Hi friends,
Mixed with joy and dancing is the darkness, the underbelly of misinformation and the harm that continues to be inflicted on all of us, as we watch our democracy decline. I continue to hope, but I am saddened by what only half of America sees: an expanding autocracy that feeds off lies.
Seems like a good time to pull this one from the archives: How to Teach Kids about Fake News. (Grown-ups can read it, too.)
Onward,
r.p.
Non-Fiction for Kids
THE ENVIRONMENT: Explore, create and investigate! by Jonathan Litton and Paulina Morgan is an engaging, colorfully illustrated take that will inspire young citizens to observe and experiment with the natural world. Read more about it right here. 🌎
Find out what happens to scrappy enterprises, clever business ideas and mom-and-pops when old buildings face the wrecking ball. New from Barry Wittenstein is the beautifully illustrated picture book OSCAR’S AMERICAN DREAM. Check it out here. 🗽
The Little Newspaper Club
Blame the election, blame a looming deadline, blame the release of season 4 of the Crown, blame — waves hand around at everything — but we’ve hit a slight delay with publishing our fall issue. Please stayed tuned for an early December release! We are so grateful for all of our local contributors. 🌈
…for Young Readers
The draft is going to my editor later this month — ahhh! What a year to write a book. I couldn’t be more eager and thrilled to share Jane’s story with young readers, who I hope will be inspired by Jane, a strategic thinker and relentless, grassroots organizer who successfully reclaimed power from a few wealthy men at the top. 👓
In the meantime, please check out the new title in the series (that JANE JACOBS for YOUNG PEOPLE will be sharing shelf-space with!): FREEDOM SUMMER for YOUNG PEOPLE by Rebecca Stefoff and Bruce Watson. ✊
Significant Miscellany
Aged 13, Kamala Harris mobilized the neighborhood children to protest against rules that stopped them playing on the lawn in front of their apartment building.
Indigenous activists and organizations to follow and learn from (via Zero Hour).
Out of the Classroom and Into the World: 70-Plus Places to Publish Teenage Writing and Art.
No, Cities Aren’t Over (Spoiler Alert: it’s the Opposite)
“Whenever and wherever societies have flourished and prospered… creative and workable cities have been at the core of the phenomenon; they have pulled their weight and more.”
Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations? I love connecting with fellow readers, writers, parents, and humans. Please drop me a line!
New here? Peruse the archive of letters right here or join below for monthly-ish news and notes.
r.p.
