The Elephant in the Room

Elizabeth Bluemle invited several illustrators to contribute to an important article on her blog "Shelf Talker" at Publisher's Weekly this week: The Elephant in the Room. She discusses the lack of racial diversity and white-washing of book covers in children's literature.
     I've always made a point of taking on multi-cultural projects and featuring various races and cultures in my work, so I was thrilled to participate.
     Why? Because children enjoy reading when they can relate to the characters they read about. Without that connection, they often don't become readers, which can set off a string of reactions reducing the possibilities and potential in a child's life. Literacy and a love for reading is vital to success for ALL children.
     And yet, currently, the publishing industry could greatly improve their efforts to reach ALL children.
     Elizabeth B. says it best in her thoughtful and well-researched article which I hope you will GO READ!!!