Welcome parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, writers, publishers and anyone interested in having more birthdays!
A is also for ATTITUDES to aging — I write books for kids and I hope to tweak attitudes to growing older.
(My NEW book! A Plan for the People: Nelson Mandela’s Hope for his Nation.)
B is for Books that “nip ageism in the bud”!
Find a showcase here for picture books with accurate & positive images of aging on the A is for Aging Blog and Picture Book List.
Read about older characters in award winners like Mr. McGinty’s Monarchs, Last Stop on Market Street, and A River of Words. Diverse titles such as Jingle Dancer, My Teacher, and Lillian’s Right to Vote. Also picture book biographies like Nature’s Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story, Henri’s Scissors and Bon Appetit:The Delicious Life of Julia Child!, and classics like Miss Rumphius.
Find older characters that remind us all–celebrating many birthdays is a good thing!
You will learn truths about growing older.(Is aging the problem or ageism?)
Much of what we think we know about aging is a myth or stereotype. (That’s where the sick, sad, lonely, grumpy or forgetful characters come from. Along with the desire for a child protagonist.)
Negative stereotypes about aging are baked into our culture, and they’re harmful to our health and happiness. Many books for kids lead them to believe that old=bad or sad. But that is adults socializing them to believe it.
Later life stages can hold many good things & happiness tends to increase with age. Truth.
“Students often believe that what they read in books is true and right…a book may be sensitive and caring, may provide a wonderful lesson, and may be very enjoyable and still contain ageism or stereotyping.”
Barbara M. Friedman, author Connecting Generations
C is for Change*!
Let’s use picture books with more accurate and positive images of aging to change attitudes and show:
- A diverse group of older adults with tremendous knowledge, inner strength & creativity
- Skills & strengths created by years of experience
- Valuable friendships between generations
*Download a FREE RESOURCE PAGE on Aging & Ageism in Picture Books here!
Read “Ten Ways to Add Diversity in Aging to Picture Book Collections”
Please join us in efforts to increase the diversity of older characters we show children:
- Sign up to receive blog posts 1-2x per month via email
- Find “A is for Aging” on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
- Peruse our Picture Book resources and blog post book reviews
- Contact us with your thoughts & suggestions
- Download the FREE information sheet.
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A warm thank you for stopping by!
