Harold Underdown
@hunderdown.bsky.social
I'm a children's book editor, teacher and workshop presenter, owner of The Purple Crayon website -- www.underdown.org
I post about #kidlit, but I do have opinions about other things and will share them as well.
I post about #kidlit, but I do have opinions about other things and will share them as well.
Reposted by Harold Underdown
“Help you! You must help yourself,” the dog replied, carefully winding himself with his left hind leg. “I suppose you know why you got stuck.”
“I guess I just wasn’t thinking,” said Milo.
“PRECISELY,” shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. “Now you know what you must do.”
“I guess I just wasn’t thinking,” said Milo.
“PRECISELY,” shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. “Now you know what you must do.”
February 16, 2026 at 11:01 PM
“Help you! You must help yourself,” the dog replied, carefully winding himself with his left hind leg. “I suppose you know why you got stuck.”
“I guess I just wasn’t thinking,” said Milo.
“PRECISELY,” shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. “Now you know what you must do.”
“I guess I just wasn’t thinking,” said Milo.
“PRECISELY,” shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. “Now you know what you must do.”
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Guess who is now on Bluesky? #kidlit editor and author Eileen Robinson! Follow her at @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Guess who is now on Bluesky? #kidlit editor and author Eileen Robinson! Follow her at @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
February 16, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Neri takes the facts of what happened when his family embarked on the road trip to beat all road trips, and ties that summer during the bicentennial into the state of the country today. Deeply fun, utterly smart, and visually arresting. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2026/02/15/r...
Review of the Day: My Bicentennial Summer by G. Neri, ill. Corban Wilkin
Neri takes the facts of what happened when his family embarked on the road trip to beat all road trips, and ties that summer during the bicentennial into the state of the country today. Deeply fun, ut...
afuse8production.slj.com
February 15, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Neri takes the facts of what happened when his family embarked on the road trip to beat all road trips, and ties that summer during the bicentennial into the state of the country today. Deeply fun, utterly smart, and visually arresting. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2026/02/15/r...
Reposted by Harold Underdown
As Will Bunch says, we won a battle, but the struggle is far from over...
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
February 15, 2026 at 6:28 PM
As Will Bunch says, we won a battle, but the struggle is far from over...
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
As Will Bunch says, we won a battle, but the struggle is far from over...
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
February 15, 2026 at 6:28 PM
As Will Bunch says, we won a battle, but the struggle is far from over...
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
Gift link: share.inquirer.com/V6ApXN
Reposted by Harold Underdown
The wonderful thing about Tyggers
Is Tyggers are burning bright
Their tops are made out of rubber
In the forest of the night
What bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy,
Immortal hand or eye
Did frame the most wonderful thing about Tyggers,
Their fearful symmetry!
Is Tyggers are burning bright
Their tops are made out of rubber
In the forest of the night
What bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy,
Immortal hand or eye
Did frame the most wonderful thing about Tyggers,
Their fearful symmetry!
February 4, 2026 at 2:14 AM
The wonderful thing about Tyggers
Is Tyggers are burning bright
Their tops are made out of rubber
In the forest of the night
What bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy,
Immortal hand or eye
Did frame the most wonderful thing about Tyggers,
Their fearful symmetry!
Is Tyggers are burning bright
Their tops are made out of rubber
In the forest of the night
What bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy,
Immortal hand or eye
Did frame the most wonderful thing about Tyggers,
Their fearful symmetry!
Reposted by Harold Underdown
This city is home to people of countless faiths. But no matter what you believe, one thing unites us: we are all New Yorkers. We will not allow ICE to terrorize our neighbors.
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
Welcome The Stranger
YouTube video by NYC Mayor's Office
youtu.be
February 15, 2026 at 5:15 PM
This city is home to people of countless faiths. But no matter what you believe, one thing unites us: we are all New Yorkers. We will not allow ICE to terrorize our neighbors.
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
Reposted by Harold Underdown
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
February 15, 2026 at 1:49 AM
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
Reposted by Harold Underdown
How many times, in how many contexts, in how many ways am I going to have to say that this is what "AI" does— what it fundamentally *is*— before it sinks in? That all Bullshit engines do is statistically correlate training data & inputs via their weights to produce outputs you are likely to accept…
February 15, 2026 at 3:57 AM
How many times, in how many contexts, in how many ways am I going to have to say that this is what "AI" does— what it fundamentally *is*— before it sinks in? That all Bullshit engines do is statistically correlate training data & inputs via their weights to produce outputs you are likely to accept…
Guess who is now on Bluesky? #kidlit editor and author Eileen Robinson! Follow her at @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Guess who is now on Bluesky? #kidlit editor and author Eileen Robinson! Follow her at @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 2:37 AM
Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social
Reposted by Harold Underdown
We bought Article II of the United Nations Charter with the blood of a hundred million human beings, and less than a century later, it's being sold for nothing by people who don't even understand what they're doing.
i think this is what drives me nuts. people talk about how, say, the UN was founded by "starry eyed idealists" who didn't understand "reality." the truth is that the UN was founded by those who had just fought and *won* the bloodiest war in human history.
February 14, 2026 at 8:03 PM
We bought Article II of the United Nations Charter with the blood of a hundred million human beings, and less than a century later, it's being sold for nothing by people who don't even understand what they're doing.
Reposted by Harold Underdown
This is a genuinely huge, sweeping victory today for the University of California—or rather, for us, its faculty, acting through our faculty associations, while the UC itself maintained a strict policy of deer-in-headlights silence.
The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
Trump administration drops appeal of court order blocking $1.2-billion UCLA settlement
The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a major higher education case in which a federal judge blocked its $1.2-billion settlement proposal to UCLA over alleged civil rights violations. It will...
www.latimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:57 AM
This is a genuinely huge, sweeping victory today for the University of California—or rather, for us, its faculty, acting through our faculty associations, while the UC itself maintained a strict policy of deer-in-headlights silence.
The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
Reposted by Harold Underdown
"Picture books introduce a child to art, storytelling, and the world outside their experience. Picture books provide a foundation for everything that comes after." —Caldecott Honor Artist @jashar.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2026/02/cald...
February 14, 2026 at 6:43 PM
"Picture books introduce a child to art, storytelling, and the world outside their experience. Picture books provide a foundation for everything that comes after." —Caldecott Honor Artist @jashar.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2026/02/cald...
Reposted by Harold Underdown
(1/5) Last month, the people of Iran rose up in the largest nationwide protests since 1979. Thousands were killed. Tens of thousands more were arrested. Internet blackouts. Mass detentions. Families forced to search for their children among piles of bodies. And still, they refuse to be silent.
What Iran’s Crackdown Looks Like From Inside: A Q&A With Nasrin Sotoudeh and Reza Khandan
Mass protests and a deadly crackdown grip Iran: human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh from Tehran; her husband Reza Khandan from Evin Prison
msmagazine.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:43 PM
(1/5) Last month, the people of Iran rose up in the largest nationwide protests since 1979. Thousands were killed. Tens of thousands more were arrested. Internet blackouts. Mass detentions. Families forced to search for their children among piles of bodies. And still, they refuse to be silent.
Reposted by Harold Underdown
YES. A turn to state constitutions for substantive protections from federal authoritarianism is a necessary development under the present circumstances.
I've long seen federalism as on balance bad for rights—Jim Crow, after all, lasted nearly a century. But today, its potential can't be denied.
I've long seen federalism as on balance bad for rights—Jim Crow, after all, lasted nearly a century. But today, its potential can't be denied.
When state courts interpret their own constitutions to offer broader rights, the federal judiciary can't overturn them. A crucial safeguard against authoritarianism.
@kasiawolfkot.bsky.social
@kasiawolfkot.bsky.social
Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
We need a movement to fully unlock the potential for resistance by states
www.theunpopulist.net
February 14, 2026 at 2:03 PM
YES. A turn to state constitutions for substantive protections from federal authoritarianism is a necessary development under the present circumstances.
I've long seen federalism as on balance bad for rights—Jim Crow, after all, lasted nearly a century. But today, its potential can't be denied.
I've long seen federalism as on balance bad for rights—Jim Crow, after all, lasted nearly a century. But today, its potential can't be denied.
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Ohhhhhhhh. Yeah that makes a lot more sense, @stephruhle.bsky.social
Stephanie Ruhle: This bridge will take toll money away from another bridge that connects Michigan and Canada, and that bridge is owned by a big Trump donor who, on Monday, had a meeting with Howard. Lutnick. Immediately following that meeting, poof, we no longer want this new bridge.
February 14, 2026 at 4:47 AM
Ohhhhhhhh. Yeah that makes a lot more sense, @stephruhle.bsky.social
Reposted by Harold Underdown
The $38.3 billion they are going to spend for interment camps could fund the annual budget of NASA, the EPA, and all clean energy R&D at the Department of Energy—combined.
Breaking news: ICE expects to spend $38.3 billion on its plan to acquire warehouses across the U.S. and retrofit them into immigrant detention centers that can hold tens of thousands of people, according to agency documents.
ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion turning warehouses into detention centers
ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion converting warehouses into detention centers, according to planning documents, more than the annual budgets of 22 states.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:14 AM
The $38.3 billion they are going to spend for interment camps could fund the annual budget of NASA, the EPA, and all clean energy R&D at the Department of Energy—combined.
Reposted by Harold Underdown
His attacks on the midterms are real and dangerous… and aren’t going to work. Running down the case for an optimistic threat assessment @theunpopulist.net :
Worry, Don't Panic, Over Trump's Efforts to Subvert the Elections
America's system is quite foolproof but he can still try to delegitimize it
www.theunpopulist.net
February 13, 2026 at 7:10 PM
His attacks on the midterms are real and dangerous… and aren’t going to work. Running down the case for an optimistic threat assessment @theunpopulist.net :
Reposted by Harold Underdown
this is honestly the most jacob frey thing I have seen during this entire mess
We don’t need a celebration we need to abolish ICE and get justice for those murdered and for those whose rights have been violated and return our neighbors. Reminder the Roman Colosseum was a propaganda machine that enforced hierarchy and was a distraction from living standards. Stay focused MPLS.
February 14, 2026 at 3:45 PM
this is honestly the most jacob frey thing I have seen during this entire mess
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Democracy is when voters choose their leaders. Autocracy is when leaders choose their voters.
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
February 14, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Democracy is when voters choose their leaders. Autocracy is when leaders choose their voters.
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Reposted by Harold Underdown
Everyone in the world comes to get married at the NYC Marriage Bureau. Last week, the Mayor stopped by to officiate a few of those ceremonies.
Thank you to all the couples who shared their joy with us. Happy Valentine's Day, New York.
Watch the full video at Youtube.com/nycmayorsoffice
Thank you to all the couples who shared their joy with us. Happy Valentine's Day, New York.
Watch the full video at Youtube.com/nycmayorsoffice
February 14, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Everyone in the world comes to get married at the NYC Marriage Bureau. Last week, the Mayor stopped by to officiate a few of those ceremonies.
Thank you to all the couples who shared their joy with us. Happy Valentine's Day, New York.
Watch the full video at Youtube.com/nycmayorsoffice
Thank you to all the couples who shared their joy with us. Happy Valentine's Day, New York.
Watch the full video at Youtube.com/nycmayorsoffice
Reposted by Harold Underdown
New poll: In 2024, low-engagement voters went for Trump over Harris by 11 percentage points. But now they disapprove of the way he's handling the presidency by 13. They have moved 25 points against Trump — 2x as large as the shift for high-knowledge voters www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...
Trump has lost the voters who weren’t paying attention in 2024
The least-engaged Americans have swung 25 points against him since 2024 — about twice the shift among everyone else. Trump has flattened the engagement gap.
www.gelliottmorris.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:01 PM
New poll: In 2024, low-engagement voters went for Trump over Harris by 11 percentage points. But now they disapprove of the way he's handling the presidency by 13. They have moved 25 points against Trump — 2x as large as the shift for high-knowledge voters www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...