Why Multicultural Books Are For Everyone

Over at the book blog The Book Smugglers, Lee & Low is being highlighted today for the “Progressive Publishers Doing Cool Things” feature. Quite a nice honor!

In the guest post, I talk a bit about why Lee & Low was founded, what drives us as a company, and – most importantly – why multicultural books truly are for everyone:Rainbow Stew Cover

It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, multicultural publishing. If you talk about the need for diverse books too much, if you are constantly pointing to the statistics (grim as they are), the books themselves start to take the shape of vegetables: good for you, but not much fun.

But I hope when people pick up our books, they realize that diverse books truly are about everyone, for everyone. Some of our books are serious. Some of our books are funny. Some talk about race, history, or culture, and some just talk about hanging with Grandpa in the vegetable garden. A book with a black main character can be about anything that a book with a white main character can be about, and can be just as well written.

Head on over to The Book Smugglers to read the rest if you’re interested in learning a bit more about why we do what we do and why, 20 years after Lee & Low Books was founded, there’s still such a need for a publisher that specializes in diversity. You can also enter to win a copy of Tankborn and the sequel, Awakening.

And if you’re already a fan of what we do, make sure you’re subscribed to our monthly e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on our new releases!

2 thoughts on “Why Multicultural Books Are For Everyone”

  1. I think having multicultural books readily available is a huge benefit to all communities. Children of color or other minority communities benefit, of course, but so do children who may not be exposed to people who are different from themselves. Lee & Low and other such presses are hugely important.

    1. Thanks, Jacqueline. I agree- it’s definitely important for kids to have access to both window and mirror books – books where they can learn about others as well as books where they can see themselves.

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