Title:Our Class Is A Country Author: Andria W. Rosenbaum Illustrator: Dream Chen Publisher/Year: Albert Whitman & Company/2023 Favorite Line from the Book: Our class is a country with no room for hate. I believe wholeheartedly that the following expression, which I’m sure many of you have heard before, is true: The opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s fear. People are afraid of many things, including, but not limited to, things that are different or things we don’t understand. Sadly, fear is expressed in hateful ways. I’m truly baffled that, in 2023, people still treat others with contempt ..read more

I’m honored to be a stop on author Astrid Kamalyan’s book tour for her debut picture book Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day. Her lovely book, just published September 19th by Charlesbridge, earned starred reviews from both Kirkus and The Horn Book and is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day is the first children’s book about Armenia traditionally published in the US in over 30 years and is the only one to feature Artsakh dialogue. Beautifully detailed illustrations by Anait Semirdzhyan adorn this cozy, cultural tale that highlights the author’s chi ..read more

It’s my pleasure to welcome author, educator, attorney, and motivational speaker Dr. Artika Tyner to Frog on a Blog. Artika designs programs to drive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives for companies and organizations of all sizes from Fortune 500s to startups and grassroots groups. Artika is passionate about inspiring social change, which includes closing the literacy gap, and one of the many ways that she does that is through writing children’s books. Artika has published more than 30 children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. Since we’ll only be mentioning a few today, I ..read more

Please welcome children’s book author Shetal Shah to Frog on a Blog. Her debut Shakti Girls: Poems of Inspiring Indian Women launched just this week and is perfect for Women’s History Month! Through 13 poetic, biographical stories and colorful portraits (by artist Kavita Rajput), the book introduces kids to real Indian women who’ve accomplished incredible things in the fields of science, politics, sports, math, and activism and exemplify Shakti, a Hindi word meaning feminine energy and strength, power, and a force to be reckoned with. Shetal is a former educator currently pursuing her mission ..read more

Please welcome multi-published picture book illustrator/author Holly Hatam to Frog on a Blog! If you’ve read the New York Times Bestselling picture book Dear Girl, A Celebration of Wonderful, Smart, Beautiful You! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, then you’ve seen Holly’s amazing art. Holly, who’s been creating art since she was a little girl, is also a greeting card designer, and a textile engineer. Her latest book, Dear Baby, A Love Letter to Little Ones by Paris Rosenthal was published this past September. Let’s hear more from Holly! Please tell us a little about your background and how you got sta ..read more

Please welcome back picture book author Lisa Gammon Olson to Frog on a Blog! Lisa is the author of the American Herstory Series and a huge proponent of spreading kindness and preserving nature. Lisa last visited in April of 2019 to talk about her book And the Trees Began to Move. Today, on October 12th, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, an alternative to Columbus Day, Lisa’s stopped by to tell us about her latest book, Remembering Green: An Ojibwe Girl’s Tale. And Lisa has an important message for us all at the end. Welcome, Lisa! Good morning! My American HerStory Series, with Eifrig Publishing, feat ..read more

I’m thrilled to feature multi-published children’s book author Kathleen Long Bostrom today on Frog on a Blog. I’m sure you’re familiar with many of Kathleen’s books. She’s the author of the award-winning Little Blessings series and several VeggieTales books, as well as lots of other books and magazine stories for children and adults. She and her books have received multiple awards and honors. Kathleen’s newest children’s book, Will You Be Friends with Me?, published just this month by WorthyKids, is a timely board book that celebrates friendship, differences, and diversity. Kathleen’s here to ..read more

Please welcome back to Frog on a Blog author and mom Ilham Alam. This past September, Ilham shared her Top 5 Books for Kids to Learn ABC’s. Today, she’s stopped by with another wonderful list: 5 Best Culturally Diverse Picture Books to Read Now.       5 Best Culturally Diverse Picture Books to Read Now by Ilham Alam Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn This is one of the books that I always recommend for kids and is a perennial favourite for many reasons. It teaches diversity and acceptance through the means of the oft-misunderstood Hijab, or Khimar ..read more

Two Books From… …Karen Kilpatrick’s Pumpkinheads Series Diversity in children’s books is a hot topic right now. But it’s certainly not a fad. I believe most in the children’s book industry (e.g. publishers, authors, illustrators, agents, librarians) agree that diversity in children’s books is important. Children need to see other children just like them, children they can relate to, in their books. Whether we’re referring to appearance, aspects of culture, or a disability they may have, children need to see how they fit into the world around them. Books can help them do that. On the o ..read more