Rob Sanders

Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the arena of LGBTQ+ literary nonfiction picture books.

Other recent works include Two Grooms on a Cake: The Story of America’s First Gay Wedding (Little Bee Books) and Stitch by Stitch: Cleve Jones and the AIDS Memorial Quilt (Magination Press). He is the author of Stonewall: A Building, An Uprising, A Revolution; Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk; The Fighting Infantryman: The Story of Albert D. J. Cashier: Transgender Civil War Soldier (Little Bee Books); Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg (Henry Holt & Co.) and Bling Blaine: Throw Glitter, Not Shade (Sterling). Rob is co-regional advisor for SCBWI Florida and a frequent speaker, teacher, and critiquer.

A native of Springfield, Missouri, he has lived in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee. After earning a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Religious Education, Rob worked for fifteen years in children’s religious educational publishing as a writer, educational consultant, trainer, editor, editorial group manager, and product developer.

In 2006, Rob moved to Florida and began working as an elementary school teacher. Soon he was serving as a district writing trainer and resource teacher. But he spent most of his career teaching fourth graders about books and words and reading and writing. Rob took early retirement in December 2020 and now is writing full time.

Reviews

Queer and Fearless

“Walking through the closet door./Won’t be silent anymore.” Using a different verse form for each entry, Sanders celebrates 17 “heroes” who were either LGBTQ+ groundbreakers or exemplars, from Harvey Milk and Bayard Rustin (“First a boy who liked to sing./Then a man who moved a King.”) to the less high-profile likes of drag king Stormé DeLarverie and drag queen Marsha P., both of whom, according to the author, played significant roles in the Stonewall uprising. A large reading list and several comments, including one on pronouns, follow a final rousing cheer for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. At least six of the subjects are people of color, and intersectionality develops into a strong secondary theme as racial as well as identity prejudice gets frequent mention in the poems and in the biographical notes that accompany each. Smiles shine in the small painted portraits and also the larger views of each figure placed amid iconic signs or in significant settings that Woodgate contributes; the tone overall is positive and, appropriately enough, proud.”—Booklist

Blood Brothers

“An emotional portrayal of illness, discrimination, and personal growth. Seasoned author Sanders makes his middle-grade novel debut with this story set in 1987 and based on real historical events, as three White hemophiliac brothers contract HIV from blood transfusions. Forced to home-school, the family retreats to the beach, away from their small Florida hometown where gossip and fear spread, until a court decision brings the boys back to school. In addition to addressing emotions related to the illness, oldest brother Calvin, a fifth grader, also documents the numerous social battles facing the family as they deal with hostile interpersonal relationships, misinformation and bigotry, and being ostracized by their church. The situation escalates, and the boys continue to be harassed even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends a representative to intervene and educate the community. Some racial diversity is present in the supporting cast; these characters lack depth and primarily serve to help Calvin realize that the entrenched prejudices of the town’s White majority have harmed others too. As threats escalate, Calvin’s positive relationships with a teacher, a handful of marginalized classmates, and some others challenge him to reckon with his own biases and use his poetry to speak out for justice. The verse format and accessible voice will hold appeal for reluctant readers; the presentation of the subject matter will draw in those who appreciate relationship-driven contemporary and historical stories. Heartbreaking yet hopeful. (photo credits, playlist, author’s note, timeline, historical note, note about HIV and AIDS)” —Kirkus Reviews

The Mother of a Movement

“A good parent shows up—and stands up. Jeanne Manford was an excellent mother. When her son Morty told her that he was gay, she accepted him. When Morty was later attacked while protesting discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, Jeanne took action: She started by writing a letter that was published in the New York Post that declared that she loved her gay son, a groundbreaking move in the 1970s. Jeanne was also a founding member of PFLAG, which began in 1972 as POG, or Parents of Gays, before becoming Parents FLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). In 2014 the group changed its name to just PFLAG to be more inclusive. In rousing prose, Sanders describes how Jeanne helped motivate other loving parents to create a support network of allies who have diligently worked to help defend equal rights for queer individuals. This is a valuable tool for research projects, with backmatter that includes information on Jeanne’s son Morty Manford, PFLAG’s history, a robust list of sources, and an up-to-date selection of other titles about queer history. Jeanne presents as White; racially diverse individuals are represented in the illustrations. The artwork has a timeless feel, though with a hat tip to the earthy tones of the 1970s. Stylish, chic, and strong. Brava!” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

A Song for the Unsung

“This necessary backstory of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom illuminates the significant role played by activist Bayard Rustin in that immensely successful event. Born in 1912, Rustin was raised by his grandmother on Quaker values of nonviolence and awareness of injustices suffered by fellow African Americans. In later years, he “put his feelings about equality and pacifism into action.” Undeterred in his resolve, he was beaten, arrested, and jailed for refusing to give up his seat on a bus or to fight in World War II. Upon his return from India, where he traveled to learn about nonviolent protest from Gandhi’s followers, he introduced the philosophy to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It became the strategy that anchored the civil rights movement. Although rebuked and sidelined because he was gay, Rustin remained committed to his personal agenda of equality for all. Weatherford and Sanders’s engaging and fluid narrative is accentuated with titles of protest songs, alluding to Rustin’s love of music and its importance in the civil rights movement. Acrylics in bold, vibrant colors with collage elements convey the quiet, unassuming demeanor of Rustin as well as the triumphant spirit of the March on Washington. Back matter includes a timeline, information on music and peaceful protests, a copy of the official program, and references.” —The Horn Book

“On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people descended on Washington, DC, to march for jobs and freedom for Black people. Leading the march was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but its orchestrator was Bayard Rustin, a proponent of the nonviolent resistance that would become a hallmark of the civil rights movement. Rustin’s own peaceful protests landed him in jail more than once, and he was passionately committed to civil rights. So why was he unsung during his life? Because, the authors explain, he was a gay Black man, the victim of a different kind of prejudice. Next to civil rights, music was at the center of Rustin’s life—a fact that gives this exemplary picture-book biography the imperative, on nearly every page, to invite readers to sing everything from freedom songs to “We Shall Overcome.” Rustin’s life is beautifully captured by illustrator McCray’s bold, textured artwork—created with acrylics, decorative and handmade papers, newspaper, and sheet music—which harnesses the energy and spirit of the man and the movement. Robust back matter offers further information on Rustin’s life, peaceful protest, and the March on Washington (including a YouTube link to Rustin giving a speech), plus well-curated reading lists. The result is a splendid tribute to a true hero of the civil rights movement.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“Images and sound bites from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, have become familiar fodder for school curriculum on the civil rights movement. Here, however, Weatherford and Sanders introduce a key but overlooked organizer who made the event happen: Bayard Rustin, a gay, Black activist known for his singing voice and his commitment to nonviolent protest. This snapshot of Rustin’s life spans the day of the march, dipping back in time to discuss his childhood in Pennsylvania,his numerous arrests for activism in adulthood, and his trip to India to study nonviolent resistance from followers of Ghandi. Rustin took these ideas back to the states and to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., himself, but his sexuality was seen by some fellow activists as a liability. Still, when the time came to organize the march, A. Philip Randolph brought Rustin on as his deputy. The narrative focus on the day of the march tends to overtake the biographical information, but it does serve to precisely locate Rustin in both time and place during the event. And McCray’s gorgeous collage-and-acrylic illustrations make the book truly memorable, with newsprint and sheet music (often from the gospel and protest songs referenced on each page) adding motion to the rich, saturated hues. Some additional sources about Rustin are included in the back matter, along with a timeline of his life; more prominent are resources on peaceful protests,
music in the civil rights movement, and documents from the day of the march.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A rare tribute to a heroic figure of the civil rights movement. Distinctly underrecognized in books aimed at younger audiences (in large part because he was gay—which the authors note repeatedly), Bayard Rustin well merits the credit he gets here not only for organizing the renowned March on Washington (and speaking at it, too), but for actually introducing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the principles of nonviolent protest after learning pacifism at his Quaker grandmother’s knee, being imprisoned as a conscientious objector during World War II, and traveling to India to learn from Gandhi’s followers. As a younger man, he also sang in a touring quartet, and that musical theme is picked up with a playlist of spirituals and civil rights songs posted throughout. Notable in the generous backmatter is an image of the march’s official program and an excerpted history of peaceful protest (post-Thoreau). McCray captures both a sense of the time’s widespread turmoil and of the march’s grand “mosaic of Americans” in collages that incorporate acrylics, scraps of newspaper, music, and decorated papers. Effectively raises the profile of an African American crusader who was stigmatized for more than his race alone.”—Kirkus Reviews

Stitch by Stitch: Cleve Jones and the AIDS Memorial Quilt

“The book is pretty darn impressive . . . Storytelling and history, beautifully stitched together.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Sanders emphasizes the quilt theme throughout, while aptly conveying Cleve’s milestones: "Cleve soon had/ a patchwork of/ friends…// held together by a/ common thread." When an epidemic—later called AIDS—sweeps through the gay community and beyond, Jones plans the sewn monument to AIDS victims, which was displayed on the National Mall in 1987 before touring the world . . . A rhythmic poem by Sanders, presented in full via the ample back matter, ties this richly informative book together.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Two Grooms on a Cake

 “Sanders tells the tale in easy-to-understand language, sweet as the frosting on the cake, and leaves the bulk of the details for the comprehensive backmatter . . . As beautiful as it is informative about this little-known battle in the fight for equality.”                 —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Stonewall

"This celebration of Stonewall is a welcome addition to the slender shelf of LGBTQ books for younger readers." —Booklist, starred review

"As the text carries readers from past to present, its unusual narrative perspective gives a strong sense of place and community." —Kirkus Reviews

" A moving ode to a cherished place, the brave people who stood for justice, and the victories that continue to lead to change." —Publishers Weekly

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

"Offers little ones an age-appropriate introduction . . . Ebullient . . ."—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

"An uplifting introduction to the symbol of the Rainbow Flag . . . Vibrant and lively . . . Recommended for all collections." —School Library Journal

"A biography LGBTQ rights activists and allies can proudly share with children . . . A hope-filled ode to the rainbow flag."—Kirkus Reviews

"A poignant and uplifting biography."—Publishers Weekly

"A tribute to a leader undertreated in young people’s literature."—The Bulletin of the Center For Children’s Books