Hi community! Amidst everything, I’m glad to be able to share these updates with you…

1. If you’re in the New York area and can get to The Playhouse at the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (106 Valkill Park Rd, Hyde Park, NY 12538) on Sunday July 27, 2025 I hope you’ll join me and Eleanor Roosevelt’s great-granddaughter Anna Eleanor Fierst for a children’s book event at the Eleanor Roosevelt Center featuring a reading of “Like That Eleanor”, Q&A, fun allyship activities for kids, and a kid-friendly tour of Eleanor Roosevelt’s beloved Val-Kill cottage! I’m flying out to New York just for this special event — and you can register here.

2. “Like That Eleanor” got a STARRED review from Kirkus Reviews! Their review cheered it as “An ideal guide for readers of any age to learn how to be an ally.” Read the full review here.

3. I got a brief chance to chat with the incredible Betsy Bird at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Betsy and I were both there with our multiple hats (she’s a librarian, blogger for School Library Journal, and author herself), each signing copies of our 7th book out in the world. As we were catching up, I mentioned the Starred Kirkus Review review and Betsy said she’d read “Like That Eleanor” and would have given it a star herself. When I thanked her, saying that felt like getting a second star, she said it was “the best ally picture book I’ve ever seen.” I was honored, and astonished, and asked if I could possibly use that as a blurb. She said yes, absolutely. So, I have a new blurb for “Like That Eleanor”:

“The best ally picture book I’ve ever seen.” —Betsy Bird, Fuse 8, School Library Journal

Amazing!

4. Another great moment in Philadelphia was a packed event at the the Dina Wind Art Foundation for We Are Stronger Than Censorship. I talked with my artist brother John about my books, the current challenge of book banning, and how we can all fight for the freedom to read. You can watch the video of the first half of the event here. The second half of the event was a community brainstorm about how to scale up the offense against book bans (and a pizza and salad dinner, too.) Giant thanks to John, his husband Bill, Evelyn, and everyone who joined who made the event so awesome.

5. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a terrible ruling that impacts children’s picture books that include LGBTQ+ characters and themes, but will actually impact many more people and identities beyond that. My friend Tasslyn Magnusson co-wrote this opinion piece with Jonathan Friedman, The Ugly Stereotype Beneath the Supreme Court Ruling on LGBTQIA+ Books. It was published by School Library Journal and I think it’s quite well said.

6. There were other highlights of ALA, including my keynote discussion at the Library Insights Summit where I got to chat with Sarah and Ian Hoffman (who authored one of the nine books that were at issue in that SCOTUS ruling.) The SCOTUS decision has just come in about ten minutes before we got on stage, and our conversation was really powerful. Gratitude to the Hoffmans and to everyone persisting in the face of discrimination to create and get books into the hands of young people and their families for whom that representation means so much.

7. My book recommendations this month are unusual, in that they’re both books published for adults. I know, I know, I almost never read adult books, but Casey McQuiston’s THE PAIRING and Mike Curato’s GAYSIANS both blew me away.

And that’s our update.

Stay safe and strong,
Lee