Reading is one of the most powerful ways to model inclusion and nurture empathy. Welcoming Schools created the Book of the Month series to elevate compassionate dialogue and encourage joyful stories of authentic LGBTQ+ lives, building monthly engagement and momentum leading up to our National Day of Reading each February.
For the month of May, we’re reading “I Can Be… Me!” by Lesléa Newman. “I Can Be… Me!” is a story of six friends and a dog, exploring all the ways they can be themselves. They dance and sing. They race and build. They catch and chase. They spin and twirl. There are no limits to what they can do. Told through rhyming verses and vibrant illustrations, this story celebrates what it means to be your magnificent self.
About the Author:
Lesléa Newman is a prolific American author, editor and LGBTQ+ activist best known for writing the pioneering 1989 children’s book “Heather Has Two Mommies.” She has written over 85 books for all ages, focusing on LGBTQ+ themes, Jewish identity, and social justice, including “October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard.”