Make Every Day a Celebration of Inclusive Love
"let’s not limit our celebration of love to what some consider “acceptable” love, and let’s not limit our celebration of love just to February. ."
-THE BAREFOOT LIBRARIAN-
I dislike that holidays seem to designate a season where specific attributes should be celebrated. For instance, Thanksgiving is the season to feel grateful. Christmas is the season to remember those with less than us and give to them so they, too, can celebrate the holiday. New Year’s is when we should all rethink our lives and set goals to improve. And February brings Valentine’s Day and the season to celebrate love, mainly romantic love. I have expressed this opinion before, but gratitude, generosity, empathy, setting goals to be better humans, celebrating love, etc., should never be limited to a specific time of year. These are all attributes we should embrace and incorporate into our lives all year. But today, I want to focus on love since that is what the retail world is pushing us to celebrate this month. You might be asking, what does this have to do with children’s literature? Hang it in there; I will get there. Reads Valentine’s Day can be a difficult day for children (and adults). The emphasis is on having a romantic partner to celebrate your love with. So first, I think we must teach children that love of any kind should be celebrated – and that it should be celebrated all year long! Love can be so many things. We love our pets, friends, family, homes, bodies, hometowns, ourselves, etc., and of course, books! Children’s literature is full of examples of all these types of love. However, love of all types is under siege now, and we must defend and embrace it all year long. When love l ooks different, it is attacked. Books for children depicting love outside of the male/female relationship are being banned. Love is an emotion, a celebration, and love is love! Children need to feel safe to express their love. School librarians are facing challenging times that limit their ability to provide children access to books that teach them to love themselves and whomever they want. It is incumbent upon bookstores, public libraries, educators, and parents to ensure these books are available to children outside the school environment. And as you read this article, Valentine’s Day has just passed. But, let’s not limit our celebration of love to what some consider “acceptable” love, and let’s not limit our celebration of love just to February.
JM done www.firstchapterplus.com 4
www.firstchapterplus.com www.firstchapterplus.com www.firstchapterplus.com
5
5
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online