Hi Liz here! Mama to three ladies, FIT4MOM FIT4MOM East DuPage West Cook instructor & owner, children's book junkie and the bringer of your first installment in our Instructor Inspiration blog series :)
Instructor Inspiration - Rainbow Books June 2023
Liz Pawelko
Like I said above I'm a big fan of children's literature. As a preschool teacher before having babes of my own I've always been excited by books. Books that are silly, books that are educational, books that readers can see themselves in...not sure how to say what you want to say or teach what you want to teach? I bet there's a children's book written about it!
In our house every month (or so ) the playroom bookshelf gets a mini makeover. Books are rotated in and out to fit at theme for the month January Winter, February love, March Eggs & Animal Babies, April Rain, May Flowers & Mommy...and so on. Maybe I'll get to sharing all of my book recommendations with you but for now let's talk RAINBOW!
Pride Month, June, is dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of members of the LGBTQA+ community. After the Stonewall riots in New Your, 1969, Pride month has been utilized as a way for members of this marginalized community to raise their voce and be Proud of who they are, where they come from and where they are going. The rainbow is used as a symbol of love and vibrancy within the community and during Pride I want to bring a little peace of the celebration into my playroom.
Some books on this list are about inclusion, some are about family dynamics, some simply celebrate colors. All can be used to inspire deeper conversations with young children. Read on to see what's on our shelf!
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The Cookie Book of Colors - By Holly Fox
Starting of this celebration the best way I know how...with cookies! A simple board book. One color name on each page and vibrant sweet treats, beautifully decorated and so fun to look at!
A Family is a Family is a Family - Written by Sara O'Leary Illustrated by Qin Long
A simple school assignment to share what makes each student's family special shows the children in the book, and the reader, that there are plenty of ways to make a family. Images of same sex parents, young parents, older parents, mixed race families, adoptive families are some of the families represented. Reader's see families being silly together, eating together and working together. (You might see this repeated a few times but...) The second to last page gets me a little teary when we see and hear about how much love and respect the main character's foster mom has for her family.
Pink is for Boys - Written by Robb Pearlman, Illustrated by Eda Kaban
Yes, even in my house full of gils this is still a fan favorite...and that's kind of the whole point. There is nothing our kids need to be worried about that is so rigidly designed for one specific gender. Colors, all colors, are for anyone. This playful repetitive text highlights some of the ways we all see colors used in everyday life like pink for fancy clothes or blue of uniforms on a team. Illustrations show children of various races, abilities and sizes playing together and including each other. This book has been a helpful tool to break down the "that's a girl color" comment that I was hearing.
Colors - By Pantone
Sure you know yellow but do you know Honey Yellow, Lion Yellow, Lemon Yellow and French Fry Yellow? Love this title for its simplicity and clean lines. The last page also offers a fun opportunity for a search and find game. Want to get deep? Invite children to think about how people can be similar but still perfectly uniques just like Jellyfish Pink and Piggybank Pink. I hope this cheerful read brings a smile to your family's bookshelf!
I Am Love A Book of Compassion - By Susan Verde Art By Peter H Reynolds
This read is great on its own, compassion is not the easiest emotion to teach as children are naturally very self centered but my favorite piece comes in the last few pages. Author, Susan Verde, is a trained children's yoga and mindfulness teacher and her author's note, heart opening yoga poses and heart meditation at the end of the story are a crowd pleaser here. The main character in this book holds no gender labels, and is navigating through helping others and helping themselves. The illustrations are vibrant with rainbow umbrella taking center stage in many images. Its a great read for kids and adults alike, I find the lessons incredibly relatable as a mom to tiny humans.
Love Makes a Family - Written by Sophie Beer
Love is having a tea party, Love is always knowing where that other shoe is, love is reading One More Book! Sophie Beer shows us what wonderful things a family can do when they do it together, no matter who makes up that family. Families with two dads, two moms, single parents, grandparents as parents are all shown loving their families in familiar ways. We love the colorful thick pages of this board book and find reading it one more time to be an easy yes.
Rainbow: A First Book of Pride -Written by Michael Genhart, Illustrated by Anne Passchier
Aptly named this was our first Pride focused children's book. While others on this list nod to families looking different than ours this brings the concept of Gay Pride to the forefront of the conversation. Rainbows are colorful, and have deep meaning for the LGBTQ+ community. This introduction to love occurring between humans is engaging and in a format even the youngest readers can grasp.
Ten Little Eggs: A Celebration of Family - Written by Zondervan, Illustrated by Jess Mikhail
No matter who is a part of it, love makes a family. This mama bird has ten babies and they are each unique. Bringing giggles and laughs to book time this rhyming text and beautiful pictures is sure to be a great addition to your library. The flamingo's legs hanging out of the tree are always a fan favorite. Cute commentary along the way keeps this idea of choosing to love your family no matter what light and fun but feel free to dig into the concept as you feel it appropriate for your family and your children.
So...Will you be adding some rainbow books to your shelf this June? I hope you find a way to honor love and pride this month (and every month) I hope this inspires you to add a little bit of rainbow to your bookshelf and celebrate LOVE.
