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Gender stereotypes – Not again!

November 14, 2021 by Valarie Budayr

Guest post by Lisa Wee

No matter which part of the world you’re from, you’d have been told how to behave like a boy or a girl from a very young age.

At the age of 5, I got my first dungaree. I wore it whenever I could because of the sense of comfort and freedom it gave me. It gave me the opportunity to track through mud, run, and climb trees with my brothers.

Then a new world started to appear around me. “Don’t be so tomboy, Lisa.” As a 5-year-old, I didn’t understand the word but I could sense the disapproval that went with it in the odd looks exchanged between the adults. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Author Visits, Guest Posts Tagged With: gender stereotypes, Gender stereotyping, picture book that challenges gender stereotypes

A time to celebrate and support the visibility of LGBTQIA folks

June 22, 2019 by Valarie Budayr

Guest post by Author, Afsaneh Moradian

Happy Pride Month! As people march and hold events about the history and struggles of the LBGTQIA community for equality and civil rights, it’s also a time to celebrate and support the visibility of LGBTQIA folks.

Image result for LGBT community

Much of the spirit of Pride this year is to highlight that gender is more complex and open than we think and that dividing people into men and women don’t cut it anymore.

Over the past few years, young people have taken discussions about gender in a whole new direction — declaring themselves gender neutral, gender non-conforming, non-binary, gender fluid, and transgender.

Too many of us adults are lagging behind our kids. We continue to fall back on old definitions of gender and gender stereotypes. There are so many princesses for young girls to emulate, while boys are directed towards superheroes. When we buy presents, store aisles stocked with color-coded boxes tell us to buy that baby doll or craft project for a girl and that action figure or robot for a boy.

I am proud to be the author of Jamie is Jamie: A Book About Being Yourself and Playing Your Own Way. A book that challenges gender stereotypes and gives kids the freedom to be who they are and play whatever they want.

Whenever I give readings, I tend to get similar reactions from the audience. The kids want to know if Jamie is a boy or a girl but think that both boys and girls can play like Jamie (with baby dolls and action figures). Usually, one or two kids will suggest that Jamie is transgender like another child they know. In general, they think Jamie is a fun kid who they would like to have as a friend.

The reactions that stand out to me from the adults are the parents of transgender children who thank me for writing a book that supports their kids and gives them a place to be represented and respected.

I also hear from so many women who relate to Jamie because they were labeled “tomboys” when they were kids for not being interested in “girl” toys. I also see knowing recognition in the faces of many men who tell me they were made fun of as kids for wanting to care for a baby doll or just play with everything in the classroom as Jamie does in the book. And, there are folks who just couldn’t ever feel like they belonged because they didn’t fit into the “girl” or “boy” mold.

I think that during this Pride month we should keep in mind that kids don’t need us to tell them what they should play with or who they should be. Kids today are figuring that out just fine for themselves. What they need from us is to respect, celebrate, and love them so they can be confident in who they are and who they will grow up to be.

About Afsaneh

Author Afsaneh Moradian

Afsaneh Moradian has loved writing stories, poetry, and plays since childhood. After receiving her master’s in education, she took her love of writing into the classroom where she began teaching children how to channel their creativity. Her passion for teaching has lasted for over fifteen years. Afsaneh now guides students and teachers (and her young daughter) in the art of writing.

Connect with Afsaneh via her website or on YouTube and Twitter. Check out the fun Q&A MCBD did with her here.


 

 

One more thing…

Through color-coding in stores, kids “learn” which toys are “supposed” to be for girls or boy. Pink and yellow toys are considered “girly” and anything blue or dark green is obviously for boys, right? What about the toys themselves? Can boys play with dolls and girls play with trucks?

Of course, they can! And that’s the open-minded thinking that is captured in my children’s picture book, Jamie is Jamie.

I wrote Jamie is Jamie for my daughter who’d been told that only boys can play a superhero. My daughter and every other child deserve a book that gives them permission to be free to play and explore their own way-not the way everyone “thinks they should.”

I created my book to challenge gender stereotypes and encourage children to make play choices based on their interests. And because playing is fundamental to learning, I’ve created a special section in Jamie is Jamie for teachers, parents, and caregivers where they can find tips on how to make kids’ playtime learning time.

Get the scoop on Jamie is Jamie on Amazon or FreeSpiritPress.com


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Filed Under: Multicultural Booklist Tagged With: diverse book reviews and activities, gender neutrality, LBGTQIA community, picture book that challenges gender stereotypes

Jamie is Jamie- A picture book about being yourself and playing your way

June 30, 2018 by Valarie Budayr

Through color-coding in stores, kids “learn” which toys are “supposed” to be for girls or boy. Pink and yellow toys are considered “girly” and anything blue or dark green is obviously for boys, right? What about the toys themselves? Can boys play with dolls and girls play with trucks?

Of course, they can. And that’s the open-minded thinking that is captured in the new kids’ book, Jamie is Jamie.

Author Afsaneh Moradian wrote Jamie is Jamie for her daughter who’d been told that only boys can play a superhero. “My daughter and every other child deserve a book that gives them permission to be free to play and explore their own way-not the way everyone, ‘thinks they should,'” Afsaneh shared. “I created my book to challenge gender stereotypes and encourages children to make play choices based on their interests. And because playing is fundamental to learning, I’ve created a special section in Jamie is Jamie for teachers, parents, and caregivers where they can find tips on how to make kids’ playtime learning time.”

About Jamie is Jamie

When free-spirited Jamie arrives at a new preschool, all the kids learn that it’s okay to play whatever you want. The other children love how Jamie plays, but is Jamie a boy? Or a girl? Within these pages, readers see Jamie’s willingness to rock a baby, fix a toy car, dance ballet and even fight off villains has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the joy of PLAY.

An Author and Mom with a Vision of Equality

Afsaneh Moradian has loved writing stories, poetry, and plays since childhood. After receiving her master’s in education, she took her love of writing into the classroom where she began teaching children how to channel their creativity. Her passion for teaching has lasted for over fifteen years. Afsaneh now guides students and teachers (and her young daughter) in the art of writing.

Author Afsaneh Moradian

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and one unique quality you think you have.

Afsaneh: I grew up in a multicultural family and at school, I was made to feel that I was an “other”. I think this made me aware of how important it is for kids to feel loved and supported both in and out of the home. I definitely carried this belief into my career as an English teacher.

Q: I see that you are a creative writing instructor. If you could give advice to anyone (especially youngsters) who dream of writing a book, what advice would you give?

Afsaneh: You are the only one who has your life and your ideas, and you are the only one who can tell your story. Your story is worth telling and worthy of being read. You don’t have to have an original idea or a brilliant idea, you just have to have something to say and the confidence to put your ideas into words.

Q: Who is your mentor or biggest influencer when it comes to your writing?

Afsaneh: I learned how to write poetry from reading Margaret Atwood and Nikki Giovanni poems as a freshman in high school. I had some amazing creative writing teachers in high school and college, but I have to give my mother a lot of credit for reading EVERYTHING I have ever written, and for always cheering me on even when the poem or story needs a lot of work.

Q: If you were to let parents, teachers and librarians know ONE THING about Jamie is Jamie?..what would that one thing be?

Afsaneh: This book is a wonderful way to teach children to be inclusive of those who are different from them and to show children who may stand out from others that they deserve to be respected and accepted for who they are.

Q: We love that Jamie is Jamie is about creating a conversation on gender stereotypes. Was there a specific reason you chose this topic? :

Afsaneh: My young daughter wasn’t able to see herself in any of the picture books we were reading to her. It became clear to me that there needed to be a book where kids could be free to be themselves and be appreciated for it, without the limitations of gender stereotypes. I’m also concerned about the push towards making early childhood more academic and wanted to provide adults with a reminder of how important free play is for young children to develop their imagination, cognition, and social skills.

Q: What are you most grateful for?

Afsaneh: I am grateful for my loving, supportive husband and for all of the amazing people in my life who are doing so much to make this world a better place to live in.

Q: Are you planning on creating more children’s books?

Afsaneh: Absolutely! There are still many stories left to tell and a long way to go until we have enough picture books that represent all children.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

Afsaneh: We are living in a moment where there are a lot of divisive and hateful ideas floating around, and I greatly appreciate being part of a community of diverse authors who are doing what we can to create safe spaces for all kids through our books, recognizing different races, ethnicities, genders (including trans and gender neutral), abilities, and religions.

Connect with Afsaneh on YouTube and Twitter.

About The Publisher

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Free Spirit (www.freespirit.com) is the leading publisher of learning tools that support young people’s social-emotional health and their educational needs. Free Spirit’s mission is to help children and teens think for themselves, overcome challenges, and make a difference in the world.

Product details

  • Age Range: 4 – 8 years
  • Grade Level: Preschool – 3
  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing (May 1, 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1631981390
  • ISBN-13: 978-1631981395
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.3 x 8 inches (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars   7 customer reviews

Available at Amazon or FreeSpiritPress.com

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Filed Under: Author Visits, Diverse Book Review, Guest Posts Tagged With: #ReadYourWorld, Author Sponsors, book review, Children's Book Author, diverse picture books, picture book that challenges gender stereotypes

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