DIVERSITY to me: A children’s picture book teaching kids about the beauty of diversity

Written by Marisa J. Taylor

Illustrated by Fernanda Monteiro

I love the non-judgmental presentation of diversity presented by this author.

She shows both in text and illustration diversity is not restricted to skin color. We all have different talents, personalities, and physical traits. These must be assessed together so that all races can live and work together in harmony.

Recommended to parents, teachers, and librarians of preschoolers and primary grade children.

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In partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Kathleen T. Pelley.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Five Little Angels

Written by Kathleen T. Pelley

Illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic

Ages 3-7 | Pages 54

Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. | ISBN-13: 978-1649491794

Publisher’s Synopsis: Join this celestial romp with five little angels, who hop on a cloud to take a peek at the world below, and see all sorts of loving acts of kindness, which sends them into a frenzy of delight. A lyrical read aloud to teach your little angel how kindness can build heaven on earth.

PURCHASE LINKS

https://amzn.to/3wrNNIe

https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9781649491800

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATHLEEN T. PELLEY is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, but spent most of her childhood summers playing on her grandparents’ farm in Ireland. Her passion for stories stemmed from listening to them on the radio during the BBC children’s story hour. She is the award-winning author of seven other picture books and hosts her own storytelling podcast, Journey with Story.

For more information, visit https://kathleenpelley.com.

MY Review of The Book

SWEET SIMPLICITY

FIVE LITTLE ANGELS

Written by Kathleen T. Pelley

Illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovik

What a charming and sweet message for young children. The author has created a reverse counting book written in easy to read and listen to rhymes. As the story opens, five little multicultural angels are looking down on people on earth. Some of these are practicing acts of kindness like crowning their sleeping mother with a crown of flowers, others are arguing or showing signs of frustration. When the angels witness a good deed, they dance for joy. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to a fall. The young reader is asked to study the pictures to see where each angel lands. That invites the child to become an active participant in the tale.

The language is easy to understand and full of words that encourage the child to imagine the scene and use his senses. Soft watercolor illustrations are pleasing to the eye. They are reminiscent of a child’s crayon drawings.

I highly recommend this picture book as a read aloud discussion activity with young children. It will encourage them to become little angels bestowing empathy and kindness on friends and family.

GIVEAWAY

Enter for a chance to win a Five Little Angels prize pack!

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

• A set of seven books by Kathleen Pelley, including Five Little Angels
• A $25 Barnes & Noble gift card
• One Hugging Plush Angel Slap Bracelet
• Your child’s name mentioned in the Journey with Story podcast

Five (5) winners receive:

• A hardcover copy of Five Little Angels
• One Hugging Plush Angel Slap Bracelet

Five (5) winners receive:

• A paperback copy of Five Little Angels
• One Hugging Plush Angel Slap Bracelet

The giveaway begins May 26, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends June 26, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.

Click on the link below to enter the Giveaway.

https://gleam.io/GsG2d/five-little-angels-giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 26, 2021The Children’s Book ReviewBook Tour Kick-Off

Thursday, May 27, 2021Crafty Moms ShareA book review ofFive Little Angels

Friday, May 28, 2021Over Coffee ConversationsAn article byKathleen T. Pelley

Monday, May 31, 2021Library Lady’s Kid LitA book review ofFive Little Angels

Tuesday, June 1, 2021J.R.s Book ReviewsA book review ofFive Little Angels

Wednesday, June 2, 2021Barbara Ann Mojica’s BlogA book review ofFive Little Angels

Thursday, June 3, 2021Satisfaction for Insatiable ReadersA book review ofFive Little Angels

Friday, June 4, 2021A Dream Within a DreamA book review ofFive Little Angels

Monday, June 7, 2021Lisa’s ReadingA book review ofFive Little Angels

Tuesday, June 8, 2021The Fairview ReviewA book review ofFive Little Angels

Wednesday, June 9, 2021The Momma SpotA book review ofFive Little Angels

Thursday, June 10, 2021icefairy’s Treasure ChestA book review ofFive Little Angels

Friday June 11, 2021BookShelfMommaA book review ofFive Little Angels

Nyima and the Blue Bear: A Journey of Hope and Compassion

Written by Angela Castillo

Illustrated by Cher Jiang

Nyima and his yak, Yeshi, live in the Himalayas. While searching for goji berries, they hear the cries of a little blue bear who has been separated from his mother.

They retrace the cub’s steps and encounter many examples of native wildlife along their journey. When it begins to get dark, Nyima offers to take the cub home for the night. Will the cub and his mother ever find each other?

This multicultural folktale is beautifully illustrated and teaches young readers about the native wildlife. Young readers also discover lessons of compassion, empathy, and friendship. Highly recommended for elementary school readers.

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Check out all my learning opportunities at http://www.LittleMissHISTORY.com

I’m delighted to participate once again. It’s been my pleasure and honor to review a book for this event since its inception seven years ago. This year I would like to present a beautiful picture book.

FAMILY VS. FRIENDS

SUMO JOE

Written by Mia Wenjen

Illustrated by Nat Iwata

What a fun and informative rhyming picture book! Sumo Joe, the protagonist, faces two dilemmas. He loves and fiercely protects his little sister, Aikido Jo. Sumo Jo also wants to practice sumo with his friends. When Jo decides that she wants to enter the sacred ring prohibited to females, he faces conflict. Should he allow his sister to step inside and compete?

The illustrations are charming and the text simple and fun to read for young children. This book becomes more than a picture book because it teaches readers about Japanese culture including the ancient rituals of sumo wrestling and aikido. The characters are diverse and empathetic.

I particularly enjoyed how the author explained the moves and the vocabulary associated with martial arts and ancient rituals. Readers may be able to imitate the basic moves, if interested in learning more. The book is a good choice to enhance a multicultural classroom library or home school unit on Asian culture.

I was gifted a copy of this book from the author to read and review in preparation for Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 (1/31/20) is in its 7^th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators. 

Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.

MCBD 2020  is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board

Super Platinum

Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings,

Platinum

Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls,

Gold

Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,

Silver

 Author Charlotte Riggle, Capstone Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd & B is for Breathe,

Bronze

Author Carole P. Roman, Snowflake Stories/Jill Barletti, Vivian Kirkfield & Making Their Voices Heard. Barnes Brothers Books,  TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books,  Charlesbridge Publishing, Barefoot Books Talegari Tales

Author Sponsor Link Cloud

Jerry Craft, A.R. Bey and Adventures in Boogieland, Eugina Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Kenneth Braswell & Fathers Incorporated, Maritza M. Mejia & Luz del mes_Mejia, Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Josh Funk and HOW TO CODE A ROLLERCOASTER, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove,  Lauren Ranalli, The Little Green Monster: Cancer Magic! By Dr. Sharon Chappell, Phe Lang and Me On The Page, Afsaneh Moradian and Jamie is Jamie, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, TUMBLE CREEK PRESS, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Gwen Jackson, Angeliki Pedersen & The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by Mia Wenjen, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher (Founders of Inner Flower Child Books), Ann Morris & Do It Again!/¡Otra Vez!, Janet Balletta and Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Ocean, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo & Bruna Bailando por el Mundo\ Dancing Around the World, Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, Sarah Jamila Stevenson, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Teresa Robeson  & The Queen of Physics, Nadishka Aloysius and Roo The Little Red TukTuk, Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore & Stories by the Girlfriends Book Club, Finding My Way Books, Diana Huang & Intrepids, Five Enchanted Mermaids, Elizabeth Godley and Ribbon’s Traveling Castle, Anna Olswanger and Greenhorn, Danielle Wallace & My Big Brother Troy, Jocelyn Francisco and Little Yellow Jeepney, Mariana Llanos & Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess/La Ñusta Diminuta, Sara Arnold & The Big Buna Bash, Roddie Simmons & Race 2 Rio, DuEwa Frazier & Alice’s Musical Debut, Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series  Green Kids Club, Inc.

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, Afsaneh Moradian, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Bethany Edward & Biracial Bookworms, Michelle Goetzl & Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Educators Spin on it, Shauna Hibbitts-creator of eNannylink, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joel Leonidas & Descendant of Poseidon Reads {Philippines}, Imagination Soup, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Serge Smagarinsky {Australia}, Shoumi Sen, Jennifer Brunk & Spanish Playground, Katie Meadows and Youth Lit Reviews

FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

• Free Multicultural Books for Teachers
• Our New FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit http://ow.ly/kcbZ30p3QWz
• Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators
• Free Understanding Developmental & Physical Challenges Classroom Kit

TWITTER PARTY! Register here!

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

Babu and Bina at the Ghost Party (Babu and Bina Book Series 1)

Written by P Tomar

Illustrated by Giulia Iacopini

Mama and Papa Trunk are preparing to take their elephant children, Babu and Bina to the old Indian fort. The children are excited. When a candy man warns them to watch out for the ghost of the Maharaja, their interest peaks even more. As the children eagerly explore the fort, Pina, their pup, takes off. They follow her and get locked in a mysterious room where they will meet many ghosts of the fort gathered together for a celebration. Will the children find a way back to their parents?

Babu and Bina are an adorable brother and sister pair who teach their readers much about sibling cooperation and Indian history. This promises to be an interesting series on Indian culture and history. Vivid illustrations will engage even the youngest reader. The short length makes it a good choice for a bedtime story or a read- aloud. Recommended for children ages three through eight.

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Not Just a Princess! (The Mia Collection)

Written by Mary Lee

Trilogy of books combined into one edition that will empower young girls. Targeted for ages infancy to age six, the stylized, colorful, multicultural illustrations and large simple vocabulary text can grow with a child. Youngest readers will enjoy looking at the pictures and enjoying the read aloud. Children in kindergarten and first grade might use the book as an early reader.

The first book features Mia who generally loves playing princess, but wakes up one morning feeling like anything but a princess. She imagines herself a lioness, a pirate, a starfish and a cowgirl among other things. Mia decides there are many more options a lot more exciting than being a princess. The second books features Mia on her first day of ballet school. Again, Mia discovers a lot more than ballet steps and learns a lot in the process. In the final book of this set, Mia explains that she enjoys eating cookies a lot more than the process of baking them. She uses her imagination to think of other alternatives. The next morning Mia comes up with a surprise for her mom that does not turn out as she expected. But, in the end, Mia learns a much more important lesson about herself and her life.

Parents and teachers who want to delight and inspire their little princesses and instill a strong female role model should check out this collection available in kindle and paperback.

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Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Read Your World

January 27, 2015

Our mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.

Children’s reading and play advocates Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom teamed up in late 2013 to create an ambitious (and much needed) national event. On January 27th, 2015 this dynamic duo will be hosting yet another Multicultural Children’s Book Day as a way of celebrating diversity in children’s books.

The Multicultural Children’s Book Day team hopes to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Our young readers need to see themselves within the pages of a book and experience other cultures, languages, traditions and religions within the pages of a book. We encourage readers, parents, teachers, caregivers and librarians to follow along via book reviews, author visits, multicultural booklists and visit the huge multicultural book review link-up that will occur on the MCCBD website 1/27/15.

Here are some ways you can help us celebrate Multicultural Children’s Book Day

• Visit The Multicultural Children’s Book Day website and view our booklists, reading resources and other useful multicultural information.
• Visit our Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board for more reading ideas.
• Have children bring in their favorite multicultural book to school on this day and share it with the class.
• Watch for the #ReadYourWorld hashtag on social media and share.
• Visit our Diversity Book Lists and Resources for Educators and Parents on our website.
• Visit MCCBD sponsors (you can find them HERE)
• Create a Multicultural Children’s Book Day display around the classroom or library.
• Visit The Multicultural Children’s Book Day website on January 27^th to view and participate in our huge blogger link-up, multicultural book reviews, giveaways and more!

Other Fun Details:

Our Sponsor Line-up Platinum Sponsors: Wisdom Tales Press, Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, Gold Sponsors:  Satya House,  MulticulturalKids.com,   Author Stephen Hodges and the Magic Poof, Silver Sponsors: Junior Library Guild,  Capstone Publishing, Lee and Low Books,  The Omnibus Publishing. Bronze Sponsors: Double Dutch Dolls, Bliss Group Books, Snuggle with Picture Books Publishing,  Rainbow Books,   Author   FeliciaCapers,   Chronicle Books   Muslim Writers Publishing ,East West Discovery Press.

Our CoHosts: We have NINE amazing Co-Host. You can view them here.

-MCCBD now has its own Paper.li! A Paper.li is a free online newspaper that aggregates information on the topic of multicultural books for kids from all over the Internet. Please feel free subscribe and stay up-to-date with this topic.

-Connect with us on our new Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MulticulturalChildrensBookDay

-Connect with us on our new Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay

We are hosting a Twitter party! Join us for Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party on Jan 27th 9:00pm EST. Use hashtag: #ReadYourWorld to win 10 book packages. Use this info to share with your readers and to tweet it out!

If you have not done so, check out the MCCBD blog! Thanks to support from the Children’s Book Council we are posting author interviews like crazy and are thrilled with the response. You can find the MCCBD blog here: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/blog/

Platinum Sponsor Wisdom Tales Press is hosting a book giveaway on their website that anyone can enter. Winner will receive 6 Wisdom Tales Books of their choice. Here’s a tweet: Book #giveaway at Wisdom Tales Press! Winner will receive 6 Wisdom Tales Books of their choice. #ReadYourWorld http://ow.ly/Hr0MC

If you would like more information, or have questions regarding Multicultural Children’s Book Day, please contact Valarie Budayr at Valarie@AudreyPress.com or Mia Wenjen at pragmaticmomblog@gmail.com

PLEASE READ THE REVIEW OF MY MULTICULTURAL SELECTION

The Unboy Boy

Written by Richa Jha

Illustrated by Gautam Benegal

I am reviewing this book as a guest blogger for Multicultural Children’s Book Day. This forty page hard-cover picture book is interesting on many levels.

Gagan is a happy boy who loves nature and looks at the world with optimism. His brother, Pavan, is mean-spirited and self-centered. When Gagan plays with ants, Pavan calls him Mousey. Gagan’s classmates taunt him with the name Sissy the day he brings his stuffed toy Bingo to Show and Tell. So Gagan asks his mother if he is a boy; she assures him that she loves him dearly and that he is a soft and gentle boy. In his dreams Gagan imagines himself a superhero, but Pavan and his friends continue to try to make Gagan into their own boy image by chasing him with worms, destroying plants, and playing with water guns. Gagan ignores them as he reads and works on his stamp collection. Even his grandfather urges Gagan “to be a man” by playing with toy guns. Gagan feels sad, lonely and isolated.

Things come to a climax when the children at school attend summer camp. At night, Pavan and his friends begin to tell stories of ghosts, goblins, murderers and zombies. They warn Gagan that the trolls will rip his stuffed Bingo apart. When a cat named Scuttie disappears and other mysterious events occur, the children become frightened. Gagan disappears from the story….Will he survive? If he escapes the danger, will the children continue to bully him?

This story reminds me a lot of Charlotte Zolotow’s 1972 book, William’s Doll, which related the tale of a boy who wanted a doll for Christmas because he wanted to practice being a father one day. At the time it was controversial and received mixed reviews because it presented a male character who did not act in accordance with the stereotypical image of an American boy. On the other hand, it was acceptable for boys to play with G.I. Joe soldier dolls.

Illustrations in this book remind me a bit of Mo Willems. The cover gives a hint of scary creatures who are drawn in dark silhouettes. Mischievous children are portrayed with mean faces, while Gagan is happy and smiling. There are some rather scary images, even though they are displayed in a cartoon-like format. Parents of young children might think twice about making this a bedtime story for sensitive children. The lessons of being true to yourself and disregarding gender based stereotypes are valuable. Teachers and parents can use the book as a basis for discussion on many levels. I would recommend the book for children older than age six.

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Hope Defined (Dinah Dynamo)

Written by Shannon Humphrey

This book is a tale of two heroines; Hope, a thirteen year old wannabe astrophysicist, struggling to make a difference in the “hood” on Earth, and Dinah, one of the scions who travel space creating planets and chasing the stars. Hope must overcome bullies and racism; Dinah must figure out how to control the forces struggling to tear her being apart.

Humphrey succeeds in writing a book that addresses problems many middle grade students face, bullying and racism, while at the same time facing how to “come of age.” The parallel science fiction story of Dinah, who is being tested in her world, lends an appealing element to the middle grade reader. Hope is truly a creative genius, but she is faced with opposition from her black friends who want her to give up her “nerdiness” and just fit in, while at the same time fighting to compete with the white kids who are jealous of her and scheme to get her in trouble. Her mother does not understand her devotion to her studies, but a neighbor named Mr. Lewis is willing to help. Hope has strange dreams about a girl who looks like her and gives her confidence; Dinah struggles with a strange feeling that she is needed to help someone, but does not understand how or where this impulse originates.

The plot details the kind of experiences middle school students face everyday and portrays situations with which they can empathize. I highly recommend this book to parents and teachers as a starting point of discussions on bullying and racism. It raises many situations that should be raised before these issues arise. Children age nine and up will find this a compelling read and a useful resource for answering may of their questions in a nonjudgmental fashion. This story teaches and does not preach; a most effective way to reach the minds of tweens and young teens.

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The Amber Ring (A Novella)

Written by A.L. Walton

This book of approximately one hundred pages might be described as a dark fantasy. There are many traditional fantasy characters like gryphons, trolls, fairies, unicorns and witches. A few others like the Talking Bear Mayor and the satyr sheriff are a bit of a stretch. Then there is a reluctant heroine and her twin sister who is a magical weaver and heroine.

Allow me to summarize the plot briefly. Maya is a rather morose and cynical twelve year old whose twin sister Sofia has recently drowned. Sofia had magical powers along with a magical ring which now belongs to her sister. Two years prior to her death, Sofia had managed to rid the Fairwoods of the trolls under the power of the Cedar Witch. Their lands became peaceful. One day Camden, her sister’s pet gryphon, reappears at the site where Sofia died. He attempts to convince Maya that the Fairwoods are again in danger, and that she is needed to restore peace. Maya has no interest in being a weaver or leaving her comfortable life in Oregon. But she feels guilty and eventually agrees to spend Labor Day weekend with Camden on a quest to find the Morning Stone and restore the balance of power.

Maya loses her backpack to Duskrats, and then travels on to the home of the Maple Witch who feeds them and attempts to show Maya how to weave magic just as Sofia had done in the past. Maya is unsuccessful and frustrated. She and the gryphon will meet up with a unicorn, goblins, a geographer some cobblers, and trolls in their attempts to find the Morning Stone. When Maya finally reaches her destination, she is shocked to find that her heroine sister’s death was not an accident. Maya must now make a decision whether or not to avenge it. Will Maya ever be able to put the tragedy behind her or will she forever be molded by it?

I like the multiculturalism introduced by using Spanish phrases, particularly Maya’s grandmother’s description of her as Hueca (hollow) . That is a good way to explain the way Maya feels about herself at the beginning of the story. As mentioned previously, there are some fantasy elements included that are a stretch with the plot, but all in all, I feel that the short novel will appeal to children ten and older as well as adults who like a quick fantasy read.

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Clique,Clique Stop!

Written by Cherrye S. Vasquez, P.h.D

This new book continues the story of thirteen year old Isabella. In the author’s first book, No Tildes on Tuesdays, readers were introduced to Bella and her struggle to accept her biracial status. She had always associated and gone to school with white friends. In fact, she resisted her father and grandmother’s attempts to learn Spanish and the customs of her Mexican heritage. But now her father is being laid off, and the family is moving to a much poorer mixed population neighborhood. Bella feels disappointed and rejected, especially when her neighbor calls her a half breed.

When she goes to register at her new school, Isabella’s white mother is angered to see that there is no place on the registration form to indicate biracial. Though Bella is strong and determined, everyone at the school seems to be in cliques. Whites hang with whites, the Spanish students avoid speaking English, and the Black students have their own cliques as well. Bella meets a Spanish boy named Roberto and a white boy named George, who seem friendly, but the girls continue to make fun of her.

Bella’s mother contacts the school which leads to Bella speaking to Mrs. Rios, the guidance counselor. She hesitantly speaks of her idea to start a Heritage Club in which students of all races would come together not only to discuss likes and dislikes but to share common interests and customs. Many of the teachers realize that the school has been divided into cliques for far too long and jump on board. Bella is gambling that her club will bridge the divide and unite students from different backgrounds in the community. Will it succeed?

Dr. Vasquez concludes the book with a section discussing the story line with students, educators and parents. This short story is a much welcomed edition in a book market that largely neglects our multiracial and multicultural students. It should be available in the classrooms of middle schools, in our libraries, and a topic of discussion in the families of all our children.

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