Amara, The Brave Mermaid

HerBrina Sade Shepherd, a community advocate and children’s book author, created Amara, The Brave Mermaid, which features a topic some might choose to avoid. The story’s mystical theme centers around a mermaid whose grandmother explains their history and relationship to the souls who chose freedom outside the slave trade by jumping into the sea to become merpeople. The book’s crystal-clear images, combined with soothing blue and green water-colored illustrations, are a sharp contrast to the fate of many enslaved people.  

The story’s format reflects the African American tradition of oral storytelling and invites difficult conversations about U.S. history. As we know from history, some who chose to jump ship managed to swim back to their own shores.

Picture book for ages 6 - 10

Despite the tough topic, this book ultimately celebrates courageous decisions and the importance of seeking freedom and pursuing dreams, even in the face of an unknown future, and it’s a crucial message for today’s youth. The author #gifted an ARC for an honest review.  

HerBrina Sade Shepherd serves on young professional organzational boards. Learn more about HerBrina and her books at www.herbrinasadeshepherd.com.  

Join us on 1/30/25, 9 pm EST for 13 years of Read Your World Day celebration! Register for our Read Your World Virtual Party: https://readyourworld.org/virtualparty . Dive into multicultural book discussions, timely issues, and diverse recommendations, and win a 10-Book Bundle + Bonus Prizes! US and Global participants welcome. Follow #ReadYourWorld for the conversation! See you on 1/30/25!    

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



Read Your World is honored to be Supported by these Medallion:

FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)

🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media

🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight and  Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 60 Languages 

🏅 Gold Sponsors:  Third State Books 

🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press and Lerner Books 

🏅 Silver Corporate Sponsor:  Scholastic Books 

🏅 Bronze Sponsors:  Lee and Low 

🏅 Corporate Sponsor: Crayola Education and Scholastic

Read Your World is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!

Authors: Stephanie M. Wildman, Martha Seif Simpson, Anna Jennings, Gwen Jackson, Afsaneh Moradian, author, author, author, author, Josh Funk, Nancy Tupper Ling, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Gea Meijering, Eugenia Chu, Dorktales Story Time, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Cynthia Levinson, Diana Huang, Rochelle Melander,  Lisa Chong, Lisa Stringfellow,  Brunella Costaglioga, Lindsey Rowe Parker, Rachel C. Katz, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Shifa Safadi, Lisa Rogers, Sylvia Liu, Eva Clarke

Read Your World is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts and by our Partner Organizations! 

Check out RYW’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!

📌 FREE RESOURCES from Read Your World Day

In The Nick of Time Too

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

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*

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

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

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