What's Changed in Children's Publishing in the Last Ten Years? by Julie Phend

 

https://groggorg.blogspot.com/

What's Changed Since the GROG Blog Began?

As part of GROG Blog's Ten-Year Anniversary Celebration, we're exploring what's changed in children's and young adult publishing since the GROG began. 

I asked four long-term Groggers, Kathy Halsey, Christy Mihaly, Tina Cho, and Todd Burleson to tell us:

• What has changed for you personally as a children's author, teacher or librarian in the past ten years?
• What changes have you seen in children's publishing?

Here's what they had to say:

Kathy with her book, Be a Rainbow

Kathy Halsey:

In ten years, so much has changed in this whirlwind business. Back in 2014, I was beginning my journey as a children's writer. In 2024, my first WFH book, Be a Rainbow (Kiwi Press) launched.

When most of the charter GROG members began this journey, we were optimistic and curious about writing for children. We wanted to share our questions and the answers we discovered with other kitlit writers and illustrators; hence the birth of GROG, an acronym for "group blog."

Todd Burleson, our founder, came up with the name and banner, which hasn't changed and may feel "old school" now. (There was no CANVA then.) Our GROG goals remain the same: assisting our readers, life-long learning, celebrating others' successes, and creating a better world for all children through books.

Traditional publishing has become harder: publishing houses merged, book productions costs rose, and long waits for everything is the new normal. Still, we're optimistic and committed to writing for kids. New, smaller publishers have emerged that interact more personally with their clients. Exciting new book formats grab more readers. Best of all, more kids see themselves in books now that publishing is more open to diverse writer once left out of the business. 

Kathy Halsey is a children's author, entrepreneur, former K-12 librarian, and Past President of OELMA. 

Kathy and Christy 

Christy Mihaly:

After a dozen years and forty books. I feel less like an imposter when I tell people I'm a children's author. I've also become much more comfortable making presentations at schools, libraries, and conferences. 

I've had the same agent, Erzsi Deak, for eight years, and it's been a real joy to be on this writing journey alongside a wise professional partner. In addition to finding homes for my manuscripts, she has helped me figure out how to evolve and grow as an author.

One of the nice things about having published nonfiction books is that I've had former editors suggest new topics or ask me to write a particular book they want to see. Yes! Give me an assignment, please!

Another great thing is that I'm still meeting wonderful new people in the kidlit community--other writers, illustrators, teachers, and librarians. We're all on a journey together, and I love how supportive the kidlit and education communities are. 

Christy presents at Children's Lit Festival
in Kirksville, MO

Regarding changes I've seen in the industry:

Everything feels slower these days. Writers are having more difficulty finding agents, and agents are finding it challenging to sell manuscripts. Editors seem overworked, and books are taking a long time to move once they're acquired.

The efforts of so many people in the industry to improve diversity in kids' books has had an effect. Recently published books have featured a wide range of cultures, identities, and social issues. On the other hand, there's the backlash of book banning and censorship--we live in interesting times.

Graphic novels (and nonfiction in a GN format) have taken off in the last decade. Kids have always enjoyed these books, but I think adults are taking them more seriously now. 

The landscape of conferences seems to be changing, as some are cancelled and others revised or presented online. I'm not sure where this will go, but there may be new opportunities ahead. I look forward to finding out!

Christy Mihaly is a children's author and poet who has published more than 35 books, primarily nonfiction, on topics from hayfields to free speech to Mel Brooks.

Tina Cho

Tina Cho:

So much has changed for me personally in the past ten years! In 2014, my family was living in South Korea. In 2024, we're living in Iowa, USA. In 2014, none of my books were published. I didn't have an agent yet. In 2024, I have a wonderful agent and five published picture books with two more on the way, plus a middle grade lyrical graphic novel. I'm blessed!

Regarding changes I've seen in the publishing world:

These days, it's harder to get published. With the pandemic, publishing slowed way down. Editors started working from home. Publishers laid workers off. Some publishers have combined into one house. Agents and editors are being very selective of the stories they publish, and the wait time to hear back from both has increased dramatically. Therefore, writers need to really know the craft of writing and put their very best unique work out there. It's a competitive and tough market right now.

Ten years ago, we didn't do virtual author visits. But again thanks to the pandemic, most of now have conducted visits virtually. To do in-school visits, I think security and the necessary paperwork have increased.

I've seen editors want and acquire more diverse stories. When I first started writing, there weren't many books featuring Asian characters. Now there are many, though still a drop in the bucket compared to those featuring white characters and animals. Books that deal with social and emotional learning have skyrocketed since the pandemic. Being cooped up for a year or more hit us all heavily. Now, we read books to children and adults to get them out of depressed states. 

Tina Cho is the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction picture books. She recently moved back from South Korea to her home state of Iowa, where she teaches and raises a family.

Todd Burleson was integral to founding the GROG Blog but is no longer a regular contributor. I asked Kathy to re-introduce him to our GROG readers. 

Todd has always been a leader, team player, and a technology innovator. No wonder he was our GROG leader! This anniversary has us reminiscing about how we met. We've never met in person, but we have much in common: we both have Master's degrees and 30+ years of experience in education and a love of nonfiction. We're both school librarians, Midwesterners, and even had the same agent. Todd's still shaking things up in the school library world as a creator and visionary. Welcome back, Todd!

Todd Burleson

Todd Burleson:

Holy cow! TEN years! I vividly remember when I timidly reached out via Facebook to like-minded writers and thinkers who wanted to create a blog about all things children's literature, curious whether there was a need. A handful of intrepid individuals responded, and the Group Blog (GROG) began.

In the ensuing years, my career as an educator and librarian hit all-time highs as I was given the honor of being chosen as the 2016 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year. This afforded me tremendous opportunities and experiences, including traveling around the world talking about books and learning, and meeting amazing authors, illustrators and librarians. 

Over the past decade, I've seen the children's literature world blossom. Movements like We Need Diverse Books, the explosion of graphic novels (New Kid even won the Newberry Award in 2020), and novels in verse have turned millions of young people into passionate and empathetic readers. The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, the first picture book ever to win both Newberry and Caldecott Awards, seemed to change the rules and open new horizons for writers and illustrators.

In my current work as a 5th and 6th-grade librarian, I'm encouraged by the powerful stories being written that help EVERY child feel represented, respected, and understood. Students are hungry for meaningful stories that entertain, inspire, encourage, educate, and challenge them.

At the same time, I'm seeing books banned across the country at a time when the world is ever more divided and in need of understanding one another. Books have the power to bridge that gap and heal those divisions, if only we allow them to reach our readers. In my opinion, there has never been a better time to be part of the children's literature world, and books have never been more impactful!

Todd Burleson

Thank you to all the writers on the GROG, past and present, for continuing to work and encourage those who create for young readers. It is an honor to be part of this fantastic group of people. I look forward to watching the GROG expand and grow in the future.

Here's to ten more years!

Todd Burleson is a 32-year veteran educator who is currently a 5th and 6th-grade librarian in Winnetka, IL, and is the author of The Green Screen Makerspace Project Book (2017). He was selected as 2016 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year and is a passionate advocate for the power of reading to change lives.

There you have it, folks. Thank YOU for following the GROG Blog and being part of our kidlit community.  

Teresa Robeson, The Queen of Physics, and a Swag Giveaway! by Kathy Halsey

Teresa Robeson has long been drawn to science, writing, and creative pursuits. So kismet, her talent and hard work paid off in her debut picture book, The Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom, illustrated by Rebecca Huang. The book drops October 8, 2019, but you can pre-order here https://www.teresarobeson.com/my-books.html, Meanwhile you can find out more about Teresa and possibly win a cool "Women in STEM" bag if you leave comment on the blog. (My rescue boy Wiley Corgi will pick the winner.) 

Book Review

The Queen of Physics has already received a starred review from Booklist and praise from Teresa's We Need Diverse Books mentor, Jane Yolen. "A wonderfully written biography of an important woman scientist hardly known outside her field." Jane goes on to say, "Not just for little girls, but for children of all ages. About achievement, honesty, hard work that follows a passion. Do not miss this one."

As a layperson who doesn't know my neutron from my proton, this book lays out physics concepts in an enjoyable and even lyrical way. For example, she explains beta decay (a seminal part of Wu's life work) like this: ". . . where a neutron inside an atom broke into an opposite nucleon . . . It was like opening one present and getting three different gifts inside." With four pages of back matter, we learn more about Wu Chien Shiung's story as well as science terms used in the biography. Robeson includes tidbits of humor in these definitions, too. ("Positron - the antiparticle of an electron—sort of like the electron's opposite evil twin, except it's not evil.")

Madam Wu protesting

This 48-page picture book biography, designated for grades K-2, can easily be used as an introduction to physics to older students, too. Teachers and librarians will appreciate the historical context of Wu Chien Shiung's life over the decades from protests against warlords, then against Chiang Kai Shek, to Madam Wu's struggles in the 20th century gaining acceptance as an Asian woman in the male-dominated world of science. Readers will root for Chien Shiung, the courageous hero, who proved herself in every arena in China, the United States, and the world. 

Q & A with Teresa Robeson

Teresa Robeson

K: Queen of Physics and your 2020- release, Bicycles in Beijing, both feature diverse characters or settings. How do your own life experiences work to influence your books and what you write?

T: Being an Asian American who is an immigrant gives me an outsider’s view of this society--I feel like I can see both the forest AND the trees. But, primarily, my culture is the lens through which my experiences are filtered. It permeates pretty much everything I write. My very first published piece was a short story in Ladybug Magazine about my kindergarten graduation in Hong Kong. Since then, nearly everything I write has had a Chinese touch or influence…even the adult works (I have received very good reviews on Amazon for a short story I wrote called Unfillable Void with a Chinese woman as the central character. It was published in an anthology called “Out Of Time” by my sci-fi group, the Minnows Literary Group).

Since I mentioned the Minnows’ anthology, I want to add that every penny earned from the anthology goes to Doctors Without Borders!

K: Tell us a bit about your WNDB mentorship with Jane Yolen. What did you learn that best helped you on your writing journey?

Teresa and her amazing mentor, Jane Yolen!!!

T: The Penguin Posse, my wonderful picture book critique group, convinced me to apply to the We Need Diverse Books mentorship. I didn’t think I would get it so imagine my surprise (and joy) when Miranda Paul called and told me that Jane Yolen picked my manuscript to work with!

Jane, as you know, is the consummate professional. She taught me through example how to put BIC (butt in chair) and focus. She also taught me how to paginate pages to get a sense of the rhythm and pacing for the story, as well as how to take a piece of prose and make it more lyrical. Those are strategies that I am still using.  

K: I know you have many interests and talents – illustration, soap-making, and gardening to name a few. How do these pursuits inform your writing?

This is only part of Teresa and her husband's garden!

T: They don’t inform my writing so much as distract me from my writing…LOL! I do sometimes work gardening and my love of nature into stories. Illustrating has also inspired me; I’ve drafted several stories based on drawings I’ve done (though, sadly, none of those stories have sold yet). 

K: Your critique group, The Penguin Posse, was recently featured in a Mid-Atlantic  SCBWI publication. What tips do you have for writers on critique groups? How did you find your group?

T: I’m actually in more than one critique group. The Penguin Posse was founded when some of us in 2013’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge decided to form a group. My in-real-life SCBWI critique group, the Scribblers, was formed in 2011 and encompasses writing from PBs up to NAs. The third one is the Minnows Literary Group, also formed in 2011. That’s my critique group for science fiction and fantasy for older kids to adults. 

For anyone thinking about forming or joining a critique group, I highly recommend the book, The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide: How to Give and Receive Feedback, Self-Edit, and Make Revisions by Becky Levine. It has pretty much everything one needs to know to be a part of a successful group. 

I learned critiquing rules from taking classes through Gotham Writer’s Workshop. I want to give a shout-out to Michaela Rossner who taught the SF I and SF II classes I took, which were truly amazing.

The key to having a long-lived critique group is having committed members who are also flexible as the group grows and changes directions. It may sound heartless, but it helps to have firm rules about kicking out members who continually shirk their duties. The group cannot grow intellectually if the members don’t take it seriously.

I'd also like to give a shoutout to these debut groups who have helped me in my journey to publication: The Notable 19, Picture Book Buzz, and the 19 PB Bios (not a debut group but a group for biography PBs.)

K: You write across genres – fiction, nonfiction, from PB to YA.What skills transfer from one type of writing to another?

T: Jane Yolen’s evergreen advice of BIC (butt in chair) is a skill that everyone should learn and that can be used no matter what you write. Another skill I am still trying to master is making my words sing: writing lyrically yet with lightness. That is something that can elevate any piece of writing for any age and genre.

K: What’s up next for you? Book launch, author visits, what else?

T: Oh, my goodness, I have a lot of things going on! Yes, a book launch, some author visits, plus doing a small blog tour, and setting up a pre-order contest. (K: YOU can order now!)

Enter to win at the address above.

I have to make time for actual writing, too, since I am in the midst of revising a couple of picture book manuscripts. I’m writing a nonfiction MG proposal and a contemporary MG. On top of that, I just started my term as the Illustrator Coordinator for the Indiana chapter of SCBWI. My predecessor, Sharon Vargo, did an incredible job and I want to live up to her legacy. 

K: Hey, readers, here's a shot of the cute tote bag that Teresa and Wiley Corgi will give away to one lucky person who comments on this post. The winner can choose a bag with a white handle or a blue handle.

Comment below to win one of these two bags. 

Teresa Robeson's Biography and Newest Book Deal

Teresa Robeson, a transplanted West-Coast Canadian lives with  her professor/scientist husband, quirky kids, and even quirkier chickens on a moderate-sized hobby farm in the Midwest, U.S.

Born in Hong Kong in 1964, she was lucky enough to view the first lunar landing and be raised on a healthy dose of Star Trek. This series of fortunate events turned Teresa into a total nerd/geek-girl who loves to write and read science fiction, science, and modern fantasy. She also have a life-long love of children’s lit, having never really grown up. The Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom is her debut picture book.  

Teresa's newest picture book, Bicycles in Beijing, illustrated by June Wu, is set to release spring 2020. Connect with Teresa here on her web site, Twitter, and Facebook.

Wiley Corgi and I are ready to ready to read comments and pick a swag winner. 

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING: Celebrating Diversity and Black History Month ~ by Jackie Wellington and Kathy Halsey

There is a certain fascination with the month of February. Perhaps it's the "Leap Year" concept. Or the celebration of cupid, chocolate, and candy. And Jackie's favorite - BLACK HISTORY MONTH. As teachers and librarians, we're always on the prowl, searching for great books to share with our students. 

Unless you have been buried under snow since last summer, you probably know about the great grassroots movement, We Need Diverse Books. Today, we feature five picture books, showcasing diversity, that should be read this month.

Join us and support diversity.

I have on my book shelf one winner from this year's awards, FIREBIRD by Misty Copeland, illustrated by the amazing Christopher Myers. (Chris and his his father Walter Dean Myers, 1937-2014, wrote an op-ed in the the New York Times which jump-started the diversity conversation.) FIREBIRD won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. The illustrations blaze and jump off the pages, echoing the theme of a firebird and the energy and determination needed by young people of color to make it in the world of dance, just as Misty Copleand did. This story resonates with the theme of seeing others like us so we can dream and achieve, too. 

The young dancer states, "The space between you and me is longer than forever." She talks to her heroine, the prima ballerina, and Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theatre principal, shares with the neophyte that the space between these two is "not so far away." The  authors's note, a letter to the reader says. "I saw an image of what a ballerina should be, and she wasn't me, brown with tendrils sweeping her face. I needed to find ME."

2. A DANCE LIKE STARLIGHT: ONE BALLERINA'S DREAM
Written by: Kristy Dempsey
Illustrated by: Floyd Cooper 
Summary: In 1950 Harlem, a young girl dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina.

If you have not read this book, you should. I have been an advocate for this book since I picked up an early edition last January. It is my favorite book of 2014. The lyrical prose and the amazing illustrations take my breath away. 


 3. BEAUTIFUL MOON
Written by: Tonya Bolden
Illustrated by: Eric Velasquez
Summary: A little boy forgot to say his prayers before laying down. So he got out of bed, knelt, and prayed while a BEAUTIFUL MOON shines through the window. He prayed for the homeless, the hungry, and the soldiers fighting in the war. 

 I love the simplicity of the prayer and the selflessness of the little boy. I love the text and the beautiful illustrations. And I love that faith is the underlying theme of this book.

4. ALL DIFFERENT NOW: JUNETEENTH, THE FIRST DAY OF FREEDOM
Written by: Angela Johnson
Illustrated by: E.B. Lewis
Summary: A little girl narrates the story of the last set of slaves who learned of their freedom in Texas. June 19, is celebrated as the African-American Emancipation Day. A poetic rhythm paired with amazing illustrations. This book should be read all year long. 

5. MALCOLM LITTLE:THE BOY WHO GREW UP TO BECOME MALCOLM X
Written by: Ilyasah Shabazz
Illustrated by: A.G. Ford
Summary: The biography of Malcolm X told by his daughter. I love Malcolm X. He is my idol. He is a fighter, an activist, and an advocate. Follow his life from a tiny boy to an adult. This book does not disappoint.

There are more books to read. These are only five of the many books published last year. Let us know your thoughts.

Writer-driven Facebook Groups for YOU by Kathy Halsey

Last Tuesday I posted about Facebook groups for writers and today I list MORE fabulous groups. These groups are usually closed, but most will accept you if they know you are a writer. Message or email the administrator to join. 

Get the 411 with These Groups

1. KidLit 411 is a great place to start your week off. It really does give you the lowdown on all things writerly in kid lit! The site indicates that it's "A Facebook group of children's writers and illustrators run by the founders of the website www.Kidlit411.com. Share your information and kid lit news, find critique partners, and join a fun community." Illustrators, middle grade, contests, hot blog posts for the week, it's covered by the highly talented and friendly Sylvia Liu and Elaine Kiely Kearns. If you have time for only one group, this is it.

2. WOW nonficpic is the first group I joined and I consider it my home.  Non-ficiton reigns supreme here and the founder, Kristen McGill Fulton, is both generous with information and a great teacher, to boot. This site states that "this group is for non-fiction picture book writers and the Non-Fiction Genre includes: Biographies, Reference, How-To's and Memoirs. It also includes Faction (Facts told in a fictitious way) and Historical Fiction (Fictitious story about real people, events and places).

3. Kids of Color Children's Books, hosted by Leila Monaghan, is a rich site full of information about diverse books and book pairings. We all should read diverse books and here's a place to dive in.  From the site: "A group to support diverse children's books. Home of the #ReadSameReadDifferent campaign promoting reading across cultures including African American, Latino/a, Asian, Native American, Muslim, Euro American, urban, rural and immigrant, of books with similar themes and levels. Think of a pair that would work well together? Just let us know!"

Friday Finds Two Mentor Picture Book Biographies by Kathy Halsey

As promised from Monday's post, I found two great picture book biographies as my mentor texts for my rough draft on Mary Colter, architect of the Grand Canyon and other Southwest buildings. I've been following the wonderful Nancy I Sanders' Blogzone with her step-by-step directions to crafting a biography in one week. (Nancy also has other series for three weeks and longer. Check it out.) She recommended basing our plot on a published book to emulate pacing, conflicts, and resolution. I was lucky enough to find Jabari Asim's Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington and Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx by Jonah Winter.

Why I Chose These Two Mentor Texts

Since I am writing about a "minority," a woman who broke the glass ceiling as an architect, I wanted to see how other diverse figures broke through to their successes. Sonia Sotomayor is our first Latina Supreme Court Jutice while Booker T. Washington's journey to the Hampton Institute on foot with just fifty cents in his pocket breaks barriers of color and poverty.

Metaphors for Life

The other two themes that unified my mentor texts were the glorious way the authors and illustrators chose defining images that illuminated the lives of their subjects. Sonia was seen as a lovely flower that grew and blossomed. From the biography, "Sometimes the most beautiful moonflower blossoms in an unexpected place-on a chain link fence, near broken glass, next to an abandoned building watered by someone whose name you might not even know."  

In Fifty Cents and a Dream, Asim focused on four pages in Washington's second autobiography that talked about his journey to be educated. Illustrator Bryan Collier reiterates the journey motif by depicting Washington's shirt as a map. Illustration is married to text in this slice of life biography as Asim writes in one beautiful two page spread,"He walked most of the five hundred miles to Hampton Institute. It was a journey of many days through the mountains of Virginia to reach the sea. The wind nipped at his weary bones, and the hard ground made his feet ache. But he walked on."  

Poetry in Biography

I chose wisely for my mentor texts and really learned so much more about two amazing people, Sonia and Booker. The inspiration of creating a metaphor, an overarching image of a person, is so strong in these books, it makes for enjoyable reading. These poetic picture books do not sound like the boring biographies I was forced to read in school! Writers, readers, and teachers rejoice- there is a new way to write non-fiction and I plan to master this technique by reading these two books each time I write more of my rough draft on Mary Colter, architect of the Grand Canyon. 

DIVERSIFYING KIDLIT (Part 1): #WeNeedDiverseBooks

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

 
There is a campaign to diversify Kidlit. There has always been conversation concerning the lack of multiculturalism in the publishing industry especially in "Kidlit". But a couple months ago, the conversation was brought to the forefront when Walter Dean Myers and his son, Christopher, wrote articles in the New York Times entitled "Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?"  and "The Apartheid of Children's Literature." 

The article sparked conversations, comments, and conflicting ideas - both good and bad - about the lack of "People of Color (POC)" in books geared towards children.

 The truth is I love great books. I love books with characters that enables me to feel like I am she and she is me. I love books with awesome settings. Settings I can visualize just by closing my eyes and letting my imagination be my aircraft zooming through a place I long to visit. And I love books with problematic plots. Plots that twist and turn, flip and flop, and whirl and twirl out of control that I am flipping the pages while begging for it to end happily. 

 But I would be telling stories if I said I did not agree with the article. I think it is important that we tell stories so each child can relate. I think it is important that children see themselves in books. As Todd Burleson said to me in a conversation we had, "Books should serve as windows and mirrors. Mirrors so children can see themselves. And windows so they can look into the lives of others." This statement was so profound. I loved it. He is right. That is why #WeNeedDiverseBooks.

As writers, we should all aspire to touch every child. We want them to cry, laugh, and connect with the characters. We want them to dream about the setting as they explore the crooks and crannies with their imaginations. And we want them to walk away saying, "This is one of the best books I've read."

Now, your question is "What is #WeNeedDiverseBooks?" According to their website,

"We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. We Need Diverse Books is committed to the ideal that embracing diversity will lead to acceptance, empathy, and ultimately equality. We recognize many kinds of diversity, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, those impacted by their gender, those with disabilities, ethnic/cultural/religious minorities, etc. Our mission is to promote or amplify diversification efforts and increase visibility for diverse books and authors, with a goal of empowering a wide range of readers in the process.
In order to accomplish our mission, we reach out to individuals and groups involved in many levels of children’s publishing—including (but not limited to) publishers, authors, distributors, booksellers, librarians, educators, parents, and students."

How can you help? You can start off by joining the campaign. Tell us why #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Use the hash tag and tweet your response. Then you can choose to upload a picture of yourself with your reason and post it on Twitter. Join the Facebook group. Follow them on Tumblr. Take Kate Messner's Challenge - I did!

Where to find #WeNeedDiverseBooks:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/745853242132100/
Tumblr : http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WeNeedDiverseBooks&src=hash


What are authors and lit agents saying about this campaign?
Mike Jung ‏@Mike_Jung May 9

#WeNeedDiverseBooks because there are people who describe advocacy on behalf of readers who lack privilege as "whining" and "complaining."

 

Agent Erin Murphy Retweeted by Ammi-Joan Paquette and 1 other

Erin Murphy ‏@agentemurph May 9

#WeNeedDiverseBooks More like these! (Pulled off EMLA archive shelves and EMLA clients' backlists.) More more more! pic.twitter.com/yV69C6G4d3

 

 

      

Kate Messner ‏@KateMessner May 2

#WeNeedDiverseBooks because we have not made as much progress as we like to think... http://www.buzzfeed.com/annasoldner/university-of-alabamas-sororities-remain-mostly-segregated …

 

Kate Messner ‏@KateMessner May 2

LOVE these "18 Adorable Reasons #WeNeedDiverseBooks" http://www.buzzfeed.com/leeandlow/18-adorable-reasons-we-need-more-diverse-books-p4rm …