Best-selling Author Grace Lin to Speak on Using Books to Incorporate Diversity Into Kids’ Lives

What: “Putting Books to Work”
Who: Grace Lin, New York Times best-selling author and illustrator
When: Tuesday, June 1, 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Where: Online via Zoom Webinar
Cost:  Free with preregistration at https://bit.ly/Lin_June2021 a $5 suggested donation appreciated

We often hear that “diverse” books just don’t circulate, that kids don’t gravitate towards them. If we take this as true, how do we change that? Grace shows ways you can encourage kids to pick up a book that might not be an obvious mirror and open the door for reading diversely. Using her experiences as a child, a mother and an author as examples, Grace talks and discusses ways that we can use books as tools to integrate diversity into our kids’ lives.

Before Grace Lin was an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of picture books, early readers and middle grade novels, she was the only Asian girl (except for her sisters) going to her elementary school in Upstate NY. That experience, good and bad, has influenced her books—including her Newbery Honor, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon; her Theodore Geisel Honor, Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same; her National Book Finalist, When the Sea Turned to Silver; and her Caldecott Honor, A Big Mooncake for Little Star. But, it also causes Grace to persevere for diversity as an occasional New England Public Radio commentator and when she gave her TEDx talk “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf,” as well as her PBS News Hour video essay “What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist?.” She continued this mission with a hundred episodes of the podcast kidlit women* and now currently hosts two other podcasts: Book Friends Forever and Kids Ask Authors. In 2016, Grace’s art was displayed at the White House and Grace, herself, was recognized by President Obama’s office as a Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling.

The June 1 online event is part of the Discovery Museum 2021 Virtual Speaker Series.

Upcoming 2021 Virtual Speaker Series events:

All 2021 events will be presented virtually via Zoom webinar, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, and are free and open to the public. Registration for all events is open now on the Museum’s website at http://bit.ly/DMSpeakerSeries.

Thursday, September 23, “Youth Voices in Climate Change,” with Varshini Prakash, founder of The Sunrise Movement

Thursday, October 21, “An Empowered Life for Children with Disabilities,” with Sara Minkara, Founder, Empowerment Through Integration

These free and open-to-the-public events are made possible by Lead sponsor Foundation for MetroWest, and Investor sponsor Enterprise Bank. Offered in conjunction with the MIT Club of Boston. Thank you.