beautiful Berkeley

I unplugged this weekend and without my laptop I wasn’t able to blog while visiting Berkeley. I also managed to step off the plane with a cold so I’m stuffed up, achy, and weary tonight. This post will be short—I just want to share some of the beautiful encounters that marked my first trip to sunny California. My awesome host Laura Atkins (below, left) opened her lovely home not only to me but to a group of librarians, artists, and advocates who share our commitment to creating greater diversity and equity in children’s literature. Just as I met Janine Macbeth (below, right) and saw her beautiful picture book Oh, Oh, Baby Boy (left), I heard librarian/artist Amy Martin say that she had seen the book in a store in San Jose and planned to consider it for the Oakland Public Library’s children’s collection. Yes, you heard me correctly—there are librarians in the world (or in Oakland, at least) who are actively seeking out books by indie authors! Amy posted the OPL’s submission policy on her blog—do check it out if you have a self-published book that could help to address the diversity gap in children’s literature. And if you’re looking for a beautiful gift to give for Father’s Day, get a copy of Janine’s book—it’s a wonderful celebration of engaged fathers. The image above is actually the end-paper and you can’t quite see the silver stars embedded in the mother’s hair…