Words Take Wing: Honoring Diversity in Children’s Literature

We met our initial goal! Please support our new stretch goal of $3,500.

Join us to support the Words Take Wing fund

Since 2005, more than 20,000 Sacramento-area school children have benefited from Words Take Wing: Honoring Diversity in Children’s Literature. This annual celebration, held each February, invites students to hear directly from acclaimed authors and illustrators of diverse children’s literature as they share their personal journeys and creative processes. Through stories highlighting Native American heritage, Asian culture, African American experiences, Latino identity, and more, students are encouraged to explore a wide range of perspectives and worldviews.

Words Take Wing strives to inspire students to tell their own stories and to envision their futures in new ways. For many young scholars, it is their first experience meeting an award-winning author, and for others, their first time stepping onto a university campus. Gifts make this transformative experience possible for children across the region.

Visiting authors also recognize the program’s profound impact. “During my time as a Words Take Wing author at UC Davis, I was encouraged and bolstered in my belief that books can have a powerful impact in children’s lives,” said 2025 author Mitali Perkins. “And best of all, I met zealous, astute educators in formation who value what we authors do and link elbows with us in this shared mission of strengthening the soul of a child with good stories.”

Your gift provides support for the program and will help us continue the tradition of inviting award-winning, diverse authors to share their work with students in our region.