I DON’T WANT TO GO TO KINDERGARTEN: I’LL MISS YOU TOO MUCH!

Written by Maureen White

Illustrated by Tracy Taylor Arvidson

The author is a school counselor. She uses her expertise to develop a “Powering Up” stress management technique to help us deal with challenging situations. The activity used in this book proves that the body can instantly respond to a change in our thoughts. This book is made interactive by tapping on the pages. White includes instructions on how to reinforce the superpower method and links to videos and workshops that can be used to practice the technique.

White presents a story that features Tina, a young girl who is fearful about beginning kindergarten. While shopping for a backpack, Tina and her mom meet Bobby and his mom. Bobby shares with Tina that he has developed a superpower in preschool that he will teach her. The next day Bobby introduces Tina to Paddy Penguin, a puppet that can help make our muscles strong. He shows Tina that happy thoughts can make one strong.

These techniques can be practiced by children or adults of any age to manage any challenging situation. Recommended for parents and teachers.

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DOLPHINS: Fun Facts and Amazing Photos of Animals in Nature

Written by Emma Child

I have read several of the amazing animals books written by this author. Who can resist looking at the face of a dolphin? Child begins by describing the general features of dolphins like smooth skin and bottlenoses and then goes on to explain there are many variations. I had never heard of the dalmatian dolphin and was surprised to learn that dolphins migrate each year.

Child’s discussion of the way dolphins communicate by echolocation and a whistle sound that is unique to each dolphin is fascinating. I learned that dolphins use sea sponges to protect their mouths from spiny fish and that some dolphins have more than one hundred teeth. Children will be surprised to learn that dolphins live in families like theirs and that they delight in playing with each other. The dolphins’ intelligence level is second only to that of a human and they are good problem solvers.

This book is informative and a great research tool for children in the elementary or middle grades. Only one thing disappointed me. The photos on the Kindle can be enlarged by double-clicking, but this was not simple to do and once enlarged some of the photos looked blurry.

Recommended for dolphin lovers everywhere regardless of age.

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Origami For Kids: Easy Japanese Origami Instruction For Kids

Written by Ben Mikaelson

This book is a practical guide for learning the ancient art of origami, Japanese art of paper folding. I like the fact that the author takes the time to go into the history of paper and the art of paper folding. Mikaelson proceeds to give instructions on how to make fourteen separate origami projects. He begins with simple symbols and shapes like the heart, a cup, and a letter. Then he progresses to a cicada, bird, and a little boat. As one becomes more accomplished, the finished projects evidence a growing sophistication with the art form. If the budding artist keeps practicing, he will be fashioning a peacock, a whale, and a dinosaur before finishing the book.

Readers will learn how to create Japanese letters and how Akira Yoshizawa popularized origami in Japan and throughout the world. He created more than 50,000 unique origami designs. Today the principles of origami are used in building cars, microscopes, robots, and even heart surgery.

I would recommend this book for children and adults of any age. Perfect activity for families and siblings to share or art teachers to introduce to their students.

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33 Cute Animals of the World (Cool Facts and Picture Book Series for Kids)

Written by P.K. Miller

I would rate this nonfiction book three and a half stars. It is an easy read with basic information on thirty-three “cute” animals. While the author includes a picture for each, the photo is very small and does not reveal much detail. Miller provides a few paragraphs that describe the habitat, interesting characteristics, and notable features for each of the animals. He includes google and wiki links to additional images and reference information on each subject.

This book can best be used as an introduction or reference book. Children in elementary and middle-school certainly would find it helpful as a tool to research an animal science project. Readers of all ages will find it informative and interesting.

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The Monster Under the Bed: Uncovering the Lie that Drives Us

Written by Kim Fiske

This is a thought-provoking book. Fiske believes that what we know of ourselves was developed in our brains at the age of four or five. She wants to explore our fears by producing awareness of the areas of conflict in our lives, asking ourselves is there a monster under our bed, understanding how that monster was created and what is its purpose, and finally deciding what can be done about it in our lives today.

Fiske believes that the fears that haunt adults were developed in our young brains and persist in adult lives filled with stress, financial insecurities, technological dependence and a sense of self-loathing. All these factors exacerbate the fears and test our spiritual and personal boundaries. We become the product of what our emotions decide that we are.

The author believes that by understanding how these fears came to be a part of us and learning how to love them as a part of ourselves we can work to rewire our brain and value ourselves for what we are today. This is an interesting read for young adults and adults who enjoy a challenging read and are not afraid to explore their psyche.

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All My Relatives Are Dragons: Picture Book for Kids About Dragons

Written by Alice Cussler

The picture on the cover is a bit deceptive. It might give the reader the impression that this will be a fictional account of a little dragon. Rather, the author uses an interesting approach to teach children about dragons, reptiles, and lizards. Draco, the narrator, is a young dragon who has many relatives. He proceeds to trace its history by first going back to prehistoric times and the dinosaur epoch. He then moves on the discuss many of the myths centered around dragons including the European and Chinese Dragons. He travels around the world to show readers crocodiles, alligators, iguanas, and chameleons.

Cussler presents identifying characteristics and brief highlights of each and notes the habitat of each. There are photos that illustrate the points that are being discussed. The language is easy to read and understand. I do wish the photos were larger as some of the details are difficult to see.

I would recommend this book for elementary school age children. It is a good way to introduce nonfiction to children who love dragon stories. Teachers might use it as a starting point for a lesson about reptiles. Recommended especially for children ages five through ten.

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47 Little Love Boosters for a Happy Marriage

Written by Marco Petkovic

This is an interesting book that presents practical techniques to enhance a couple’s love life. In the modern world filled with non-stop activity, couples often neglect to build and maintain their personal relationship. The author admits that he was close to divorce before realizing a turn around was needed.

Petkovic urges the reader to commit to doing something nice for a spouse or partner for the next ten days and to set a reminder to make sure not to forget. It is important to notice what makes a partner happy and to persist in doing those things while constantly adding new ones.

The author briefly explains five little love rituals that involve simple actions like keeping up with your partner’s life and interests as they evolve, spending meaningful time together and reconnecting by simple gestures like an unexpected hug or saying thank you. Readers need to ask, “What can I do to make my partner happy?” It is in giving love, that we receive greater rewards.

Petkovic urges his readers to download his cheat sheet and to subscribe to his list for additional suggestions. While these reminders and techniques will not work for everyone, the general advice is a good reminder that a relationship ignored will not thrive and that partners need to nurture one if it is to remain strong.

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Emotional Intelligence For Kids in 5 Steps

Witten by Freya Gates

The author packs a lot of information in this relatively short book. Gates presents the information and describes how to apply the techniques effectively. In Chapter 1, she explains what low emotional intelligence means and the signs to identify it. Chapter 2 includes a detailed test that can be used to detect low emotional intelligence and points out possible causes and consequences in children who suffer from it.

Once a child has been identified as suffering from low emotional intelligence, there are many ways for parents, teachers, and health professionals to remedy the problem. Gates gives suggestions and then outlines five steps to improve behavior. One of the most important parts of this book follows. The author explains how to use her suggestions in specific situations. This practical application assists caretakers in implementing the program. For those interested in additional research, Gates gives a list of her sources for further exploration. I would highly recommend this book as an introduction to the subject of emotional intelligence.

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HEY KIDS! LET’S VISIT LONDON (Fun, Facts, and Amazing Discoveries for Kids)

Written by Teresa Mills

This book is geared toward middle-grade students, roughly ages eight through thirteen. It can be used as a guidebook to prepare children who are planning a trip to London with a family or a community organization. Each site is accompanied by pictures, its history, main features, and visitor appeal. Mills talks about iconic historical landmarks like Stonehenge, The Tower of London, Big Ben, The Red Phone Booth, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. She discusses street landmarks like Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, and Harrod’s Department Store. Other notable spots to visit include The London Zoo, Hampstead Heath, The Globe Theater, and Platform 9 3/4’s with its connection to Harry Potter. Of course, no visit would be complete without a ride on the London tube or a visit to one of the museums like The Duxford Air & Space Museum or the RAF Museum.

There is so much to see. Mills has especially focused on those of interest to children. This book can also be useful as a starting place for a school project on London. The book need not be read in any particular order as the chapters are not laid out sequentially.

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Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6^th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board!

*View our 2019 Medallion Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-
*View our 2019 MCBD Author Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-2eN

Medallion Level Sponsors

Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.

Super Platinum: Make A Way Media

GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV,  Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press,

SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls,

BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift,  T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield,

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board

Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini,

Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Lori DeMonia, Claudia Schwam, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it,  Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup,Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. GO HERE for more details.

FREE RESOURCES From MCBD

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

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

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

I am delighted to participate once more in Children’s Multicultural Book Day as I have been involved in reviewing books since the inception of the event. This year, I had the pleasure of reviewing, Memphis, Martin, AND THE MOUNTAINTOP The Sanitation Strike of 1968, written by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

This story is based on facts recorded in history books and the memories of a Memphis school teacher named Lorraine who was nine years old when the momentous events of 1968 transpired. Lorraine was the daughter of a maid and sanitation worker. At the beginning of 1968, her father’s wages were $1.70 a day. In January Robert and Cole Walker were killed in a sanitation truck accident. The all-black workforce organized a labor union, which the newly elected mayor, Henry Loeb, refused to recognize. Thirteen hundred men deserted their sanitation trucks on Feb. 12, 1968. The men picketed the streets for 65 days. A group of Memphis preachers formed a support group and used church donations to help the workers and their families. The NAACP organized boycotts and sang freedom songs. Martin Luther King, Jr. heard about the strike and promised to come to Memphis to support them. He preached that all labor has dignity.

On March 28, six thousand marchers gathered. The families stood behind the workers. Police had billy clubs, and tear gas. Within 15 minutes bricks and looting began. Rumors suggested militant teenagers initiated the riot. The mayor called in the National Guard. On April 3, Dr. King came to deliver his famous mountaintop speech. The next day, he was shot at the Lorraine Motel by James Earl Ray. His widow, Coretta Scott King, kept her husband’s pledge to march behind the workers. Protests sprung up all over the country.

President Lyndon Johnson sent James Reynolds to negotiate. The labor union was recognized, pay hikes negotiated and merit-based promotions instituted. The Memphis Sanitation Strike ended on April 16, 1968.

This picture book features bold, watercolor illustrations that evoke the mood and emotion of the event. It includes the powerful poem, that nine-year-old Lorraine wrote on the day of the march. A timeline presents the day by day history of the events, and Duncan adds links to the museum and a complete bibliography. The book is highly recommended as an insight into the emotions which rocked the entire country during the 1960s and a portrait of the economic and racial tensions that existed. Suggested as an effective classroom reference as a springboard to a discussion on civil rights history for middle-grade students ages eight through twelve. The author graciously provided a copy of this book for reviewers of this event.

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FREE lesson plans and a PowerPoint to use with students