About Michael Genhart, PhD

Michael Genhart, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco. He is the acclaimed author of many picture books, including Love is Love, I See You, Ouch! Moments, So Many Smarts!, Cake & I Scream!, Mac & Geeez!, Peanut Butter & Jellyous, among other titles. He lives with his rainbow family in Marin County, California.

They’re So Flamboyant

How do you welcome newcomers? How do you include others in your community? They're So Flamboyant by Michael Genhart, PhD explores inclusion, exclusion, and the stereotypes, fears, and assumptions that can lead to discrimination. Each band of birds—a gaggle of geese, a dole of doves, a charm of finches, a brood of chickens, a scream of swifts, and an unkindness of ravens—all have their feathers ruffled and express their apprehension when a “flamboyance” of flamingos moves into the neighborhood. Bright pink colors, long legs, how dare they! Even a watch of nightingales patrols after dark. When the band of jays decides it is time to settle down the neighborhood, the pride of peacocks takes the lead, with support from a waddle of penguins, a venue of vultures, a mob of emus, and a gulp of cormorants. Finally, they all land at the flamingos’ welcome party only to realize that they had all been birdbrained. Their new neighbors are actually quite charming, and not so scary and different after all. Read an excerpt from They're So Flamboyant.

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They’re So Flamboyant 2021-11-29T14:32:33-05:00

Feathered Friends Teach About Inclusion

Collective noun: a noun such as "team" or "flock" that refers to a group of people or thing A drumming of woodpeckers A regatta of swans A waddle of penguins A happiness of larks A flamboyance of flamingos Feathered friends are flustered when flamingos move into the neighborhood… This story is a welcome springboard for age-appropriate discussions of assumptions, stereotypes, and inclusion. Engaging wordplay makes a serious point about inclusion. —Kirkus Reviews They’re So Flamboyant by Michael Genhart, PhD, is a story about inclusion, exclusion, and the stereotypes, fears, and assumptions that can lead to discrimination. Indirectly, They’re So Flamboyant also refers to the word “flamboyant”—a word traditionally used in a derogatory sense to refer to someone who is gay. This story playfully reclaims the word and shows the flamboyant flamingos as gracious and neighborly, modeling positive and welcoming behavior for the other birds. Conversations with children about the assumptions and stereotypes that can lead to excluding behavior are vitally important if we are to live in a world that is more inclusive, fair and welcoming. Here are some tips to help you talk with kids about inclusion and discrimination. Conversations about diversity should be straightforward, open, and honest. As children notice the world around them and ask questions, adults can have age-appropriate conversations with kids about age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, body type, disability, income-level, or religion. Since stress associated with discrimination can affect self-esteem, talking with children about diversity as well as modeling inclusivity can help kids learn to appreciate people from all backgrounds. While, in the story, the flamingos model welcoming behavior, it’s important to let kids know that it is not the responsibility of those being discriminated against to make others feel comfortable.

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Feathered Friends Teach About Inclusion 2021-10-14T18:51:14-04:00

So Many Smarts!

Your own mix of Smarts will take you far, help you learn, do your best, and be who you are. What do you think of when someone says, "You're smart!" There are many ways of being smart beyond being "book smart" and everyone has their own special combination of Smarts. Explore and celebrate many different kinds of intelligence in Dr. Michael Genhart's book, So Many Smarts!. He reads it aloud for you here!

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So Many Smarts! 2020-08-25T15:30:04-04:00