It’s Just a Plant is a beautifully illustrated picture book that gives parents a way to discuss marijuana with children without encouraging them to use it. It follows the journey of a young girl who learns about the plant from a cast of people including her parents, a farmer, a doctor, and a police officer.
Marijuana can be hard to talk about. Many parents have tried it, millions still use it, and some feel awkward about disclosing their history (many duck the question), for fear that it might encourage kids to experiment too. Meanwhile, the “drug facts” children learn in school can be more frightening than educational, blaming pot for everything from teenage pregnancy to terrorism. A child’s first awareness of drugs should come from a better source.
It’s Just a Plant is for parents who want to discuss the complexities of pot in a thoughtful and factual manner. The book also features an afterword by Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD, founder of the Safety First Project for drug education and director emerita of the San Francisco office of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs.
Learn more here about It's Just a Plant.
Ricardo Cortés is an artist, writer, #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator, and sometimes a publisher. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Arnaldo Rodriguez (moderator) is an experienced mental health educator currently in his 12th year in education. Driven by his experiences and knowledge of working with both children and their families, he takes pride in being a life-long resource for all those he encounters. As a School Counselor, his goals include normalizing language surrounding emotions as well as introducing students and families to resources available. In addition to his primary job functions as a School Counselor, Arnaldo is also currently working in partnership with the CUNY Graduate Center conducting a 5 year longitudinal study tracking alumni experiences across forty high schools. Arnaldo was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a proud product of NYC's public school system, he's guided by his experiences on how to best approach his work with students, families, educational institutions, and community organizations. He is driven to do this work by the chance to be a role model and believes that representation matters and we need more of us doing this work.
Friday, January 22
8:00pm EST
Join us for a virtual event with author and illustrator Ricardo Cortés, including:
* a reading of It's Just a Plant
* a presentation of the research process for It's Just a Plant and the next book in the series, A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola
* a Q&A about using It's Just a Plant to talk to children about marijuana
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