Using Picture Books as Mentor Texts in the Classroom with Lee & Low

Maya Gonzalez

Maya Gonzalez is an award-winning children’s book artist, author, activist and progressive educator.  Maya’s work addresses systemic inequity in relation to race/ethnicity, sexism and cissexism using children’s books as radical agents of change and healing, both personally and culturally. Maya co-founded Reflection Press, a POC, queer and trans owned independent publishing house that uses holistic, nature-based, and anti-oppression frameworks in their books and materials for kids and grown-ups. Maya is also the creator of the Gender Wheel, a tool to express the dynamic, infinite and inclusive reality of gender, and provides trainings to educators, parents and caregivers.

Lesléa Newman

Lesléa Newman is the author of seventy books for readers of all ages. She has received numerous awards for her work, including two Stonewall Book Award Honors and a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Newman is also a popular presenter at conferences, libraries, and schools. She lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts, with her spouse, Mary Grace Vazquez. Learn about Newman’s children’s books at lesleakids.com.

Katie Potter

Katie Potter is the Senior Literacy Manager at Lee & Low Books. She is responsible for writing and developing the rigorous Teacher’s Guides and Educator Resources for all frontlist titles, in addition to working with university professors and nonprofit organizations on how to incorporate diverse, multicultural literature into curriculum and syllabi.