A few weeks ago I got the most delightful email that said, “So, you like
free stuff, Ben likes pink, and Birdy’s a bad-ass. I’m putting together
a little care package for you.” [full disclosure: it actually said,
“and Birdy likes to read.”] It turns out that Craig Wiesner owns Reach and Teach:
the peace and social justice learning company, which is a
book/toy/education store in San Mateo, California. Gender, race,
sexuality, class, poverty, global economic injustice, different
abilities, different family configurations. . . they have all kinds of
amazing stuff, about all kinds of important things. As evidenced by the
care package that arrived in the mail, which included these awesome
coloring books:
I love these
coloring books, because they manage to be simultaneously witty and
political. Which is what this photo caption would be like, if it were
witty. And political.
There’s nothing
that makes your kids seem more grown-up than their suddenly being *not*
offended by coloring books! Mine have passed through the humiliated
loathing of them and are now at the stage of ironic appreciation.
I used to have a
fluorescent-green Queer Nation “Fuck the Patriarchy” sticker on the back
of my thrift-store suede jacket. Sigh. Those were the days (of my
badass glory).
We had a Big Gay Wedding to go to, and so I xeroxed a few pages so the kids could make their cards.
Which came out
simultaneously beautiful and corny and fun. (For long-time readers: one
of the brides was our friend Anni, who lived with us the year her baby
Frankie was born. Ben played the Kris Delmhorst song “Birds of Belfast” on the piano during their ceremony, and we all sang and cried.)
We actually
xeroxed some extra pages for kids (and grown-ups) at the wedding to
color, but we were too busy rejoicing to get out the crayons.
Coincidentally–or,
um, not really–the kids picked out fabulous outfits for the wedding.
Birdy is so psyched about this jacket that she just inherited from Ben.
And the tie, which my mom bought her after Birdy oohed and ahhed over it
at the Salvation Army.
Even Strawberry got cool and fancy in his awesome off-the-shoulder pink cashmere dress.
Ben is the kind of kid who has to politely ask the inn-keepers if they might happen to have a lint-roller he can borrow.
How did I become the straight dresser? I’m almost offended by myself!
Anyways, congratulations Anni and Gree, and thank you again, Craig. And I
hope you guys will hit up Reach and Teach for all your social justice
and coloring book needs. They are so completely awesome–and not just
because they sent me free stuff. Seriously.
Have a good weekend, my darlings!
xo
Sometimes the Spoon Runs Away with Another Spoon Coloring Book
