Multicultural Children’s Book and The Children’s Book Council are thrilled to team up to present the 2022 #ReadYourWorld Book Jam. Please welcome Lois-Ann Yamanaka with her list of Hawai‘i Children’s Books by Writers of the Island We Call Home.
Getting to Know Our Neighbors
By Elizabeth Andrews, author of the Our Neighbors series from ABDO’s Pop! division
{Guest post by ABDO}
Wherever people walk in America, they will pass others from all different backgrounds. This blend of people is also apparent in an American classroom. No one looks exactly the same. No one has the same family story.
When I started writing the Our Neighbors series for ABDO’s Pop! division, I knew I wanted to get to know each culture’s day-to-day life before writing. I was learning about Somali, Indian, Chinese, Lebanese, Brazilian, and Mexican Americans. Blogs, news articles, and YouTube videos let me dive into each specific culture.
“Where’s my diverse book to review?”
“My book review is ready, what now?”
We are getting a lot of these types of questions lately and we TOTALLY get it. So here is some info that will help everyone navigate both:
MCBD2022 is not far off and we are aware that some reviewers still:
Please keep in mind that mail delivery is painfully slow these days. If you are still waiting for a physical copy of your assigned book, ask your publisher/author if they can send you a PDF version to review until your hardcopy arrives.
{Guest Post by Language Lizard}
It is well known that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience significant social, behavioral, and communication challenges resulting from their developmental disability. For example, identifying figurative languages like metaphors and idioms is very challenging.
While some researchers believe this difficulty results from compromised core language skills (ie. semantics, grammar), the majority attribute a compromised Theory of Mind to be the main cause. In plain terms, children with ASD need more help recognizing the mental states, unique beliefs, and desires of other people. Since figurative language is all about what isn’t being said, you can see how tricky it is to navigate not only social interactions but also literature.
For the third time, Make A Way Media is back as a Super Platinum Sponsor for Multicultural Children’s Book Day; an epic online and offline event committed to raising awareness for the importance of diversity in children’s literature!
Deedee Cummings is a therapist, attorney, CEO of Make A Way Media, and author of fifteen diverse books for children. She has a passion for ensuring equality, inclusion, and social justice for the next generation and has made this her life’s work. Since her first book was published, Cummings has been on a mission to help young dreamers see themselves in the pages they read.