Blog

On My Desk | New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider 9/27/17

As Project Manager for Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD), I get the honor of viewing hundreds of multicultural Children’s Books that are donated or submitted for review approval every year. Basically, from September to January it’s like Christmas time for me and my office turns into a colorful and vibrant warehouse for diverse kids books. #luckyducky

As the prep for MCBD2018 gets into full swing, I’d like to do something fun and different simply because so many of these books deserve as much visibility as we can offer. With that in mind, I’d like to start something new called On My Desk as a way to share some of the notable multicultural books for kids that cross my desk every week.  Here’s what the Mailman Book Fairy brought me this week in the way of New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider:

New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider

Rice and Rocks by Sandra L. Richards: Giovanni’s friends are coming over for Sunday dinner, and his grandmother is serving rice and beans. Giovanni is embarrassed he does not like ‘rice and rocks’ and worries his friends will think the traditional Jamaican dish is weird. But his favorite Auntie comes to the rescue. She and Giovanni’s pet parrot, Jasper, take him on a magical journey across the globe, visiting places where people eat rice and rocks. This exciting story celebrates the varied traditions of every culture while also highlighting the delicious similarities that bring us all together. (click the book title to view details on Amazon)

Love Family by Norah Barrett Cooper (Illustrations by Joelle Nelson): Customizable children’s books featuring families of color. The stories stay the same and show families of color doing wonderful, everyday things.Customize your book by choosing the race and/or ethnicity of the main characters that most reflect your own family, loved ones or community. Visit LovingLionBooks.com for more details.

Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty: Every girl is unique, talented, and lovable. . . .Every girl is BEAUTIFUL.
Much more than how one looks on the outside, true beauty is found in conquering challenges, showing kindness, and spreading contagious laughter. Beautiful girls are empowered and smart and strong! BEAUTIFUL breaks barriers by showing girls free to be themselves: splashing in mud, conducting science experiments, and reading books under a flashlight with friends. This book will encourage all girls to embrace who they are and realize their endless potential. (click the book title to view details on Amazon)

Brave by Stacy McAnulty: Like superheroes, brave kids can save the world, just by being brave. An empowering picture book for all kids that demonstrates to children that they can be real-life superheroes and that all kids have what it takes to be brave. Kids are brave every day. When they are told they are too little, but accomplish something big. When they check for monsters under the bed, just in case. When they face something uncertain, whether a thunderstorm or a hospital visit. When they stand up for what’s right, even when it means facing consequences. (click the book title to view details on Amazon)

The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid (bilingual) by Janet Balletta: The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid is based on the legend of La Sirena De Hurtado, in Valledupar, Colombia. It dates back to 1917 and tells the story of a young girl who defied her parents and went swimming in the river on Good Friday. According to the legend the girl turned into a mermaid because she was cursed for her disobedience and non-observance of Good Friday a traditional Catholic holiday. See the pictures of the monument of La Sirena De Hurtado located at the edge of the Guatapurri River in Valledupar, Colombia. Every summer, the swimming basin attracts hundreds of tourists who want to see the monument of the mermaid and swim in the crystal blue waters of this legendary river. (click the book title to view details on Amazon)

The Legend of Roberto Cofresi (bilingual) by Janet Balletta: The Legend of Roberto Cofresí dates back to the 1800s and started in the town of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Numerous myths and legendary stories have been written about him and his transformation from a life of merchant sailor to corsair. He was one of the bravest and most compassionate corsairs of his time. Cofresí is renowned as the Robin Hood of Puerto Rico because of his generosity towards the poor people of Puerto Rico during a time of famine. For this reason, the people of Puerto Rico pledged their loyalty to him and protected him from the authorities until his eventual capture in 1825. (click the book title to view details on Amazon)

MCBD2018 Event Details

As you may know, Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCCBD) is a non-profit that works with authors to get their books reviewed during our online event and also works to get free diversity children’s books into the hands of young readers.

The online event/holiday takes place every January 27th and we are now in our 5th year. Because the event falls on a Saturday this year, we are encouraging parents, teachers and librarians to “party” the week leading up to the big day (1/22-1/27/18) and we expect many classrooms will be celebrating on Friday the 26th.

Resources to Bring your Multicultural Children’s Book Day Event to Life

MCBD site: https://readyourworld.org/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Classroom Empathy Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: https://readyourworld.org/mcbd2018s-free-classroom-empathy-kit-is-here-empathy-immigration/

Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: https://readyourworld.org/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/

Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with is on social media and be sure and look for/use their official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

 

Connect with us on social media and share, share, share!

– Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MulticulturalChildrensBookDay

– Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay

-Instagram https://www.instagram.com/readyourworldmcbd/

-Reminder: The hashtag for this event is #ReadYourWorld

Thank you so much for your support!