I really think the illustrator was a terrible match for this book. The cutesy, cartoony, Disney-esque style makes it seem far too cheerful. Even if the text did a decent job trying to address the complexity of the issue, (though from a scan of reviews, it does’t-I’d love to find a full version of the text somewhere),…

I am a children’s librarian and I am just flummoxed by this book and how it came to be. Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a talented Black children’s illustrator, and she illustrates books that positively represent people of color. I’m not too familiar with Ramin Ganeshram although we do have a few of her books in our…

“Fuck ‘yo cake.”

And no one wants to publish my book “Spic and Span” a book about a Hispanic maid named Raquel Rodriguez and her best friend Rachel Span! A travesty!

Hercules was most likely not super amped about baking George Washington a birthday cake since he actually ran away on Washington’s birthday.

I can see the point that young children aren’t necessarily ready to understand that...

A slave who smiles at his child or looks happily at a blue sky is a different thing from “the only thing that put a smile on Hercules’ face was when Lady Washington walked into the kitchen” (approximate quote). The book shows slaves taking pleasure in their masters’ happiness as if that was their purpose in life. It’s…

Comments like these blithely assume that all people consider slavery inuversally terrible, and a deeply shameful part of American history, but this isn’t the reality at all. There are politicians who talk about the good that slavery did for black people and black families (!!!), and George Washington in particular is…

Seriously. It’s like making a children’s book about any of the times there was a ceasefire in a war because it was Christmas or whatever. Yes. It’s weird to think both sides just put down their weapons and chilled together, then started slaughtering each other again the next day. But they were just people, many of…

She might be out of her depth.....Or she’s a racist asshat. Yeah, I’m going with racist asshat.

Oof, looked the author up and her day job is writing about food and culture. This appears to be her first foray into writing childrens’ books.

People seem to be falling for the “ovaries are dried up and non-functional after 35" line a lot.

Too bad men never seem to go the route of focusing on single/divorced/widowed women who are proven breeders. But those are always either “damaged goods”, or “ugh, she already has children. I only want a family with my own SEED”.

I know!

‘When I consider someone to marry, I have to find someone young enough to have children,” he says. “And the age difference...”

Never mind that your sperm are going to be a problem too, buddy. The male biological clock ticks along too, even if it's less obvious.

So ugh.

Couldn’t speak for Jez editors but I hate everyone except Tom Hiddleston.

Abstaining from sex with clients is a solid idea for most everyone, except where it’s specifically in the job description.

Abstaining from sex with clients is a solid idea for any therapist tbh