Bishop Who Urged Trump to “Have Mercy” Will Publish Two Kids’ Books

To Act Justly and to Love Mercy

The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde made headlines when she urged President Trump to “have mercy” during the sermon she gave at the National Prayer Service in January of this year. The sermon, which quickly went viral, was inspired by ideas in Budde’s 2023 book, How We Learn to Be Brave. Penguin Young Readers announced this week that it will publish two adaptations of Budde’s work for children. The first, a YA edition called We Can Be Brave, was adapted by novelist Bryan Bliss and is due out October 25. A picture book called I Can Learn to Be Brave will follow in summer 2026. May these efforts succeed.

Publishers & Nonprofits Announce Fundraisers in Support of Freedom to Read

In separate endeavors, Penguin Random House and the National Coalition Against Censorship have announced fundraising efforts to help fight book bans and limits on intellectual freedom. PRH launched its first Banned on the Run 5k on Tuesday of this week and announced that employees raised more than $17,000 in the first day. The event will culminate in a run/walk at the company’s New York headquarters on April 9, with virtual options for employees located elsewhere. Fundraising will continue through April 12. Banned on the Run is open only to PRH and Sourcebooks employees this year, but organizers hope to expand eligibility in future years. The NCAC will hold a Stand Up for Free Speech Comedy Benefit on April 30 at New York’s Gotham Comedy Club. May their efforts succeed.

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Iowa’s Book Ban Bill is Blocked, Again

A federal judge has once again blocked Senate File 496, the Iowa bill that would require “all public school materials be “age appropriate” with no “descriptions or depictions of sex acts.” SF 496 would also require schools to remove any materials that do not fit their intentionally, maliciously vague definitions of “age appropriate” from shelves. Though the block is a win, Kelly Jensen notes that, “this is the third decision made in courts over the bill that has left schools scrambling and thousands of public school students in the state without access to books in their classrooms and libraries.”