Blog

On My Desk | More Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider {January 2018}

Hard to believe it’s only a week until MCBD2018! I’ve been eyeball-deep in multicultural books for kids and I.Love.IT.

This series got started because, with my role as Project Manager, I get to enjoy the avalanche of amazing multicultural books for kids that are donated to our project.  My office currently looks like a small bookstore and I love every second of it.

Being appreciative over every book that crosses my desk, I wanted to find a fun way to share those books with the loyal folks who show up here to read every week and support this non-profit. In that moment, On My Desk | New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider was born! It’s my way of sharing some amazing titles that don’t always get the attention they deserve.

Vanilla and Chocolate: Lessons for Learning by Maritza Martinez Mejia

Maritza is a long-time supporter of MCBD and a wonderful person. We love her! Her book, Vanilla and Chocolate is one of many in her catalog.

Vanilla And Chocolate: A concerned teacher helps two friends be together after their parents refused to let them play because of their skin color. Recommended for ages 5-8. Reading Level 1st to 3rd grade. Spanish Level 1. This Book received Five Stars Reader’s Favorite Review.

Vainilla Y Chocolate: Una preocupada profesora ayuda a dos amigos a estar juntos después que sus padres se rehúsan a dejarlos jugar juntos por el color de su piel. Recomendado para edades de 5 a 8 años con nivel de lectura de Primero a Tercer grado. Y para estudiantes de Español Nivel 1. Este libro recibió reconocimiento de Cinco Estrellas por Reader’s Favorite.

Las estrellas de los Reyes Magos ( The Stars of the Magi) by Tere Rodriguez-Nora

It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear and full of stars. Benjamin could distinguish three in particular that twinkled more than the others. With the help of his grandfather, Benjamin discovers the magical story behind these stars and the tradition of the Day of the Three Kings. This title was selected as a finalist in the 18th Annual International Latino Book Awards in the category “Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book – Spanish.”

Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi (餃子)

Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi (餃子)  is about a little Chinese-American boy named Brandon who gets a surprise visit from his grandma from China, Pó Po (婆婆). While Brandon and Pó Po (婆婆) are making Chinese dumplings, called jiǎo zi (餃子), Brandon makes a mess and he and Pó Po (婆婆) have a good laugh! They chat and bond over the experience. Then Brandon eats and eats and eats and makes a surprise at the end that delights the whole family! This story includes some conversational Mandarin Chinese (including Pinyin – pronunciation) and is written the way a real Chinese grandmother and her Chinese-American grandson would speak with each other. It is a fun read for families with children who are learning, or are interested in, Mandarin or Chinese culture.

Gianna the Great by Becky Villareal

Gianna is an adorable girl that most of us can relate to, but she was always more curious than most kids her age about her past. She joins a history class in hopes of searching for her family. In fourth grade, kids often wonder why they appear the way they do and how come their families do things a little differently than others. These are all normal questions that lurk in the minds of children at that age.

So to help answer those questions, Gianna learns about genealogy. With the help of her teacher, she learns how to research her Mexican heritage. In the end, because of this research, the bond between her and her mother is tighter and stronger. It’s a truly sweet story, and I highly recommend it. I believe it would spark an interest in children to conduct their own genealogical research.

When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner

About When God Made You
YOU, you… God thinks about you.
God was thinking of you long before your debut.

From early on, children are looking to discover their place in the world and longing to understand how their personalities, traits, and talents fit in. The assurance that they are deeply loved and a unique creation in our big universe is certain to help them spread their wings and fly.

Through playful, charming rhyme and vivid, fantastical illustrations, When God Made You inspires young readers to learn about their own special gifts and how they fit into God’s divine plan as they grow, explore, and begin to create for themselves.

‘Cause when God made YOU, somehow God knew
That the world needed someone exactly like you!

ONE MORE THING:

The 5th Annual Twitter Party is coming! Join us for great conversations, fun prizes and the chance to # ReadYourWorld on 1/27/18!

Join us on Jan 27th, 9pm EST for 5th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party! We promise it will be a fun and fast-paced hour of great book conversations, sharing of diverse book ideas and lots of prizes. Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation and to also win one of 12-5 book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party!

We will be giving away Book Bundles every 6 minutes!

Twitter Party Details:

When: Saturday, January 27th

Time: 9 pm to 10 pm EST

Where: On Twitter!

Hashtag: #ReadYourWorld

Sponsored By: Scholastic Reading Clubs

Hosted by: Co-Founders Valarie Budayr of Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom!

REGISTER TO BE ABLE TO WIN.

We will be discussing the state of children’s book publishing and giving away diversity book bundles every six minutes! We invite EVERYONE to join us: authors, publishers, parents, caregivers, librarians, KidLit lovers. You don’t have to be an author or publisher sponsor to join us! Let’s talk about our favorite multicultural and diverse children’s books, authors, and illustrators!

How do you join the Twitter party? Just use hashtag #ReadYourWorld to find us. When you tweet, use the hashtag so everyone can find you!

Register HERE to be able to win!!