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Alessandra Requena

@readwithriver

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🌈”Amusingly Absurd”-says Kirkus
🇨🇦sharing the things that delight me.
📖I DON’T CARE WHAT SIMON SAYS @tundrabooks Oct’26

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Invite me to visit your school! Applications are now open for the Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program! Hate paperwork don’t worry so do I! This one is super simple to fill out (name, school, date, they don’t even ask your favourite colour or anything!)
These dates will be for fall/winter visits and it just so happens I happen to have my Bachelor’s of education laying around somewhere and I specialize in Kindergarten music so this is one visit that you can rest easy for. If you want…or we could plan my visit to come as part of a larger unit around writing or editing? Comedy writing technique workshops? Got you covered.
If you’re interested let me know below and I will message you! Or send me a message!
#ontarioeducation
#ontarioteachers #ontarioschools taken in Ontario, Canada by @readwithriver

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2 months ago

Flirted so hard I ended up the bride in an Indian wedding on a tiger reserve in the jungle, during a monsoon. (Bet you couldn’t tell where that sentence was going next!)

My wife has always dreamed of having a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, with her people in India, and while it might have taken a number of work arounds we were able to do that. I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next but I think that is mostly the case for me in life, and with sentences.
Being queer can make it difficult to be able to do the rituals and participate in traditions that we were part of growing up as children, and nobody really talks about how hard that part can be, but we find our ways together. I am so happy I was able to give my wife the wedding they dreamed of when they were a child. Hopefully I can give them all the things they dreamed of.

This is a few months after the fact but our friend took a bunch of these gorgeous photos and I wanted to share them. There were more people at the three day ceremonies but I have kept them out of the photos because I don’t want anyone living in India to get into trouble over this.
@thetinyactivists on the other hand is begging for some trouble as always so there she is, along for this ride saying “yes, and…” taken in India by @readwithriver

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a month ago

Get a copy of "The Boy Who Cried Poop!" This holiday season from anywhere, and I'll send you a signed book plates for it. Just dm me the delivery address and who to make it out to.
Illustrated by @guikarsten and published by @quartokids
Bookstore hosting this event @high_five_books

#bigsisterlittlebrother
#siblinggoals
#kidsbookstagrammer taken in Massachusetts by @readwithriver

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3 years ago

You have more power than you think over the books that appear on the shelves, and the bookstores that stay open in your neighbourhood. You can fight book bans by supporting new books.
Preorder the books from the authors you want to see more of.

#authorsofinstagram #kidsbookstagram #weneeddiversebooks #bannedbooksweek taken in Toronto, Ontario by @readwithriver

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11 days ago

It’s #bannedbooksweek and this is one of those hot button issues that will get us to info dump all over you in line at the grocery store. Book banning is quieter and more ubiquitous than most people are aware of, but the impact is extreme. It’s important that we spread information about what is happening all around us, how a very small vocal sect of people with a lot of privilege are interfering in how books are made available to readers in order to control our society as much as possible. Freedom to read is freedom to know what is happening in our world, censorship is robbing readers and especially children of the opportunity to connect with people who live different lives than them and bridge gaps in the future. Banning books is barring change for the better and we all need to be as vocal as possible to break down these barriers and bring that change.
#canadianbooks #bannedbooks #literacyforall I don’t care what Simon Says taken in Canada by @readwithriver

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14 days ago

🚨 Save the date! 📅 Join us Sunday, October 25th at 1pm for a storytime and launch of I DON’T CARE WHAT SIMON SAYS with author Alessandra Requena.

A girl new to the game of Simon Says takes it way too far and becomes the omnipotent ruler of a kingdom full of puppies and cakes in this hilarious picture book.

Pre-order the book now from our webstore (link in stories) by @readwithriver

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25 days ago

By the power vested in my literary agent I am now wed to my beloved. It was perhaps a slightly unusual choice but I decided if I were to be married it absolutely had to be in Lucy’s garden, and they were kind enough to oblige my request. So we all flew to Oxford to celebrate with Pimms, and James and Lucy even managed to get cakes designed after the cakes featured in my upcoming book (more on that later). It couldn’t be more perfect, but then when your friends are all writers get ready for a touching and eloquent if somewhat untraditional ceremony.
So grateful for @thecatchpoles throwing the event, and Kelly @inclusivestorytime and Coco & Lee @thetinyactivists for coming on this journey with us and making this so utterly perfect. I’m sure I’ll have more to say and share on this but this is me officially breaking the seal so everyone else can share ahahahaha.
Love you all xx Ale taken in Oxford, Oxfordshire by @readwithriver

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3 months ago

We are coming out of semi-book-reviewing-retirement to bring you THE book of the summer, Fifi has read it four times “Sunflowers & Lavender” by Maisy Valais @toastchild published by @littlebeebooks
Here is River & Fifi’s synopsis and breakdown for you all,
“It’s two girls who meet at the supermarket. They fall in love in front of beans. They keep trying to get together but they’re kind of awkward. And everyone is some kinda gay!I like it because everyone is some kinda gay! And also cuz someone has a dog.” 10/10 from River
Fifi gives this one a “9/10 because it could have been more gay, and there’s not enough inclusion of Lily. Lily basically didn’t get to say anything in the whole book, maybe soon they’ll make a book all about Lily.”

We are on the edge of our seats waiting for a follow up on this beautiful and truly inclusive delight of a book from Maisy Valais.
It also really made me reflect on how often with children’s literature the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, the characters are isolated. It is a joy to read a story about a gang of queers living their lives beautifully together, not as a minority to be explained to readers.

#weneeddiversebooks #queerbookstagram

Fifi has been running around to everyone who visits us asking them to choose the character they’d like to be.

River feels like this post doesn’t have enough her in it. This is Read with River after all. taken in Toronto, Ontario by @readwithriver

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2 months ago

Nonno Gino left behind a lot of tools now the question is can I use them? What did you inherit?

#italianfamily #nonno #grief #gardening taken in Toronto, Ontario by @readwithriver

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4 months ago

Last month marked the 1-year anniversary of The Children’s Book Bank Jane & Finch!

Over the past year, this new location has provided 34,255 free books to the Jane & Finch community, hosted 80 free field trips for local school groups, and provided a wide variety of free community programs including baby circle times, book clubs, and author visits.

On Saturday, February 28 we celebrated with a community party where we shared stories and delicious snacks, played games, and painted a collaborative new mural to be displayed in our space. Author Alessandra Requena @readwithriver hosted a special family storytime, and the Community Music Schools of Toronto brought their musical petting zoo!

We want to thank everyone who has made our first year at Jane & Finch such a success—here’s to many more years of reading and community!

#janefinchcommunity #thechildrensbookbank #torontoauthors #torontocommunity #raisingreaders by @readwithriver

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7 months ago

One of my favourite things about living in Toronto is, aside from the abundance of coffee shops with a vibe, the abundance of indie bookshops with even better vibes! Did you know that you can ask your favourite local bookshop to preorder a book for you? Just give them a call, and if you’re not sure where to start I made you this map just in time for my cover reveal on Friday for “I DON’T CARE WHAT SIMON SAYS” coming out with @tundrabooks

This map took me SEVEN HOURS TO MAKE and I enlisted my future wife’s skills to assist but should we make one for libraries too?

#torontobooks #torontolifestyle taken in Toronto, Ontario by @readwithriver

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9 months ago

Excuse us while we go get ourselves a new book for the weekend for FREE! @bookbankcanada has four locations in Toronto where you just walk in and you can take any book you like! Unless it’s Karly-Lynne’s she’s reading that one. Check in with them for more fun free literacy program they even have FREE SNACKS. I do declare, this is the best kept secret in Toronto.
@bookbankjanefinch
@bookbanksherbourne
@bookbankmorningside
@bookbankregentpark
@bookbankthorncliffepark taken in The Children's Book Bank Canada by @readwithriver

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8 months ago