western concepts of dance as entertainment.

Also, your cartoon depiction of Native dress is not accurate. “Rain Dance” ceremonies were not practiced by the Osage. From your cartoon it seems you are using an amalgam of Plains tribe stereotypes, but the majority of ceremonies of that nature were practiced by indigenous people of the southwest.

Overall, given the criminal lack of basic cultural sensitivity and knowledge of Native history, using any tribal ceremony as a vehicle for children to learn English vocabulary is offensive. The majority of children are not even taught whose land they live on. At most, they would see your work and continue to think of Native peoples as cartoons and their ceremonial life as silly.

—Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office [different person than previous]

6)

With greater public awareness of cultural appropriation, and its effects on Indigenous people, we do not endorse the depiction of Cherokee ceremony by non-tribal citizens. Furthermore, upon reviewing your piece, it does not appear to depict Cherokee people, but rather a pan-Indian notion of all “Indians” with feathers and headdress. We cannot verify if you correctly depicted any sort of North American Indigenous “Rain Dance.” 

It may have been considered palatable by the general public in the past. However, Indigenous people have been advocating heavily for accurate cultural representation, and ending harmful stereotypes for many years. Today, many long held stereotypes are being dismantled and it appears that is the case with this piece. Going forward, we encourage non-Indigenous people to fully research a culture before attempting to characterize it, and consider the notion that the people of that culture prefer to represent themselves, rather than have a person from a different culture do it for them.

—Cherokee Heritage Center

I don’t imagine I’ll be making any more cartoon books, but regardless of the project, now I do my due diligence better than I did with this cartoon. I continue to learn...

The replacement:

caption: 

Her juggling skills are inimitable. Obviously I’m just a beginner.

I’ve always (and sometimes explicitly) welcomed readers notifying me about any mistakes or insensitivities in my work. Keep it up, citizen editors!

My letter to the Tennessee school board that banned “Maus”

News broke on 1/27/22 (International Holocaust Remembrance Day) that the 10-person school board of McMinn County, Tennessee, unanimously banned the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic memoir Maus by Art Spiegelman because it contains “rough language” and nudity that the board considers inappropriate for 8th graders. 

Of course, the book also contains the Holocaust, which calls into question if the reasons the school board have stated are the only reasons. 

In any case, banning books was deplorable when the Nazis did it, and it’s deplorable today. 

I joined the international chorus of individuals and organizations condemning this decision by contacting Lee Parkison, the director of schools, at lparkison@mcminnschools.com, and each of the board members (one by one) via this form.

I didn’t set out to write an open letter, but sharing is caring:

1/27/22

Mr. Parkison and the McMinn County School Board,

“Remember that whenever you’re in a position to help someone, be glad and always do it because that’s the Universe answering someone else’s prayers through you.”

I hope you and your families are well.

I’m a Maryland author of books for young readers. I’ve had the privilege of speaking to kids of all ages/backgrounds in 30+ states (including Tennessee) and a dozen countries.

Therefore, you and I are in the same business: trying to do what’s best for future generations.

But I don’t write to you as a writer. Rather I reach out as a parent, a fellow adult, and a Jew to encourage you to reverse your decision to ban Maus.

No matter where I am, the kids are smarter and more capable than many adults give them credit for. I’m sure you see this in your community.

Maus is a difficult book, yes—which is a reason why it is important.

Hiding unpleasant truths can harm kids more than talk of unpleasantness. Helping them understand those truths equips them for life. If we share only what we consider good, kids will be blindsided when they grow up and realize they were not taught how to handle the bad.

I know you banned this book not because it addresses genocide but because it includes objectionable language and an image of nudity.

We all know that every middle schooler in your district—in every district, throughout history—has already seen nudity and heard curse words. So did we, when we were young. We carried on.

But some middle schoolers may not be aware of the devastating scope of the Holocaust, and may not pay attention if it’s covered in class, and may never hear a word of it at home…but may pick up a graphic novel about it.

If we banned every book that offended someone, we’d ban every book. Like everything in life, America is imperfect, yet despite its problems, it remains a place where freedom of expression is a right. Live and let live.

Read and let read.

Future leaders in your community need this book. Please give them access to it.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. Did you agree with that quotation at the top? It’s from a 1/16/22 Facebook post by Donna Casteel. 

(Donna Casteel is one of the school board members.)

Believe it or not, that is me trying to keep it short.

It seems (as of 2010) that no Jews live in McMinn County (h/t Gregory Paul Silber at The Beat).

All the more reason to reinstate this book.

First work flight since March 2020: howdy San Antonio

When I flew back from a school visit in Ohio on 3/13/20, little did I know it would be the last such trip for a while. Like the rest of the world, I was about to enter virtual reality.

I would not present in person again until June 2021, and that was to teach creative writing camps at schools near me—so not my traditional assembly talk (and no flight required, and masked). 

My first pandemic assembly was at my daughter’s school in Germany in August 2021. Though I did fly to get there, I’d gone for other reasons and this opportunity came up last minute; plus it was pro bono. In other words, not yet a true return to form (though a huge pleasure). I was on a stage, socially distanced from the audience, and this was during the golden (yet brief) period when vaccinated people felt safe without a mask in certain situations. 

My next in-person was in October 2021, but close to home and pro bono. It was my first outdoors school visit. It was at the point when the Delta surge was in the rear view and Omicron had yet to rear its ugly droplet, so I did not wear a mask while presenting (and did not go near the students till I put one on).

My first paid in-person school visit since COVID began was in December 2021, in Delaware (driving distance from me). Boosted, and with Omicron still not a confirmed threat in the U.S., the school allowed me to present without a mask (again, I still kept at least six feet from students). 

The first more complete taste of school visit life pre-COVID came this week, when I flew to San Antonio, TX, to present at five elementary schools (four in NISD and one in NBISD). But, of course, changes abounded. Every morning before leaving the hotel, I took a rapid test. Though one of the schools said I did not need to keep my mask on while speaking, and though many students and teachers in some of the schools did not wear masks, I kept my N95 on the whole time (except for the brief Q&A at one school, since I was far from the kids). 

Thank you Tammy, Karen, Angela, Elizabeth, and Michelle for making this possible!

I’ve done virtual talks throughout the pandemic, which involved a learning curve but a welcome one. So while that kept up my muscle memory for presenting, this Texas trip threw me back into the headspace of the logistics of traveling…things you wouldn’t think you’d forget but can become hazy with disuse. Things like arranging a rental car and smart packing for a school visit.

If nature cooperates, I will be flying to speak in North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, and Michigan before the two-year anniversary of the official start of the pandemic. 

Nature…please cooperate. I’ve missed this. 

Except the part about renting cars.

Weirdo nerd hyper obsession

From a Twitter thread mentioning Batman & Bill:

I would’ve said “weirdo geek,” but all interpretations welcome.