Raising Luminaries & Books for Littles are free and accessible for readers who can’t afford a paywall. Posts may contain affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check out the full affiliate disclosure along with my statement of accountability.

Let’s Explore World Faith & Religion

Respecting and supporting the religious and cultural practices of others doesn’t threaten our faith, it’s just makes it stronger.

As an athiest-agnostic family, our kids have a healthy appreciation and respect for folks of faith. With these stories, we see how the foundation of our values are rooted in the same humane principles of justice, love, and interdependence.

Read:

• Winter Candle (ages 7-11)
• My Grandma and Me (ages 4-8)
• Yaffa and Fatima (ages 3.4-9)
• *Dear Mama God (ages 3-7)
• *Finding Om (ages 4-8)
• *A Lion’s Mane (ages 4-8)

Additional resources to dig deeper into this topic:

• How We Are All Connected – Interfaith Kids Books for the Winter Solstice
• Progressive Kids Books About Faith, Religion,& Spirituality – many religions are under-represented in this list, mostly because the big 4 publishers aren’t interested in publishing any stories beyond popular monotheistic religions with wealthy members.
• Interfaith friendship stories
• Books For Littles Favorite Winter Stories
• How Kids Look For The Good In Folks with ‘Oskar And The Eight Blessings’
• Cozy Kid’s Books To Warm Up Your Winter
• For adults: Parenting Forward Podcast: Cindy Wang Brandt helps parents heal from religious trauma, break toxic cycles, and raise children with healthy spirituality and conscious citizenship.
• *Saffron Press, Sikh-owned indie publisher fights discrimination with gorgeous books
• *Circumventing white fragility with South Asian indie press, Mango & Marigold
• Kids Stories About Muslim Experiences – Beyond the Month of Ramadan
• Raising Luminaries Devotionals for Radically Inclusive Agnostic Atheist Parents
• From Cerebellum: Was it a Cult? Childhood Poetry & Tea Time

*Disclosure and transparency! Daneen A. (author of Dear Mama God), Sailaja J. founder of Mango & Marigold Press (Finding Om), Navjot K., founder of Saffron Press (A Lion’s Mane), and Cindy Wang Brandt of Parenting Forward are friends of mine, and some have sent me free review copies of their books.

Raising Luminaries & Books for Littles are free and accessible for readers who can’t afford a paywall. Posts may contain affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check out the full affiliate disclosure along with my statement of accountability.

Let’s learn about vaccinations and herd immunity

We got the Earthquakes vaccinated for both the flu and Covid, and oh my gosh, such sweet relief. If your kids are able and it’s accessible for your family, be a hero and get a shot. Herd immunity helps keep our most vulnerable community members safe.

For those of you who can’t be vaccinated due to having younger kids or health limitations, holding space for you, and I recognize this pandemic isn’t over, and it’s still up to us to wear masks and avoid crowds and foolish behavior. You deserve to be safe and it’s our responsibility as potential vectors to ensure that.

For those of you with kids who aren’t familiar with vaccines, who have vaccine-hesitant family who don’t understand the science – or how herd immunity works, – or don’t understand how it’s not only about you, or you can’t catch my autism through medicine (!!!), here are a few books to help.

They’re also helpful for kids who are less-than-wild about getting poked by sharp things, who are kind and brave, but still have some anxiety.

Stay save, spread hope, not germs!

Read:

• Baby Medical School: Vaccines (ages 3+) for a simple explanation of how vaccines work
• For kids who are nervous about shots, try The Little Ouch (ages 3-10)
• Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor (ages 4-7)
• Thank You, Dr. Salk (ages 4-8)

Discuss

• What is the difference between actual illness and symptoms and side-effects of a vaccine response?
• Why do we get vaccines even though we’re not currently sick?
• Some parents refuse to vaccinate their children because they are afraid. What are they afraid of?
• What is the anti-vaxx movement? What assumptions does this movement make about our responsibility to keep others safe?

Take action

• Book a covid vaccination for your child or yourself
• Help someone who faces barriers getting vaccinated, for example:
  • Overwhelmed parents who might not have time to spare booking a vaccination (this is a surprisingly big hurdle).
  • Families who need transportation but are uncomfortable with public transportation and ride-shares due to exposure risk.
  • Families who have transportation, but can’t take time off (work, school, getting dinner on the table, caring for younger children or elders, etc.) for vaccinations.
  • Vaccine-hesitant families who need someone to take them seriously in a conversation. Be the person who can just listen to their concerns without trying to convince them or bend to your will. Affirming that their fears are a sign they want to do best for their kids, and asking what information they need and for how they want to move forward – is a great way to support families and open minds.

Resources to dig deeper:

• The Neurodivergent Narwhals explain Coronavirus
• Stories to help your kids understand vaccines & herd immunity
• Motivating Kids To Protect Others With ‘Do Not Lick This Book’
• Inclusive Kids Books about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics
• Kids Books For Pandemic Life
• Books to brighten days home sick
• Books To Reassure Kids During Coronavirus Isolation
• Whenever the Earthquakes get a little uppity and superior about ‘knowing better’ than anti-vaxxers, I like to knock a bit of humility into them with: What is the Dunning-Kruger effect? (9+)
• Vaccines do not cause autism (8+)
• Unpacking the vaccines and autism medical myth (8+)
• Plain Language Guides: What you need to know about COVID 19 vaccines for children video & Easy Read Guide, via ASAN

[Video description: R2 explains for other kids what to expect from the first covid vaccination Captions available.]

Raising Luminaries & Books for Littles are free and accessible for readers who can’t afford a paywall. Posts may contain affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check out the full affiliate disclosure along with my statement of accountability.

Let’s explore radical generosity

When we demonstrate radical generosity with our kids, we give without an expectation of getting anything back in return. Reciprocation is a healthy part of interdependence, but without rampant radical generosity, we just live in a transactional world of cold capitalism and a widening wealth gap.

Radical generosity is not setting ourselves on fire to keep others warm. It’s not violating our own boundaries, becoming a martyr, or silently suffering.

Radical generosity requires strong, resilient, transparent boundaries. As the Tomte in The Tomten and the Fox says to the starving fox he’s chosen to care for: ‘No eating hens!’ We’re allowed to choose who we support, what that support looks like, and under what circumstances we’re willing to do so. Being generous doesn’t mean being a doormat.

Radical generosity does not mean throwing gifts at everyone we know, just for the sake of giving. It’s not showing up to every invitation. Radical generosity means listening to what people really need, understanding how supporting them benefits our wider community – and then asking ourselves if we’re willing, and able to help them get there.

Sometimes that sounds like a thoughtful, conditional ‘Yes. I will do that for you, with the conditions...’ Sometimes that looks like a compassionate, honest, “Thank you for the opportunity to help, but no, I can’t.” without apology, and without feeling the need to justify our ‘no,’

Read:

• Extra Yarn (ages 4-7)
• The Tomten and the Fox (ages 3-6)
• No Water No Bread (ages 4-8)

Discuss:

• When have we felt happy to give?
• What do we find is easy to give? Acts of service? Gifts or donations? Our time, attention, or care?
• When have we felt obligated to give? How did it make us feel?
• When do we feel uncomfortable saying ‘no’? How can we role-play and practice our ‘no‘?
• How do we show appreciation for what we received?
• Have we ever felt the urge to ‘get even‘ with a return gift after receiving a kindness? Did it feel like healthy appreciation, or a competition to show off?

More resources to dig deeper:

• How we strengthen our communities with Kids Books about Radical Interdependence
• More Stories Cultivating Gratitude & Appreciation
• More Stories to discuss Courageous Generosity
• Kids books on building and respecting boundaries
• For Luminary Braintrust members: Unpacking Greed in Spirited Away

Let’s learn about the Gregorian New Year

Since we celebrate the Lunar New Year, we don’t make a big deal out of the Gregorian one.

But if you’re looking for some books to ring in the new year, or enjoy learning a few traditions beyond staying up too late and smooching strangers (this pandemic ruins everything!!!), here are a few sweet stories.

When is it?

• Gregorian New Year happens on January 1, although it seems like New Year’s Eve on 12/31 is the actual Big Deal date.

Read:

• A Song of Frutas (ages 4-8)
• Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas (ages 3-8)
• Greet the Dawn (ages 6+)

Additional resources to dig deeper into this topic:

• Kids stories for the Gregorian New Year
• Books for Littles Best Books of 2022