Sewing the Rainbow: A Story About Gilbert Baker By Gayle Pitman Gilbert Baker grew up in a small Kansas town, and as a young boy, he knew that he wanted to leave and be an artist. Despite not having the support of his father behind his work and not knowing the first thing about sewing until he taught himself, he would create one of the most iconic symbols, still in existence today. Gayle Pitman combines beautiful artwork with the story of the first gay pride flag in Sewing the Rainbow. This picture book about the early days of the gay rights movement in 1970s San Francisco is an award winner. 📚 Grades: 3rd-6th 🌟 Publisher @MaginationPressAPA 🏆 2019 ALA GLBT Round Table Rainbow Book List and Finalist in the 2019 Children’s Choice Book Awards #booksforclassrooms #diversity #inclusion #diversityinbooks #lgbtqtia #pride #loveislove #lgbqtiapride #lovewins (fb)

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson Melanin (Mel) was very close to his Black mother; she was the only family he had ever known, since his dad disappeared when he was a baby. They lived in an apartment in Brooklyn. Although Mel was a quiet kid who expressed himself best by writing all his thoughts he didn’t think fast enough to say to his friends. He wrote in notebooks, not diaries. Girls wrote in diaries, he thought. Still he had two close friends to shoot baskets and hang out with, so he felt OK about himself. Then the summer he turned thirteen, Mel was stunned when his mother found a partner to love—Kristin, a white woman and law student like Mel’s mother. For weeks, Mel refused to talk to his mother or to spend time with his friends. He was miserable, and got into a fight when one of his friends called his mother a dyke. Writing in his notebook (journal, diary) helped Mel think through and resolve his confusion and the conflict with his mother, to learn about accepting differences. Melanin’s notebooks tell his story. It is an excellent example of the power of habitually writing down one’s thoughts and inner conflicts to help find answers. 📚 Grades: 7th-9th 🌟 Publisher @PenguinGroupUSA #booksforclassrooms #diversity #inclusion #diversityinbooks #lgbtqtia #pride #loveislove #lgbqtiapride #lovewins (fb)