Revolutionizing Storytime

Hi there,

Thank you for your patience with us these past few weeks. In totally unoriginal news, our entire family was down with the flu (get the flu shot!) and our lives were a truly innovative mix of snot, fevers, cuddles, trying to work from home with two sick children, and generous helpings of Tylenol and Albuterol. We’re on the other end of it, thankfully. So we’re back and here to share with you a little something we learned.

For many of us, our lives are continuing with the usual trappings of parenting. Our kids are living their lives and we are expected to do the same. But it’s actually lowkey terrifying parenting under fascism. Many people will argue that some of us feel targeted, put down and sidelined no matter who is president. But as an immigrant Black anti-war mama, this feels different and that can be daunting.

AND the reality is that life is life-ing despite my fear and my worry.

Every morning, Adam and I are expected to wake up, get the kids to school, work, get the kids from school, prep and eat dinner, do homework, go to bed and do it all again the next day. All while our rights are quickly being taken away.

I’ll be real honest: I don’t have an answer as to how to balance these two realities. All I know is that it’s a bit disorienting and weird to live as a parent in the United States at this moment in history.

And I also know that, though we’re in the midst of a big resistance nationwide, we also need to infuse resistance into our daily lives in any way we can. As we’ve said several times, people power, the ability of the resistance to merge and push back against these authoritarian forces lies within all of us. It can take a whole lot of everyday people to comply with this fascist government AND it will take a whole lot of everyday people to fight back.

For us parents, it’s especially important to model for our children that resistance can take different forms and practices. One of those ways to infuse resistance into our daily lives for us parents can be through…

Storytime!

Bedtime storytime is one of our kids’ favorite parts of the day and it’s a moment when all else slips away except for that connection between us, our kid and the story. This has taken on new meaning in the hellscape of book bans, and the media’s premature obedience as they shift their focus away from featuring diverse stories. So our little practice of storytime has deepened, without us changing a thing, into another way to raise our kids through a revolutionary lens.

Today we’re sharing with you a few of our favorite 2025 books that are leading a quiet revolution…simply by existing and telling stories from a diverse perspective.

The Gift of the Great Buffalo by New York Times bestselling author, Carole Lindstrom

It’s always a hit when kids books are beautifully illustrated, tell a compelling story AND teach a lesson or two. This book tells the tale of Rose, a young Métis-Ojibwe girl and her journey with the rich traditions and history of her Indigenous community, as well as how it relates to her daily adventurous life. Read this to learn about the power of resilience in children.

Black Boy, Rise by Brynne Barnes

Any kids book that encourages and makes space for little Black children to relish in their joy, their amazingness and their adventure is a win for us. Seeing the main character traverse through the pages with abandon filled me with so much joy. Read this to teach kids not to let anything hold them back.

little big man by Varian Johnson

I already let you know I’m really into books that help little Black children see themselves in all their glory and this book is right along that vein. Little Elijah learns that a little extra work to help his family can actually lead to lots of fun and connection, even if the journey there is a bit, well, bumpy (literally!). Read this to teach kids about helping and being a part of a community.

BONUS BOOK

Our 5 year old’s favorite at the moment: My Hearing, My Way by Stacey Armas, Au.D.

No antiracist future is possible without disability justice. Because I have a disability, it’s a topic that comes up in our home from time to time so we went in search of kids books about disability and found this really informative, delightful book that our kiddo is really into because it allows each kid a space to express themselves creatively through their hearing device. Our child has learnt so much from this unexpected approach to teaching kids about disability.

This week, if you don’t already, try to turn off your phone during storytime. Try to relish the connection with your kiddo that exists in those precious moments. Ask questions about what they observe and feel during the book and think about what you observe and feel, as well. Storytime may be a few minutes everyday but for our kids, it’s enough to replenish them. Maybe it can do the same for us, tiny steps at a time, for the fight ahead.

That’s it from us for today. Stay safe and hug your loved ones, okay? We’re doing it and we’re doing it together.

Tabitha

p.s. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been leaning into writing parenting affirmations for myself for during these times. In the next newsletter, I’m going to share a few with you. I say these to myself daily. Whether it’s aloud or not doesn’t really matter, though I notice that when I give them voice, they feel more infused with life and power. So I’ll share that collection with you next time to help you maybe develop a few of your own that can bring you a dash of inner peace and a deeper comfort with the power we still hold as parents.