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Right-wing attempts to ban books dealing with race, gender identity and sexuality are meeting resistance.

Labor unions and community organizations are partnering to give away more than 40,000 free children’s books to Ohio educators and families. The event is sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Central Ohio Labor Council, St. Stephen’s Community House, First Book, and the American Federation of Teachers.

Several years ago, I participated in a book giveaway in McDowell County, W.Va., one of the poorest counties in the U.S. I offered a book to a boy who immediately clutched it to his chest, grinned and said, “I’m going straight home to put this in my library.” I asked him what other books he had in his library. Bubbling with excitement, he said, “This is the first one!” That encounter has stayed with me, because it shows that reading is as much about our hearts as our minds. Reading is a foundational skill necessary for virtually everything we learn and do. Reading well is an essential...