We expected the answer. We knew it was coming. But still, it tore at us: Over and over, these authors said, "I didn't. I didn't see myself."

At Scholastic, we are proud to publish books that give all children the chance to see themselves as heroes. But we know that we still have work to do. And part of that work is listening.

So, this week, in celebration of Pride Month, we are spotlighting some of our LGBTQ+ authors who are writing to fill the void they felt growing up.

Contributing authors:

• Bill Konigsberg, author of Honestly Ben
• Sarah Moon, author of Sparrow
• Alex Gino, author of George
• Kody Keplinger, author of Run
• Will Walton, author of I Felt a Funeral In My Brain
• Jessica Verdi, author of And She Was
• Billy Merrell, author of Vanilla

Additional resources:

• Listen to episode #50: I Exist: Why Representation in Children's Books Matters
• Learn more about Scholastic's #ReadWithPride campaign

Special thanks:

• Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
• Sound mix and editing by Chris Johnson
• Produced by Emily Morrow