Reach And Teach says:

When Innosante Nagara wrote us a note sharing the idea for this book and wondering if we thought it was a good idea we said "YES!!!!" It has been such a thrill to provide a little guidance along the way as the book went from concept to reality in just a mere matter of months. For every parent (OK, mostly lefty parents) or grandparent who has ever had to read an A-Z board book over and over and over again to a little one, this wonderful new book will bring high-fiving, marching, take-to-the-streets feelings of activist joy instead of the "B" is for Bee (buzz)..... boredom. Don't get us wrong, we love some of the A-Z books out there, especially ones like Amelia to Zora by our friend Cynthia Chin-Lee, but the average A-Z board book.... not so much. This is NOT your father's A-Z board book! You'll love it.

Crossing our fingers that perhaps this might be the next Go the BLANK to Sleep! (A book that a small publisher took on that has now helped fund many other worthwhile projects that might otherwise not get funded.)

About the Book:

A is for Activist is an ABC board book that I’ve written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: Families that want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and so on.

The rhymes are fun for the kids to hear and play with, but also meaningful for us grownups. It was important to me that the book be one that I too would enjoy reading over and over—not something I’d want to hide after day 3, even if my son loved it. The illustrations are also multi-layered. Your kid will find something they can learn to recognize on each page. There are new things to discover over multiple readings. There are references for grownups to “get”, and maybe even be a conversation starter down the line. Oh, and there’s always a cat.

About the Author/Illustrator (from the A Is for Activist web site):

I’m a founding member of Design Action Collective, a worker owned cooperative design studio in Oakland that is dedicated to “serving the Movement”. I’m very lucky to be able to do what I do best (graphic design) for the people and organizations I respect the most (the Movement) towards that what is most important to me (meaningful social change).

Normally I restrict myself to working with efforts by organizations towards tangible goals. But if it’s not obvious, I’m also the father of a two year old. So having an ABC book that reflected my values and was fun to read became very important. We live in a wonderful cohousing community in North Oakland (we call it the Orchard). My son is the youngest of the 8 kids who have all been coming up together in our community. The eldest is now 12, so while Arief is our first, I’ve been reading kids books for a while. But now that it’s every night and every morning, suddenly this book has became a priority.

A is for Activist is my first children’s book.