Lee Wind
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leewind.bsky.social
Lee Wind
@leewind.bsky.social
Author, Blogger, Make the World a Better Placer. Out to empower Queer Youth and their allies. Out now: LIKE THAT ELEANOR (picture book on allyship and history) and THE GENDER BINARY IS A BIG LIE (nonfiction ages 11+)
#kidlitchat ThankFest 1) Husband & Kiddo 2) Family and Friends 3) #kidlit community 4) books published 5) supportive librarians, booksellers, other adults 6) readers (kiddos & adults) 7) new works-in-progress I'm excited about! Bonus: being healthy enough to enjoy & engage in 1-7
November 26, 2025 at 2:07 AM
yay! thanks to you and @gregpincus.bsky.social for hosting the mosting #kidlitchat
I don't know about you, but I sure could use a #kidlitchat tonight. Fortunately, we have one! Coming up at 9E/6P. See you there!
November 26, 2025 at 1:50 AM
nice! that's a great way to approach wordless picture books #kidlit
"How to read a silent book" like PENCIL: astrapublishinghouse.com/resources/pe...
November 26, 2025 at 1:44 AM
some great #kidlit critique options and even the chance to be a podcast guest!
Help light the creative spark — bid in the Kindling Words auction, and help send writers, illustrators, and editors to a retreat that changed their craft. #kidlit
KW Scholarship Silent Auction
Silent auction 'KW Scholarship Silent Auction' hosted online at 32auctions.
www.32auctions.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:21 PM
lovely, kind, and creative people for the win! Hurray @debbieohi.com and Linda Sue Park -- can't wait to
see this one!
You never know what will come out a broken crayon. #Uplift

More broken crayons, classroom activities, my broken crayon #KidLit picture book with Linda Sue Park: debbieohi.com/resources/re...
November 21, 2025 at 1:48 PM
really interesting and inspiring (that timeline that looks like a road!) thanks for sharing
Blog post about timelines in picture books. Great examples from our KidLit author group. I talk about why there's one in OPENING THE ROAD and the clever illustrated timeline created by @beamingbooksmn.bsky.social Link to a free downloadable poster size copy!
groggorg.blogspot.com/2025/11/what...
November 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I like the idea that the beginning and end need to "shake hands" - so it feels like the PB journey has paid off from the promise of the opening... #kidlitchat
Just my humble opinion, but I think all picture books need to be somewhat circular--otherwise they are more short story than pb. Anyone else agree? #kidlitchat
November 19, 2025 at 3:06 AM
@deborahhalverson.bsky.social knows our #kidlit industry, does the research, and presents it for us -- this is always worth the time! thanks @scbwi.bsky.social
Join veteran editor and author Deborah Halverson for an up-to-the-minute look at the children's publishing industry.

Register here:
www.scbwi.org/events/state...
November 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
loved hearing from these students! (and nice to have good news re: books being un-banned) thanks @heykellyjensen.bsky.social
Last month, eight books were removed from Georgia's statewide reading book for students. It was teenagers who brought this censorship to the spotlight–even though it's not their job to clean up grown-up messes.

Get to know 3 of those teens here.

bookriot.com/teens-who-ov...
Meet the High Schoolers Who Overturned a State Reading Bowl Book Ban: Book Censorship News, November 7, 2025
A Georgia statewide reading bowl banned eight books. These students led the charge to get the bans overturned and succeeded.
bookriot.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
helpful and interesting! thanks @cherylklein.bsky.social
For querying writers: I did a critiques today for an SCBWI conf & got questions about what kind of books you can cite as comps, & I think it’s worth distinguishing between *pitching* comps and *selling* comps. A brief 🧵:
November 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Lee Wind
Were you thrilled & motivated by election results on Tuesday and want in on the next one? If you're a published writer, join us! We provide resources, connect each other to collective actions, and support each other!
AABB Author Sign-Up Form
Hello! We're Authors Against Book Bans, a group of authors who’ve come together to protect and promote the freedom to read on both the national and local levels. We’re creating a network of authors to...
docs.google.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:56 PM
#KidLitLaunches BANANA MENORAH celebrates creativity, a two dad family, and Hanukkah... feeling grateful I get to create #kidlit that would have changed my life if I read it as a kiddo!
November 7, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Banana Menorah Launch Day! (And 8 ways to use a banana as a menorah!) Tip: You don't blow out Hanukkah candles, you just let them dance and enjoy the lights. Illustrated by Karl West, published by Apples & Honey Press.
#lgbtq #kidlit #hanukkah #chanukah #launchday #bookbirthday
November 4, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 1 day to go! Today I share about my picture book coming out TOMORROW… illustrated by Karl West and published by Apples & Honey Press BANANA MENORAH has four wonderful trade reviews, with Kirkus calling it “A Hanukkah tale sure to ignite kids’ creativity.” #lgbtq #kidlit
November 3, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 2 days to go! Today, my third picture book, illustrated by Kelly Mangan and published by Cardinal Rule Press: LIKE THAT ELEANOR. Kirkus gave it a Starred Review and it was blurbed by Eleanor Roosevelt’s great-granddaughter! #lgbtq #kidlit #allies
November 2, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 3 days to go! My second picture book: illustrated by @jietingchenart and published by @reycraft LOVE OF THE HALF-EATEN PEACH. It was an Lambda Literary Award Finalist and was called “stunning” by School Library Journal. #lgbtq #kidlit #lgbthistory
November 1, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 4 days to go! Today, another nonfiction book for readers 11 and up, THE GENDER BINARY IS A BIG LIE, published by @lernerbooks.bsky.social. A SCBWI Golden Kite Award Finalist + Starred Kirkus Review. #lgbtq #kidlit #nonfiction #lgbthistory
October 31, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 5 days to go! Today, my second YA novel (and start of a series), A DIFFERENT KIND OF BRAVE, published by Interlude Press/Duet/Chicago Review Press. It’s a gay teen action adventure romance, that Kirkus Reviews called “Thrilling. Positively thrilling.” #lgbtq #kidlit #ya
October 31, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 6 days to go! Today, my first picture book, RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE, illustrated by @paulozelinsky.com published by @levinequerido.bsky.social The NYT called it “Beautiful… It’s a message the world can use, throughout the year.” #kidlit #socialjustice
October 29, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Lee Wind
Our friends @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social are gathering information about "soft censorship" happening in the US According to School Library Journal, soft censorship is a "quiet banishing that often comes without explanation." If you've seen it in your community, please respond to their survey
Soft Censorship of Diverse Books
WNDB is collecting information on the soft censorship of diverse books across the US. Have you witnessed soft censorship in your community? Please share your experiences below. Your response can be…
docs.google.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Love seeing a librarian I know with a new YA nonfiction book! This one sounds fascinating (and it's great to hear about Angelica's primary source research!)
October 28, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 7 days to go!
My first nonfiction book was NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? published by Zest Books @lernerbooks.bsky.social - it would have changed my life had I read it as an 11 year old. And yes, it changed my life writing it, too. #lgbtq #kidlit #nonfiction #lgbthistory
October 28, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Banana Menorah Countdown: 8 days to go!
Today, my first YA novel, QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL. Crowdfunded via @kickstarter.com and we donated over 900 copies (with help from @bravetrails.bsky.social) to empower Queer and allied teens! #lgbtq #kidlit #ya
October 27, 2025 at 4:04 PM
such a great example of how a backlist title can suddenly have a boost of interest and relevance!
💎🔍Catching a thief that stole jewels from the Louvre? Julieta's been there, done that.💅

To find out how she did it, read Julieta and the Diamond Enigma — a smart middle-grade mystery about a diamond gone missing from the Louvre & the spunky girl who cracks the case. www.leeandlow.com/books/juli...
October 24, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Lee Wind
On the blog today I have a question for you--

Beyond Banned Books Displays: How Did Your Library Celebrate Intellectual Freedom Earlier This Month?

raforall.blogspot.com/2025/10/beyo...
Beyond Banned Books Displays: How Did Your Library Celebrate Intellectual Freedom Earlier This Month?
I am on the Illinois Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee and I just created a survey for IL Libraries asking them to share ...
raforall.blogspot.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:37 PM