RAISING LUMINARIES
Raising Luminaries creates workshops, training, and educational resources for parents & caregivers igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.
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Let's explore
Tricksters & Cultural Fluency
Tricksters - Story characters who reveal unspoken rules of their culture and disobey the culture's power structure.
Cultural Fluency - Understanding the differences what different groups consider acceptable behavior, and using that knowledge to treat members of other cultures in a way that feels respectful.
SMASH THE KYRIARCHY
Why Act Now?
Reading trickster stories from around the world increases our cultural fluency and inspires us to consider which cultural rules we're willing to break. Tricksters reveal the unspoken rules of a culture by breaking the rules and facing consequences so kids don't have to test misbehavior on their own.
Tricksters often push up against entrenched power systems - whether as underdogs or petulant brats, they give us a creative outlet to imagine life without the restrictions of social expectations.
In raising a generation of kind and courageous activists, we share trickster stories to show kids that there are both benefits and unavoidable consequences to rejecting the status quo.
Trickster Toolkit For Clever Kids
Cultural Fluency & Survival Strategies For Surviving Fascism
STEP 1: 5 MINUTES
Get Curious: Pick A Story
Which stories and videos make you interested in learning more about this issue?
CHOSEN BY KYRIARCHY-SMASHING KIDS
Best Trickster Stories For Kids
Find Trickster Stories that connect to your family's culture and stories told with permission from Indigenous elders local to you.
STEP 2: 10 MINUTES
Ask Questions
Talk about this topic with an adult who you trust to be honest with you..
Which...
Which trickster characters do we feel kinship with? Which do we disagree with?
Which trickster stories did we inherit from our ancestors?
Which stories are indigenous to the people and places we call home?
Who...
Who is allowed to share these stories? Under what conditions?*
How do these stories connect us to our ancestors, and to each other?
How...
How have these stories changed over time?
How can we learn what the people who share this story view as 'good' or 'naughty' behavior from the way they tell the story?
How do our favorite tricksters help us identify rules worth breaking?
*Do your research and be respectful of the people whose culture the story belongs to before sharing a trickster story.
Many stories, particularly those originating from Indigenous and First Nations people through Turtle Island, are respected as living or told as a closed practice due to cultural and historical reasons- or under threat of distortion from colonizers, can only be shared by authorized storytellers.
Some may only be shared during specific events and seasons. Some stories are sung, or shared in a rhythm of call-and-response.
Some trickster stories coincide with religious faiths and cultural creation stories, while others are relatively recent additions from pop culture. Some must be told exactly the same while others are welcome for anyone to make their own spin on them.
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Tackle tricky conversations with confidence
Need help starting hard conversations with your kids?
Get stories, tips, and tools to ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.
STEP 3: USE WHAT YOU HAVE
Get Creative
Flex your brain using what you've learned & discover what's within your control to change.
Infants & Toddlers
Crib Mobile for Baby Troublemakers
Welcome a sense of rebellion and critical thinking early with your infant with high-contrast, newborn-friendly calls to rebel against the system. This downloadable PDF guidebook includes Sun Wukong (Monkey King) printables that will make the boring folks in your life question your parenting choices and back away slowly, so you have more room for mischief-making.
Pre-K
Sun Wukong (Monkey King) Affirmation Cards
Trace or print these full-color printable affirmation cards to give you a pep of energy when you've had enough of this bullshit kyriarchy and are ready to wreak havoc on systemic injustice.
Elementary+
Trickster Bingo
Listen to stories of tricksters both familiar and new to your family. Start with this bingo chart of popular tricksters in lore, faith, and stories from around the world.
Elementary+
How To Draw A Nine-Tailed Fox
Simple step-by-step guide on how to draw a chibi-style Nine-Tailed fox, via Aram of How To Draw For Kids.
Create a drawing of your favorite trickster and tell us about your creation in the comments below.
RAISING LUMINARIES
Raising Luminaries creates workshops, training, and educational resources for parents & caregivers igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.
ABOUT | MISSION | FINANCIALS | ACCOUNTABILITY
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
STAY IN TOUCH
Get free email notifications with stories, toolkits, guides to help you raise kind & courageous leaders
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JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
SHOP
Posts may contain affiliate links and sponsorships, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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Luminary Braintrust
Feeling overwhelmed by the rising forces of fascism?
From protecting our public schools to safeguarding civil rights, the Luminary Braintrust helps you find clever ways to survive and care for each other when our rights are under attack.
Not a member yet? Join the Luminary Braintrust.
STEP 4: ASSESS YOUR CAPACITY
Step Into Your Power: Take Action
Whether it's time, money, or our voice - we all have something to contribute.
if you have 10 minutes
Unite Against Book Bans
Children's book censorship targets the traditional and lived stories of BIPOC, LGBTQi2S+, disabled, and other people forced into silence and stigma. Learn how to advocate against censorship with in your local elections to end and prevent book bans motivated by bigotry.
DIG DEEPER
Bonus Resources
Share what worked for your family (and what didn't).
Add the resources you suggest in the comments below to help families like yours.
WATCH
Trickster Playlist
Collecting our favorite trickster stories for older kids & adults as we find good ones. Share your favorites in the comments.
Via Raising Luminaries
READ
Subverting Racist Gatekeeping in Kidlit
Zetta Elliott advocates for opportunities so under-represented creators can share their stories - and how to circumvent the gatekeepers who prefer us silent.
via Zetta Elliott
JOIN
Is Your Fave Kids Movie Problematic?
Join me as I unpack a new kids movie every week to celebrate diverse representation and rip apart problematic tropes.
via our Luminary Braintrust Membership Community
FLAUNT
Shake Whatcha Got
I couldn't resist making some subversive kids shirts out of our Rebel Baby Mobile graphics.
Grab a trickster t-shirt with Sun Wukong,' Nezha about to set shit on fire, or a pooping bunny. Your orders support my work on this toolkit.
Stay Curious, Stand Brave & Smash The Kyriarchy
Raising Luminaries reduces the workload on overworked caregivers
igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders
Ashia (they/them or she/her)
Raising Luminaries is founded & run by me, Ashia Ray – an Autistic, multiracial (Chinese/Irish) 2nd-generation settler raising two children alongside my partner on the homelands of the Wampanoag and Massachusett people. I support families and educators in raising the next generation of kind & courageous leaders, so we can all smash the kyriarchy together.
Reciprocate & Contribute
Help me keep these resources free & accessible for all
RAISING LUMINARIES
Raising Luminaries creates workshops, training, and educational resources for parents & caregivers igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.
ABOUT | MISSION | FINANCIALS | ACCOUNTABILITY
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
STAY IN TOUCH
Get free email notifications with stories, toolkits, guides to help you raise kind & courageous leaders
FREE STUFF
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
SHOP
Posts may contain affiliate links and sponsorships, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
PARTNERS IN CAHOOTS
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You’re welcome to share & boost this toolkit, with attribution to Raising Luminaries.
Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.
©2025 Ashia Ray of Raising Luminaries™. All rights reserved.
This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links. Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.
Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.
Sharing this post on social media? Use this image description to make it accessible. [Image description: Illustration from ‘Baby Feminists’ by Libby Babbott-Klein & Jessica Walker. Two baby solidarity fists in the air, one with brown skin, one with light skin.’]
Baby Feminists: A Lift The Flap Book
Board Book & Interactive Books, Best for ages 6 months – 6 years
Keep Raising Luminaries & Books for Littles 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. If you’re into supporting libraries (please do!) more than consumerism, you can also support my work directly:
Donate or shop using an affiliate link via| Paypal | Venmo | Ko-fi | Buy a t-shirt | Buy a book
I didn’t think a board book could engage my 4-year-old…
…but R2 has asked to read this Baby Feminists every single day for over a month now.
The trick is to act completely surprised every time he lifts a flap.
Before she became a leader, RBG was…a famous lawyer? Head of her class? A toaster? TELL ME – WHAT WAS SHE?!
OH MY GOSH NO WAY, I never would have expected even the great and powerful RBG was a BABY! Just like you were! Just like me!
Does that mean….even WE could go on to become luminaries who smash the kyriarchy TOO?!
This is your go-to book for…
- Toddlers & Preschoolers
Let’s say… 6 months through 6 years. The flaps are easy for infants working on fine motor control, but the premise just gets funnier as kids get older. - Baby shower gifts
For future-parents with a sense of humor. - First-bedtime book of the night.
It’s enticing enough to draw kids into the bedtime story transition, but since we do a lot of giggling and mock-surprise goofing, this is the kind of book that riles kids up, not down. Best to pull this out as bait, and then transition to a slow and sleeping book right after. - Pediatrician waiting rooms.
I would switch pediatricians over something like this.
I’d collect this in a book basket with…
- Woke Baby
- Dream Big, Little One
- Feminism is for Boys (disclosure: the publisher sent me a free copy of this)
- Feminist Baby Finds Her Voice (But not Feminist Baby, the prequel is…not great)
You might also like: Raising Tomorrow’s Fathers – Children’s Books With Feminist Dads
Are these makers #OwnVoices?
Author: Libby Babbott-Klein (she/her)
Illustrator: Jessica Walker (she/her)
Sure, let’s call this #OwnVoices. The book is about babies who grow up to be feminists. And I am pretty sure both of these makers are former babies.
Learn more about #OwnVoices, coined by Corinne Duyvis.
How we calculate the overall awesomeness score of books.
Transparency & Cahoots!
I borrowed a copy of this book from our local library (which we support with donations) and screened it with my kiddos at age 4 & 6.
Get Updates & Stay Connected
If my work makes it easier for you to raise kind & courageous kiddos, you can keep these resources free for everybody by sharing this post with your friends and reciprocate by supporting my work directly.
Ways to support: Paypal | Venmo | Ko-fi | Buy a t-shirt | Buy a book | Buy toothpaste | Subscribe to Little Feminist Book Club
But if your resources are limited – first support OUTright Youth of Catawba Valley – providing support & safe community for LGBTQ youth & allies in an anti-LGBTQiA2S+ community.
Sharing this post on social media? Use this description to make it accessible: [Image description: Illustration from ‘Escargot,’ by Dashka Slater & Sydney Hanson. A snail stares hisses in horror at a pile of carrot slices.]
Escargot
Recommended for ages 3-7
Keep Raising Luminaries & Books for Littles 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. If you’re into supporting libraries (please do!) more than consumerism, you can also support my work directly:
Donate or shop using an affiliate link via| Paypal | Venmo | Ko-fi | Buy a t-shirt | Buy a book
Is it offensive for an adorable snail in a picture book…to be French?
Aside from the outfit, and the fact that he’s a gourmand, the book doesn’t reinforce any French stereotypes (so far as I can tell).
So I think it’s…okay? I mean, delicious buttery snails and a salad with a light vinaigrette IS French cuisine, and they are délicieux.
And I really NEED this book to be okay, because I don’t think I can handle it if I have to stop reading it with my kids.
This is, by far, the most adorable, endearing, little book. And the story is HILARIOUS. No book has ever received so many kisses from our family. When Escargot shows off his handsomeness (he’s super body-positive) and tries to scare away a carrot I LOSE IT.
Crying. I laugh so hard I CRY. Every single time.
If you’re actually French and find this book super problematic, I’m open to listening.
BUT ALSO I am crossing my fingers that it’s okay because OH. MY. GOSH. This book is SO FREAKING GOOD.
R2 pulls this book out whenever he’s feeling vulnerable or just needs a good laugh.
I’m pretty sure my terrible French accent for Escargot is problematic, but given France’s history of colonization and genocide and the low rate of hate crimes against French people in the US, let’s consider my linguistic butchering fair play.
Anyhoo – the story is just adorable and lovely. Perfect for those years when kids start to wrestle with self-esteem (around 4+, or forever, if you’re a US president) – including all that comes with it. Insecurity that shows up as obnoxious boasting, desperately needing to be the best, constantly seeking reassurance and praise.
It’s even a bit interactive – Escargot requires the occasional helping hand or reassuring kiss).
You might also like: Books That Make Us Laugh Every Time
How we calculate the overall awesomeness score of books.
Stay Curious, Stand Brave, and laugh so hard you pee a little
If my work makes it easier for you to raise kind & courageous kiddos, you can keep these resources free for everybody by sharing this post with your friends and reciprocate by supporting my work directly.
Ways to support: Paypal | Venmo | Ko-fi | Buy a t-shirt | Buy a book | Buy toothpaste | Subscribe to Little Feminist Book Club
But if your resources are limited – first join me in supporting Juxtaposition Arts, a Black-led visual arts center preparing and inspiring young artists in Minneapolis to thrive in creative careers through education and entrepreneurship.