MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S BOOK DAY!

 Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/18) is in its 5^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 home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators. 

Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2018 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board.

2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors

HONORARY: Children’s Book Council, Junior Library Guild

PLATINUM:Scholastic Book Clubs

GOLD:Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Loving Lion Books, Second Story Press, Star Bright Books, Worldwide Buddies

SILVER:Capstone Publishing, Author Charlotte Riggle, Child’s Play USA, KidLit TV, Pack-n-Go Girls, Plum Street Press

BRONZE: Barefoot Books, Carole P. Roman, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dr. Crystal Bowe, Gokul! World, Green Kids Club, Gwen Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Juan J. Guerra, Language Lizard, Lee & Low Books, RhymeTime Storybooks, Sanya Whittaker Gragg, TimTimTom Books, WaterBrook & Multnomah, Wisdom Tales Press

2018 Author Sponsors

Honorary Author Sponsors: Author/Illustrator Aram Kim and Author/Illustrator Juana Medina, Author Janet Balletta, Author Susan Bernardo,  Author Carmen Bernier-Grand, Author Tasheba Berry-McLaren and Space2Launch, Bollywood Groove Books, Author Anne Broyles,  Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Eugenia Chu, Author Lesa Cline-Ransome, Author Medeia Cohan and Shade 7 Publishing, Desi Babies, Author Dani Dixon and Tumble Creek Press, Author Judy Dodge Cummings, Author D.G. Driver, Author Nicole Fenner and Sister Girl Publishing, Debbi Michiko Florence, Author Josh Funk, Author Maria Gianferrari, Author Daphnie Glenn, Globe Smart Kids, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Author Quentin Holmes, Author Esther Iverem, Jennifer Joseph: Alphabet Oddities, Author Kizzie Jones, Author Faith L Justice , Author P.J. LaRue and MysticPrincesses.com, Author Karen Leggett Abouraya, Author Sylvia Liu, Author Sherri Maret, Author Melissa Martin Ph.D., Author Lesli Mitchell, Pinky Mukhi and We Are One, Author Miranda Paul, Author Carlotta Penn, Real Dads Read, Greg Ransom, Author Sandra L. Richards, RealMVPKids Author Andrea Scott, Alva Sachs and Three Wishes Publishing, Shelly Bean the Sports Queen,  Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Gayle H. Swift Author Elsa Takaoka, Author Christine Taylor-Butler, Nicholette Thomas and  MFL Publishing  Author Andrea Y. Wang, Author Jane Whittingham  Author Natasha Yim

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.

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs 

MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/27/18 at 9:00 pm.

Join the conversation and win one of 12-5 book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party! http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/twitter-party-great-conversations-fun-prizes-chance-readyourworld-1-27-18/

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.

 

BOOK REVIEWS

Thanks to Capstone Publishing and Lee & Low Publishing for providing the books I am reviewing.

HIDDEN WOMEN:

The African-American Mathematicians of NASA Who Helped America Win the Space Race

by Rebecca Rissman

Capstone Press, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5157-9963-4

Source: Capstone Publishing

Ages 8-12

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tells the gripping story of four female African-American mathematicians who literally made it possible to launch US rockets--and astronauts--into space. Tells the thrilling tale of how each woman contributed, the struggles and resistance each experienced, and the amazing results. Consultants currently work for NASA.

REVIEW

The 1960s were a time of great change in the United States.  Not only was the Cold War with the Soviet Union alive and well, but the Civil Rights Movement was well under way.  As what became known as the space race heated up between the US and the Soviet Union, the need for mathematicians grew, especially at NACA (soon to be NASA), the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.  This opened doors for African American women to step up and use their talents and skills and be paid a decent salary for doing so.  Women such as Dorothy Vaughan, one of the first human computers to work for NACA.  She started there when the African American women were segregated in both work space and cafeteria space.  Others followed in her footsteps, helping to open the doors for desegregation and increased opportunities for women.  Woman such as Katherine Johnson who helped send John Glenn into orbit, or Mary Jackson, the first African American female engineer to work for NASA or Annie Easley who helped with the Centaur rocket that helped send the Apollo astronauts to the moon.  Thanks to the skills, courage, and determination of these women, doors slowly started to open.  This middle grade book introduces readers to these women and the contributions they made to the space race as well as to the Civil Rights Movement.

AHIMSA

by Supriya Kelkar

Tu Books, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-62014-356-8

Ages 8-12

Source: Lee & Low Publishing

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi asks Indians to give one family member to the freedom movement, ten-year-old Anjali is devastated to think of her father risking his life for the freedom struggle.

But it turns out he isn't the one joining. Anjali's mother is. And with this change comes many more adjustments designed to improve their country and use "ahimsa"—non-violent resistance—to stand up to the British government. First the family must trade in their fine foreign-made clothes for homespun cotton, so Anjali has to give up her prettiest belongings. Then her mother decides to reach out to the Dalit community, the "untouchables" of society. Anjali is forced to get over her past prejudices as her family becomes increasingly involved in the movement.

When Anjali's mother is jailed, Anjali must step out of her comfort zone to take over her mother's work, ensuring that her little part of the independence movement is completed.

Inspired by her great-grandmother's experience working with Gandhi, New Visions Award winner Supriya Kelkar shines a light on the Indian freedom movement in this poignant debut.

REVIEW

The Civil Rights Movement that took place during the 1960s was intended to open doors for African Americans and other people of color who were often denied their citizenship rights because of prejudice and racism.  One of the main tenets of that movement was the use of non-violent protest strategies.  What many young people don't realize is that those principles were used to great effect once before during the 1940s by the Indian people seeking freedom from British rule.  This middle grade novel puts the reader right in the middle of the 'ahimsa' movement as Anjali's family, her mother especially, gets involved in the movement, effecting the fortunes of the whole family.  At first Anjali is angry and afraid.  Angry at the loss of her beautiful clothes.  Afraid of losing her mother to jail or even death.  But as she slowly starts to understand just what her mother is risking so much for, she starts to realize that there are things more important than looking good at school or abiding by old traditions simply because things have always been done that way.  This is not only a story of a specific time and place but a coming of age story of a girl who realizes that she can make a difference in her small corner of the world.