Books to Celebrate Choice

Rainbows! Rainbows! Rainbows!

Jun 29, 2024

Hello friends! Happy Pride Month! Yesterday was the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and the 54th celebration of the annual Pride Parade.

Stonewall Inn was a very popular gay bar in Greenwich Village NY in the 1960’s. Owned by the mafia (!!!) in a mutually beneficial agreement, the bar was run as a private bottle club to circumvent laws that denied drinks to gays (It was illegal to serve drinks to gays in NYC until 1966! And a criminal offense to be gay until 1969). Private bottle clubs didn’t have liquor licenses, making them easy targets for raids.

The raid on Stonewall wasn’t unusual, raids were happening all around the nation. Persecuted LGBTQ+ individuals standing up for their rights and fighting back wasn’t a first either. The six days of unrest and protests that flooded the streets had an energy behind them that became known. History can be funny like that, where one instance becomes a talking point, the catalyst for something larger, the memorialized moment.

In 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprising, ERCHO and other gay and lesbian rights organizations across the United States decided to throw their energy into an event they were calling Christopher Street Liberation Day (Stonewall Inn is on Christopher Street) to commemorate the events that took place at Stonewall Inn the previous year. They imagined a nationwide celebration, and invited cities and chapters across the States to join. The Pride parade has been happening ever since.

If you have ever been to a Pride parade you know the feeling of joy and jubilation, the splendor of the celebration, the love and laughter, the absolutely amazing attire, and positive energy that flows when a group of people gather to show love and support for Pride. If you haven’t been, consider checking out what Pride events are happening near you this weekend and bring your family along to spread the love and celebration. It is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and fill your heart with hope.

While I raise my children, I want them to feel safe, empowered, loved and supported. I want them to know they have the freedom to be who they are, and I want to extend that freedom to all humans, big and small. You are safe, you are loved, you are beautiful, you are free to be your best self by being your truest, most confident, individual you that you can be.

We love you all. Happy Pride! Happy reading! Happy rainbows!

I read up on Stonewall thanks to Oprah and found out more about the mafia run clubs from PBS.

Donate to spread the love!!

FROM THE STAX

MR WATSON’S CHICKENS by Jarrett Dapier Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi

Mr. Watson loves his chickens. What starts as a simple love turns into a bit of obsession, and then turns into a pretty big problem. There are chickens everywhere you look. On the pillow? Chickens. In the shower? Chickens. The other Mr. Watson loves Mr. Watson, but maybe not all of his chickens.

The pictures with chickens everywhere will have your whole family giggling and finding chickens in the most ridiculous places. The book also features a gay couple and helps remind us that sometimes our obsessions can become obstacles, and sometimes love is about finding a happy compromise.

RED by Michael Hall

Red is a crayon with a red wrapping, so they must be red, right? Only every time they try to color anything at all it always ends up blue. What is red to do? Who is red? Are they red, like their wrapper so obviously suggests? Or are they blue? The color that spills out every time they create?

A book to celebrate and introduce the idea that sometimes your inside expression is different from your outside or what everyone says you must be, this book teaches us that everyone’s happiest and truest self is when they are free to let their inside self out.

Thanks for the recommendation for this celebration of self book our family loved to read. Hi L&L!!

OGILVY by Deborah Underwood illustrated by T.L. McBeth

When Ogilvy moves to a new town they are excited to go see who is at the park and what they can play together! Ogilvy finds that in this new town, the bunnies are divided by their dress into which activities they can do: bunnies in sweaters do XYZ, Bunnies in dresses do ABC…so which is Ogilvy’s attire? Deciding what to call their outfit depending on their mood works well for Ogilvy, but not for every bunny on the block. Will Ogilvy conform to the arbitrary rules or will he speak up against the nonsensical and help the bunnies discover a new way to be?

Gender expectations can run so deep and be so harmful. Boys don’t cry. Girls can’t throw. Whatever myths being perpetrated on the playground and by culture at large can be pushed against. This book is a great introduction to help simplify how nonsensical and arbitrary some rules can be and how good it can be to stand up and question those ideas.

JULIAN IS A MERMAID by Jessica Love

After swim lessons, Julian noticed some magical mermaids on the bus and can’t help but make a regal mermaid costume out of found items when they arrive home. But, when Julian’s grandma gets out of the shower, how we she react to Julian’s outfit? Parade time!

A sweet book about the joy of exploration, the appreciation of beautiful things, and the celebration of wearing what makes you feel good. Let’s all join the parade.

HOW TO BE A LION by ed vere

Leo is a gentle Lion who likes to write poetry and doesn’t much like to roar and pounce and munch munch munch. He meets a duck and instead of eating the duck they become friends. The duck is great at rhyming and helps Leo finish his poems. When the other lions come around they try to convince Leo there is only one way to be a lion.

This book has poems! Unlikely friendships! A little bit of silly and a whole lot of love! It is about finding your voice when you need to stand up and say that is OK to be you.

What are your favorite books that help you and your family feel empowered in their individuality?

See y’all next week and happy reading!