Two Grooms On a Cake – Pride Month PPBF

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Joanna

Title: Two Grooms on a Cake

Author: Rob Sanders

Illustrator: Robbie Cathru

Publisher: Little Bee Books, 2021

Ages: 5-8

Format/Genre: narrative nonfiction

Themes: Pride Month, marriage laws, weddings, wedding cakes, marriage equality, lgbtqia+, Michael McConell and Jack Baker, queer history

Opening:

Two grooms on top of a cake. That’s us. Some thought it could never happen. And it almost didn’t.
But one day, we stood in frosting
on top of a three-tiered wedding cake.

This is our story.

Synopsis:

 This is a picture book biography about Jack Baker and Michael McConnell and their inspiring story becoming the first married gay couple in the US fifty years ago.

Long before marriage equality was the law of the land, two grooms stood on a wedding cake with their feet firmly planted in fluffy white frosting. That cake belonged to Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, who were wed on September 3, 1971, becoming the first same-sex couple in America to be legally married. Their struggle to obtain a marriage license in Minnesota and their subsequent appeals to the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States is an under-told story of LGBT history.

Why I like this book:

This beautiful book celebrates the love story of two pioneers of marriage equality for all, through the process of baking of their wedding cake! I am often surprised (maybe I shouldn’t be) by significant true stories about which I know nothing. Once again a picture book biography is filling in my gaps.

Sanders masterfully interweaves the story of this groundbreaking gay marriage with the creation of their wedding cake. The story is actually told by the wedding cake toppers, which adds a fun twist, and allows the toppers to share their surprise and empathy at how hard it was for this couple to marry. The author already demonstrated clever alternative POVs when he told the story of Stonewall through the voice of the inn. It’s a literary technique that isn’t easy to pull off, but he succeeds.

Queer history is important and picture book age children are at a great age to start to share some of the challenges and joys the lgbtqia+ community has faced. And who doesn’t like a perfect cake baked with love?

The art style is stellar with a perfect vintage vibe to both color choice and the drawings! And I love that we have great photos at the end of Michael and Jack through the years. What an uplifting story.

Resources/Activities:

  • The book includes a bibliography, a two-page timeline of marriage equality from 1970-2015, and several online resources.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in Book recommendation, children's books, Children's literature, LGBTQIA, narrative nonfiction, Perfect Picture Book Friday, resources & activities for elementary school teachers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

All Kinds of Families – Pride Month PPBF

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Joanna

Title: All Kinds of Families

Author: Suzanne Lang

Illustrator: Max Lang

Publisher: Random House, 2015

Ages: 2-5 

Format/Genre: board book fiction

Themes: Pride Month, families, family makeup, blended families, single parent families, queer families, step-families, open-mindedness, family love, lgbtqia+

Opening:

Some children have lots of SIBLINGS.

Some children have NONE.

Synopsis:

Lots of nontraditional family structures are celebrated in this fun and super-accessible board book! 

Why I like this book:

This is a simple book to talk to young kids about the different kinds of families they would encounter in the world. A silly and positive introduction to open-mindedness and all kinds of family love. 

The animals chosen for each type of family (Divorced, Single Parent, Grandparents, Step-Parents, Aunts, Uncles, 2 Moms, 2 Dads etc.) are diverse in color, shape and size. They have animals ranging from as large as a hippo to as small as a spider. This is also great for students to recognize that families come in all shapes and sizes.

The gender roles chosen in the book are also different. Each family has a variety of both boys and girls who represent the children. There is a clear indication of types of gender suggested in facial features. Most of the animals are not dressed which indicates that just because an animal is wearing pants does not mean it has to be a boy.

Every statement is accompanied with an illustration of the family described. Max Lang uses many mediums in the illustrations: photographs, colored pencil illustrations, magnetic letters, corkboard and push pins, etc. The “photo” frames are cool. The octopus family has a frame made of shells, the sheep family has a frame made of wool, the ducks’ frame is on a barn wall with a floor of straw and some eggs. Children will love to look at the minute details, e.g. the koala bears’ grocery list consisting of eucalyptus leaves and bark, all while learning the message simply stated at the end, “...if you love each other, then you are a family.”

Resources/Activities:
I would recommend this book as a read aloud for a families and pre-school classrooms.

Children can choose an animal and then sue them to draw/paint their own family.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in board books, Book recommendation, LGBTQIA, Perfect Picture Book Friday, Pride Month | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Game Changers – Pride Month YA Book Recommendation

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Joanna

Title: Game Changers, lesbians you should know about

Author & Illustrator: Robin Lowey

Published:  2020

Ages: 11+

144 pages. 

Genre: nonfiction

Themes: lgbtqia+, contemporary lesbians, San Francisco, queer history, Bay Area, queer community, role models

Opening:
American LGBTQ+ history includes stories of a brave and powerful community, but have you ever wondered why there are not more stories about the lesbian women? In this book you will find the stories of lesbians who made significant contributions to LGBTQ+ culture and, in doing so, made a big impact on our nation.

Synopsis:

Advocate2.jpg

Why I like this book:

I, and I think I can safely say the vast majority of lesbians from my generation, grew up with very few, read almost no role models, which certainly in my case had a nefarious impact on my early queer identity. My coming out was slow and tortuous. A book like this could indeed have been a game-changer. Each one of these stories is compelling and inspirational, with many, “you too!” moments.

The focus of this graphic-novel style book is on contemporary Bay Area lesbians – over fifty pioneering women who came out early in their lives. I knew few as I am a recent transplant here, but the lesbian community being what it is, I immediately identified with these storytellers, their triumphs and pain, as part of my tribe. They are not necessarily big national names, but each woman here has a story of perseverance, authenticity and influence. It is so important for you people to know where they have come from and to know the strength and resilience of our history. These testimonies include women of color and from different generations and backgrounds, and are true sheros who continue to make an impact on present-day queer culture.

I believe the author, Robin Lowey, has achieved an initial goal of providing a copy of this book to every public high school in the Bay Area, over 300,000 students in more than 300 schools. When I met her at a friends last fall, and she discovered I was a school librarian, she immediately took my address to send our school a copy.

This is a great resource for all high school libraries.

Resources/Activities:

Robin Lowey and her team’s mission is to educate young adults by providing valuable resource books and films that help fill the gap in education about lesbian history and foster an atmosphere of LGBTQ+ equity, visibility, and inclusion. Her author website includes many interviews as well as links to her new film series.

EXPLORE THE NEW FILM SERIES > on lesbiangamechangers.com

Posted in Book recommendation, LGBTQIA, nonfiction, young adult | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment