In The Nick of Time Too

January 24, 2024

Author: Deedee Cummings

Illustrator: Charlene Mosley

Publisher: Make A Way Media

Date: 2022

Ages: 4 - 10

Pages: 38

In The Nick of Time Too expands the cultural perspective on traditional Christmas expectations about Santa. In this story, two friends’ simple holiday sleep-over and a diverse neighborhood gathering are the backdrop for a celebration of friendship, kindness, and open-mindedness. Children will enjoy this Christmas story’s multicultural bent, and parents will appreciate helping them explore representation and its various facets. The book’s backmatter contains a sweet recipe and information about one organization’s focus on creating positive change.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2024 (1/25/24) is in its 11th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves.

Check out MCBD's Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!

📌 FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

● MCBD 2024 Poster

● Mental Health Support for Stressful Times Classroom Kit

● Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents

● Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit

● FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit

● FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit

● FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit

● FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit

● FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit

● Gallery of Our Free Posters

● FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program

This Train is Bound for Glory

July 28, 2023

This Train is Bound for Glory by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Paul Kellam reintroduces the 1920s American gospel song that celebrates a train loaded with jubilant passengers bound for heaven.

Children will love singing with the interactive refrains and lyrical text as the train transports characters from widely diverse nationalities, while picking up more along the way. The story begins like an ordinary train ride, but soon becomes magical as it whooshes through a colorful journey across prairies and into the glorious sky.

By the book’s end, children will be on their feet, singing, dancing, and wishing they could join this amazing train as it climbs higher and higher. Whether readers are spiritual or not, this book offers priceless, carefree moments of freedom, joy, and imaginative possibilities!

Boosting Children's Reading Habits*

August 16, 2022

This is a modified section from my August Newsletter.* Feel free to sign up for the next issue here.

While we already love reading to our children,” Alissa Wilkinson’s article offers several great points for keeping reading fun. She encourages us to read more, particularly when busy schedules take over. All of us can benefit from being more intentional about finding the time to settle down with a kiddo and a book.

Here are highlights from the article, along with my read-with-a-child tips.

Reasons to read books:

· aids in the brain’s development of understanding others,

· can heighten feelings of empathy,

· establishes a great foundation for socio-emotional learning, cognitive development, reading appreciation, and so much more.

Several strategies for reading more often:

· keep library and personal books close by to grab during downtimes

· make it a communal activity by having story time during playdates/play groups, especially as a calming effect during rambunctious activity or to soothe hurt feelings,

· read what you and your kiddos enjoy instead of choosing books to meet other people’s expectations, include STEAM/STEM selections, imaginative, and simply silly stories.

These features a few suggestions. Check out the whole article for more information, great tips, and tools for getting back into the habit of reading.

Multicultural Children's Book Day Review - How to Code a Sandcastle

January 28, 2022

Click the arrow for details about Multicultural Children’s Book Day!

Author: Josh Funk

Illustrator: Sara Palacios

Ages 4 -8

Publisher: Viking/Penguin Young Readers

Year: 2018

Fiction/Procedural Picture book

Josh Funk’s How to Code a Sandcastle is exactly what young readers need to understand coding. When Pearl wants to create a sandcastle before summer vacation ends, she and her robot sidekick demonstrate how coding works. In this procedural picture book with multi-cultural characters and Sara Palacios’s bright, engaging illustrations, Funk explains loops, sequences, and if-then-else statements. This story breaks down the coding process into digestible steps, showing readers that it’s an accessible skill. Back matter includes a glossary of coding terms from the story. This book is for all curious readers, and especially young STEM fans and adult career day planners.

Book provided. Independent review offered for #MCBD2022 #ReadYourWorld

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th 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 books into the hands of young readers and educators.

MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about their Mission & History HERE.

FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents

Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit

FREE Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Raising Awareness on Systemic Racism in America Classroom Kit

Gallery of Our Free Posters

FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program