The pandemic was pushing groups of people apart because of their personal views on masks and vaccines, heck, it was dividing families as well. Then we started to see hate and violence against racial groups. Unfair and unjust. I started to pay attention to what, if anything, we could do to help. One of our books, Chocolate Milk, Por Favor really resonated with teachers and families during the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s a story about celebrating our differences and practicing empathy instead of hate.

Getting some of our team at Cardinal Rule Press together, we created a plan to do better when it comes to diversity and inclusion in our company and in our brand. We designed an audit and took a hard look at our catalog of books. How could we better represent today’s children? Up to this point, we have been known to showcase modern diversity, but we know there’s always room for growth! Doing this work together, having individuals from several different racial and religious backgrounds chiming in, felt like we were making small strides in the movement of change.

When looking at how we can work together to make change, I think of the story Evie’s Field Day by Claire Annette Noland. The story is about a little girl who is competitive and wants to win (very normal for kids her age!) At the end of the day, she chooses to take one for the team and show kindness instead of winning a ribbon.

Teamwork is something our children need to see modeled on a day to day basis to realize the importance. Even if children do not participate in team sports, they can see how their family members or classmates work together day in and day out.

I was given a beautiful opportunity last year when the state of Michigan allowed teachers with expired certificates to reenter the classroom to help during Covid. I taught for 6 weeks as a reading interventionist, then into the summer as a reading tutor at my kiddos school. It had been years since I worked daily outside the home and it took teamwork from everyone in our family to make it happen!

MARCH 2022 DISCOUNT!

Today we offer you 40% to celebrate the fact that we truly are #BetterTogether. Use the code TEAM to get your discount on the hard or soft cover versions of Chocolate Milk, Por Favor and Evie’s Field Day.



FREE COMMUNITY OFFERINGS

• You are invited to join a Virtual Career Day March 28th @ 2 PM EST. Hear from 5 professionals about their careers. This panel is geared towards K-5 classrooms and homeschool groups. Sign up here!​​
• This Could Be You will come out on April 1st. You are invited to meet the author in person here in Michigan at the Impression 5 Science Center for kids on April 2nd from 11-2. OR hear the author read her book for the first time, virtually on April 1st.