From the Heart

Tomorrow afternoon from 4:00-6:00, I'll be presenting a workshop for Children's Book Week at the Watertown Public Library, jointly hosted by Charlesbridge Publishing and Primary Source, which "promotes history and humanities education by connecting educators to people and cultures throughout the world."

From the Heart: Illustrating Across Race and Culture

“The literature of America should reflect the children of America.”

- Lucille Clifton –

An overview of creating 31 books about diverse people, places and cultures from the perspective of an artist who grew up bilingual and bicultural. 

Using her own experiences as an illustrator and writer depicting people of many cultures and races not her own, Anne Sibley O’Brien will explore questions of racial and cultural diversity in children's books:

• What does it mean to be a writer or illustrator creating images of children of other races, and to be an educator sharing them?

• What constitutes an authentic and respectful portrayal across race and culture?

• How can we better ensure that all of our children see themselves reflected, and gain a sense of the wideness of their world, in the books we share with them?

Here's a related blogpost, "Seeing All of Us in Diverse Children's Books," on the Charlesbridge blog, "Unabridged."