
New Feature! MCBD’s Instagram Lives!
One of the many missions of MCBD is to always be shining the spotlight on authors of diverse kidlit. Thanks to the talents of MCBD Team Member and long-time CoHost, Leanna Gullien-Mora, we are excited to announce the addition of a reoccurring Instagram Live feature! Every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET., followers can tune in and learn more about these amazing authors and their books.
Here’s a look at the authors that Leanna has already interviewed and the ones yet to come.
Sivan Hong
Sivan has written and illustrated three books in The Super Fun Day Books series, including Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, George J. and the Miserable Monday, and her most recent book that was released on August 11, 2021, Emily D. and the Fearful First Day. Emily D. and the Fearful First Day follows a neuro-atypical girl on her first day of school. The story will help kids identify and share their worries, and its bright illustrations are deliberately simple. Each of Sivan’s books is created with very specific needs in mind as well. Read the article in its entirety here.
When not writing, Sivan enjoys being a wife to her wonderful husband and a mother to their two exceptional children. They have a dog and cat and live a quiet and contented life in their home in Westport, Connecticut. Her professional career spans over two decades in several industries and professions, including holding esteemed positions as a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and former partner at The Bridgespan Group. She also loves to offer her time and expertise to others, and she currently serves as a Trustee on the Boards of the Westport Public Library, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the ASPCA.
All of Sivan’s books are available via her website and on Amazon. Parents, Teachers, and Educators can connect with her via Facebook and Instagram as well.
Deedee Cummings
As a therapist, attorney, CEO of Make A Way Media, and author of fifteen children’s books, Deedee Cummings has a passion for ensuring equality, inclusion, and social justice for the next generation. Since her first book was published in 2014, Cummings has been on a mission to help young dreamers and doers see themselves in the pages of the books they read. Cummings has spent more than two decades working within the family therapy and support field, and much of her writing shares her experiences of working with kids in therapeutic foster care.
By the end of 2021, this #OWNVOICES author will have fifteen diverse children’s books to her credit, including the Rapid Release of her Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess five-book series. All fifteen of Cummings’ diverse picture, poetry, and workbooks for kids reflect her professional knowledge and love of life. Cummings was recently appointed to the Early Childhood Council by the Governor of Kentucky and is also the founder and creator of the Louisville Book Festival, a literacy-based celebration in Louisville, KY on October 22nd and 23rd, 2021.
To learn more about Deedee Cummings and her work, connect with her via her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Watch Deedee’s interview on YouTube by clicking this link or watch it below: https://www.youtube.com/
Ajanta Chakraborty

– Let’s Celebrate Krishna’s Birthday!
– Let’s Celebrate 5 Days of Diwali!
– Let’s Celebrate Holi!
– Let’s Celebrate Navratri!
– Let’s Celebrate Ganesha’s Birthday!
– Let’s Celebrate Ramadan & Eid!
– Let’s Visit Delhi & Taj Mahal!
– Let’s Visit Mumbai!
– Let’s Celebrate An Indian Wedding!
Learn more about Anjata at Culture Groove:
https://www.culturegroove.com/
COMING SOON!
9/15 – Amanda Hsiung Blodgett

Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett inspires children to fall in love with learning the Chinese language and culture. She is the author of the “Let’s Learn Mandarin Chinese with Miss Panda!” audio album and the host for the Playful Chinese podcast. Amanda is also a trained Chinese language instructor and the mother of two bilingual children. She has extensive Mandarin Chinese and ESL teaching experience with kids and business professionals in Taiwan, Morocco, Canada, Ecuador, and the United States. Her students call her “Miss Panda!”You can find Miss Panda’s engaging, playful, and interactive Chinese language learning resources at MissPandaChinese.com. She currently lives in Washington D.C. with her family, including two lovely trilingual cats, Qwerty and Bella, as well as a bilingual bird, Lemon.
More Free Options for Diverse Book Promotion
1. We encourage authors and publishers to join the private MCBD Facebook Group. This group is a nice mix of parents, book reviewers, teachers, and authors, so you will be able to connect with like-minded people!
2. We are always looking for quality, diverse book-related guest posts on the MCBD blog. We would love to know more about your author’s journey, why you wrote your new book, and more about the book itself. Reach out to admin@multiculturalchildrensbookday.com to request a copy of our guest blogger guidelines.
3. We are tentatively planning some Facebook Lives during December and January in honor of MCBD2022 so that could be an opportunity for you as well.
We believe that ALL authors have something unique and wonderful with their work. We believe that ALL authors deserve to be able to shout the news of their book from the rooftops!
So let us know if we can work together in some fashion and, as always, do not hesitate to ask if there are any details that we can clarify for you.
#ReadYourWorld!