Earlier this summer for Pride Month, Maplewood resident Alison Prato partnered with Realtor Vanessa Pollock to place free copies of Prato’s children’s book, Beautiful Bird, into every Little Free Library they could find throughout Maplewood and South Orange.
Together they distributed 54 books to Little Free Libraries, local libraries and to the Pride Shabbat dinner, Prato said, with one simple goal: “helping more children and families discover stories that reflect the many beautiful ways families are created.”
Prato said Beautiful Bird was inspired by the true story of a family created through donor conception and celebrates LGBTQ+ families, IVF and family building in all its forms.
In her newsletter during Pride Month, Pollock asked her readers to let her know if there were any little free libraries near them so she and Prato could get the book into as many locally as possible.
“I have always loved the Little Free Libraries. There’s something so magical about them,” Pollock wrote. “A book appears when you least expect it. A story finds its way into your hands. A child discovers a character who reminds them of themselves or someone they love….Beautiful Bird celebrates LGBTQ+ families, families built through assisted reproductive technology, and all the many beautiful ways families are created. At its heart, it’s a story about belonging. And if you’ve been reading these newsletters for a while, you know that belonging is something I care deeply about.”
Vanessa Pollock, left, and Alison Prato distributed the books to 54 Little Free Libraries, libraries and to Pride shabbot. (Photo courtesy Alison Prato)
For Prato, who is also a journalist and longtime infertility advocate who hosts a podcast titled Infertile AF, it was especially meaningful to bring this project to the Little Free Libraries.
“This project means so much to me because every child deserves to see themselves reflected in the books they read. By placing these stories in Little Free Libraries throughout the community, we’re making representation more accessible while helping spark important conversations about the many different ways families are built. My hope is that these books help children feel seen, encourage empathy and remind families that everyone’s story deserves a place on the shelf.”
Prato, an “IVF mom” herself, wrote her first book, Work of ART, to tell her own family’s story about how her second child was born through IVF.
“[It] was my way of celebrating the two different ways my children were born (one without assisted reproduction, and one created in a lab!). There are so many more stories to tell — and I can’t wait for the next book, Petri Dish Princess, about Elizabeth Carr, the first IVF baby in the United States, to come out this fall.”
Alison Prato delivering her books to af Free Little Library. (Photo courtesy of Alison Prato)
