Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Becky F. Project Manager for MCBD

Becky Flansburg has been the Project Manager for the MCBD initiative since Day One and she can honestly say that she loves her job. As the mom to two beautiful kids, she is the voice of “invisible disabilities” like ADHD, severe anxiety, and childhood eating issues. Her oldest son is also adopted, and she is as proud as proud could be to be an adoptive mommy. Connect with Becky at Becky (at) Multiculturalchildrensbookday.com

Taking Food Literacy, Literally | Diverse Book Publisher Readers to Eaters

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Article and interview courtesy of Becky Flansburg
One of the co-founders of MCBD, Mia Wenjen, made a comment on a podcast recently that was beautifully accurate. Mia stated that, when it comes to introducing kids to multiculturalism in this world, two of the best ways to do so is through books and food.
The Seattle-based book publisher, Readers to Eaters (R2E) has not only nailed that concept but done so in an urban and modern way. But many of R2E’s children’s book offerings are not just about diversity, they are about having a food dialogue. Their books strive to not only create a heightened awareness as to where our food comes from in its most natural state, but how what we eat is a focal point in bringing people together.
Readers to Eaters
As one for the original co-founders of the largest diverse children’s book publishers in the world, Lee & Low Books, Philip Lee knows books and the importance of getting those books into the hands of young readers. When Lee & Low was founded in 1991 and Philip was the “Lee” in the “Lee & Low” company. After launching this wildly successful company with co-founder Tom Low, Philip left the company in 2004  and later started his own publishing house, Readers to Eaters, with his wife, June Jo Lee, in 2009.
“Good Reads & Good Eats. That’s what we’re about. Whether publishing, organizing events, or bookselling — we promote conversations about growing, cooking and eating food. Dig in.”~Reader to Eaters
Around 2007, Philip and June Jo began noticing that there was a new trend coming to the forefront; the food movement. Books were being published about the U.S’s broken food system and Americans were taking notice. In 2009 Michelle Obama launched the White House Garden Project and that’s when a need for a “food dialogue” became glaringly obvious to the ambitious publisher.

To this day, Philip and June Jo continue to be committed to helping kids and families have a better understanding of what and how they eat. The business started off as a pop-up bookstore that could be found at farmers’ markets and harvest festivals. The Lees also attend many conferences for science and reading teachers, librarians, nutritionists, food activists, and chefs throughout the year.  Together, this dynamic duo also created #FoodHeroes to get kids interested in where food comes from and one of the more prevalent #FoodHeroes is Farmer Will Allen; a former basketball star turned urban farmer and educator.

“Our books are diverse, but diversity is not front-and-center...food is,” Philip shared. “Our kids and adult books are less about how to prepare food and more about the culture of bringing people together, creating an experience around food and knowing where our food comes from.  Many people look at diversity via race, we tend to look at it via culture because, to us, culture is so much more specific. People can be part of many different cultures and it is a truer reflection of who they are.”
 

Another modern #FoodHero is CHEF ROY CHOI AND THE STREET FOOD REMIX ; a Korean American chef who gained prominence as the creator of the gourmet LA Korean taco truck, Kogi. He is a chef who is celebrated for “food that isn’t fancy” and is known as one of the founders of the gourmet food truck movement.

Roy has earned a stellar reputation for giving Korean and Mexican food a culinary “remix” while also creating jobs in communities. This book has appealed to kids from elementary age to high schoolers in a big way and is also the recipient of the Robert F. Seibert Award Honor Book for Most Distinguished Informational Book 2018 by the Association of Library Services for Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association.

“Since the first of the year, we’ve traveled to numerous educational conferences and it was especially gratifying to hear from librarians that children in rural Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas, which are mostly white, are enjoying CHEF ROY CHOI’s story about a Korean American chef in urban LA serving Korean BBQ on a taco truck,” Philip noted. “I’m so glad that our food story can introduce children to new cultures and the immigrant experience. Last month NPR also mentioned Readers to Eaters in Children’s Publishing House Takes Food Literacy Literally. We’re so glad that our mission to promote food literacy is getting recognized.”

In addition to FARMER WILL ALLEN and CHEF ROY CHOI, Philip added that his company has also published OUR SCHOOL GARDEN! and A MOOSE BOOSH;  two wonderful books that have been well received by kids, parents, and educators.

R2E’s books do include the idea of food prep and harvest, but these unique books embrace immigration, social justice, food literacy, self-identification and exploring the traditions behind food. Food can be so much more than a meal as well. Food supports community building and bringing people together.

“Our mission is to tell the cultural story of American through food and amazing books for readers of all ages.”~ Philip Lee

To learn more about Readers to Eaters, visit their website.

Readers to Eaters

Lee & Low Books’ Jason Low shares his thoughts on #diversity and the 25th Anniversary of Baseball Saved Us

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(Guest post by Becky Flansburg; Project Manager for MCBD)

Not long ago, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing publisher, Philip Lee. As one of the former founders of Lee & Low Books, Philip left the company in 2004  to create his own publishing house, Readers to Eaters, in 2009. It was Philip that clued me in on a big milestone for Lee & Low Books that I felt really needed to be shouted from the rooftops. Lee & Low Books has always had a passion and commitment to diversity in children’s literature and publishing exec, Jason Low, spent some time with us to share his thoughts on diversity and a very exciting milestone for one particular Lee & Low book.

Lee & Low Book’s connection to Multicultural Children’s Book Day began way back when MCBD first began. Our non-profit has always been in awe of this diverse children’s book publisher’s passion and commitment to children’s literature.

About Lee & Low Books:

Lee & Low Books

Lee & Low Books is the largest multicultural children’s book publisher in the country, and one of the few minority-owned publishing companies in the United States. They offer books for all young readers, from leveled books for beginning readers through middle grade and young adult novels. They also publish several bilingual books, as well as books in other languages. Their books reflect the diversity and richness of the United States. LEE & LOW BOOKS is more than just a publisher: it is a leader in the movement for more diversity in literature.

The Exciting News

The “milestone” that I discovered was impending was the 25th anniversary of Lee & Low’s very first published book, Baseball Saved Us. 

The 25th anniversary of anything is a big deal, but it’s even bigger when it’s a company connected to a shared mission and vision. Thrilled and excited, I reached out to my connection at Lee & Low who in turn put me in touch with exec, Jason Low. Jason generously agreed to share his thoughts on the 25th Anniversary of Baseball Saved Us, some points of pride with his company and also his thoughts on the advancement of diversity in children’s literature. Enjoy!

 

Q & A With Lee & Low Books’ Jason Low

 

Becky: Walk me briefly through Lee & Low’s timeline and what year you came on board.

JL: I joined the company in 1997. I was employee #6. By then, Lee & Low Books had established itself as a promising small publisher of quality multicultural books. At the time, one of Lee & Low’s biggest challenges was finding diverse authors and illustrators and developing stories. Many of the limitations we faced back then mainly had to do with size, or lack thereof. Everyone wore many hats. As a result, we struggled to cover the basics like keeping publication dates and sending out review copies on time. The early years were an exciting time too! The lack of resources forced us to prioritize and innovate. Working with a modest budget required us to come up with creative solutions and guerrilla marketing techniques. There is no better way to learn how to run a business than to work for a startup.

 

Becky: This month is the 25th anniversary of Lee & Low’s release of their very first book, Baseball Saved Us. What does this milestone mean to you personally? To the company? 

JL: Baseball Saved Us will always symbolize for us how it all began. The book broke new ground by making the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II personnel. It is an underdog story set in an era of overt racism, seen through the clear-eyed innocence of a child, with America’s favorite pastime acting as a backdrop. Baseball Saved Us set the bar for us editorially, and as the years advanced, our instincts developed further, telling us what other stories still needed to be told. Our focus on ethnicity eventually widened to include other marginalized groups like LGBT and people with disabilities. “About everyone ~ For everyone” became our motto. As the business matures, we remember everything, from the highs to the lean years we had to endure. These memories give us an appreciation for where we are today. The early years taught us how to get by with less, but now that we have the means to do more for our books, it is an exciting time.

Lee & Low Books

Becky: Was there any specific reason this book was chosen to be Lee & Low’s first offering?

JL: New publishers are typically focused on finding great manuscripts and publishing them as soon as possible. The chicken-and-egg model would apply here—no books = no sales. This hand-to-mouth kind of publishing persisted for a number of years. In the beginning, there was no master plan. Baseball Saved Us was one of three books ready for release in our debut year.

 

Becky: Do you have something special in mind to celebrate/recognize this milestone?

JL: We are working on a 25th Anniversary edition of Baseball Saved Us to commemorate this milestone. It will be released in Fall 2018.

 

Becky: Lee & Low has such an amazing reputation for producing impactful and quality books for readers. This is a tall order, but can you pinpoint 3-5 books that Lee & Low has published that you feel really made an impact on readers?

JL: Aside from Baseball Saved Us? I’d go with:

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Lee & Low Books

By G. Neri

Illustrated by Randy DuBurke

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/yummy

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match

By Monica Brown

Illustrated by Sara Palacios

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/marisol-mcdonald-doesn-t-match-marisol-mcdonald-no-combina

Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace

Lee & Low Books

By Jen Johnson

Illustrated by Sonia Sadler

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/seeds-of-change

Summer of the Mariposas

Lee & Low Books

By Guadalupe Garcia McCall

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/summer-of-the-mariposas

I Am Alfonso Jones*

Lee & Low

By Tony Medina

Illustrated by Stacey Robinson, John Jennings

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/i-am-alfonso-jones

*Note: I Am Alfonso Jones is a new graphic novel, so it remains to be seen what long-term impact this book will have on readers. However, the book has already been included on lists like the New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens and the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens from the American Library Association (ALA), so we believe it is destined to go far.

 

Becky: Back in 2015, Lee & Low did a study on the Diversity Gap that showed that, despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Do you feel these stats have shifted over the last 3 years? 

JL: Yes and no. See our reactions and thoughts here: http://blog.leeandlow.com/2017/03/30/the-diversity-gap-in-childrens-book-publishing-2017/

 

Becky: If you could let readers know ONE THING about Lee & Low, what would that one thing be?

JL: If you are searching for authentic, quality, diverse books with plenty of heart, Lee & Low Books is the publisher for you. Pass it on.

Jason Low

 

Jason Low

 

Jason Low is the publisher and a co-owner of LEE & LOW BOOKS, the largest multicultural children’s book publisher in the United States. Jason has spoken at national conferences like American Library Association and Texas Library Association. He has presented at universities such as Princeton, Pratt, and NYU about the importance of inclusion in children’s books. In addition to publishing award-winning books, the company initiated a series of Diversity Gap Studies, which revealed a lack of representation across industries like film, television, and theater. Lee & Low also spearheaded the first Diversity Baseline Survey to measure diversity in publishing staff, the results of which have become an often referred to benchmark by academics and major media alike. In 2016, the Eric Carle Museum selected Lee & Low as the recipient of its Angel Award for the company’s dedication to artists and authors who offer children both mirrors and windows to the world.

 

On My Desk | More Great Diverse Books for Kids

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SO..what in the world is “On My Desk” anyway?

This series got started because, with my role as Project Manager, I get to enjoy the avalanche of amazing multicultural books for kids that are donated to our project.  A good chunk of the year my office looks like a small bookstore and I love every second of it.

Even though MCBD2018 is over I am still getting amazing books every weeBeing appreciative of every book that crosses my desk, I wanted to find a fun way to share those books with the loyal folks who show up here to read every week and support this non-profit. In that moment, On My Desk | New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider was born! It’s my way of sharing some amazing titles that don’t always get the attention they deserve.

Here’s what the Mailman Book Fairy brought me this week:

On My Desk | More Great Diverse Books for Kids

Grandfather Thunder and the Night Horses by Christine Almstrom

Grandfather Thunder

When a young girl is frightened of a storm, her grandmother comforts her by telling the story of the Night Horses – a creature Grandfather Thunder made from his own heart to wake the earth and bring the rains to the people. Based on the Lakota legend of the Thunder Horse, “Grandfather Thunder & the Night Horses,” is translated through permission of the tribal elders of the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Thunder Valley Lakota Language Initiative in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Talk With Me: The Big Book of Exclamations 2 by Teri Kaminiski-Peterson, M.S.C.C.C./SLP

The author’s first book, The Big Book of Exclamations, was written with the goal of being an educational children’s book designed to promote speech sound development.  Talk With Me: The Big Book of Exclamations 2  is the second in a series of educational children’s books. Created by a pediatric speech-language pathologist, our books are filled with carefully designed illustrations which immerse infants and toddlers in the rich language that surrounds in their familiar environments and daily routines. The books are designed to promote speech sound development and imitation of gestures, sounds, and words. Unlike most books, it doesn’t have a story to read. Instead, across the bottom of each page, there are prompts which teach parents/educators how to act out the illustrations and interact using gestures, sounds, words, or phrases depending on their child’s ability. The book shows parents how to modify what they say about each illustration in order to maximize their child’s communication potential. It is also filled with information which helps parents understand speech.

Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School by Janet Halfmann

Lilly Ann learned to read and write from her master’s children in Kentucky. She shared her knowledge with other enslaved people in a hidden spot in the woods on Sundays when the family was away. Later, she was sold to Mississippi, where teaching others carried a punishment of thirty-nine lashes with a whip. To keep from being found out, Lilly Ann taught in a secluded cabin off a back alley from midnight until two in the morning. Over the years she taught hundreds of enslaved people, and they, in turn, shared their knowledge with others. Read the author’s guest post and book review on JumpIntoAbook.com.

Tolerance Tykes by Brooke Aiello

Tolerance Tykes was created to promote to inclusivity of children from all walks of life. This new series will focus on breaking down the walls of intolerance that stand in the way of a more compassionate world for our children to grow in. The purpose of this book is to instill the message that all children are beautiful and important just the way they are.Each book in the series will provide a look into the lives of ten children. Through bright illustrations, fun facts, and poetry the reader will get a sense of what it is like to walk in that person’s shoes for a day. Topics include Gender Identity, Autism, Down syndrome, Hearing Impairment, Blindness, Anxiety, stuttering, Cancer, Adoption and Muscular Dystrophy.

What amazing books have YOU found this week?

On My Desk | More Great Diverse Books for Kids

 

One More Thing- Be sure and check out our robust and extensive Diversity Book Lists & Resources for Teachers and Parents!

Diversity booklists for teachers

Examples of Classroom Fun and Celebration for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018!

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We’ve invited all of our classrooms and supporters to celebrate The Big Day anytime during 1/22 and 1/27 and we’ve already had some educators and organizations share their ReadYourWorld fun here. The buzz around this event is mind-blowing and we felt compelled to share even more fun images and examples of educators using #Readyourworld to educate Global Citizens:

Sarah Fisk from the Orange County (Orlando) Library System reached out to use in September to share their plans for Local Author Festivals in honor of Multicultural Children’s Book Day! The library had a signing-only author festival with 6 Florida authors from 2 to 4 pm. They also had Crystal Sullivan, the library’s lead storyteller, do a mini storytime for children at 2 and 3pm.

Multicultural Children’s Book Authors showed their support during Orange County Library System’s MCBD event.

Recap and Summary of Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018

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Hard to believe it has been almost 30 days since the mind-blowing awesome 1/27/18 MCBD celebration and we can promise all of you that we are still recovering!

The MCBD team was touched and elevated by the overwhelming support and enthusiasm surrounding our diverse children’s literature online celebration. In the days following the crescendo of the event, and our crazy-fun annual Twitter Party,  we all have spent hours sifting through the amazing thoughts, comments, and requests that were offered up during our on and offline global event. Here is the Summary of Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018.

MCBD will be moving from an “every January 27th” celebration date to a “last Friday in January” focus so we don’t interfere with
International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Just a FYI 🙂

 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 by the Numbers

 3,210,943,767: Total number of social media share impressions for January 25-28, 2018. Yes…that’s BILLION with a “B.” Yes, we triple checked it.

 3,210,943,767: Total number of social media share impressions for January 25-28, 2018.

One Ba-Jillion: The number of hours spent coordinating, navigating, managing, enjoying, connecting, networking, pitching and problem-solving. Just kidding. It was a lot, but we don’t mind. It’s a labor of love!

21: The number of wonderful book-loving CoHosts who acted as ambassadors for this years’ event

2: The number of times #ReadYourWorld trended on Twitter on 1/27/18

 

Over 600: The number of parents, caregivers, teachers, librarians and young readers read diverse kidlit and YA books in honor of the event. These reviews can be seen on our every growing Big Giant Linky for 2018.

Big Giant Linky

591, 592, 593…: The ever-growing number of multicultural children’s book reviews being added to the Big Giant Linky for 2018

75+: Number of diverse kids’ books given away thanks to the Children’s Book Council (CBC) Book Jam Project.

#ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2018, Eight Picture Books with Diverse Family Constellations

29: Number of powerhouse Medallion Level Sponsors

50: Number of amazing Author Sponsors.

83: Number of generous book donators who sent books for classrooms

1734+: Number of classrooms signed up to receive a free book from MCBD.

Author Sponsors, a boatload of generous book donators and many, many authors, teachers, parents, readers, and librarians showed up to read, visit and enjoy the multicultural book titles, discussions and book-related activities!

2500+: Number of downloads for our FREE Classroom Kindness Kit and FREE Classroom Empathy Kit!

Classroom Kindness Kit

Classroom Kindness Kit

Classroom Empathy Kit

Classroom Empathy Kit

The many people and organizations that made the success of the 2018 event possible.

This year we were again blessed with amazing sponsors, reviewers, book donators, and supporters. We want to share a very special Thank you to Honorary Sponsor- The Junior Library Guild for continuing to send books for our classroom project. To date, roughly 1,000 books have been mailed out to classrooms over the last 5 years.

Honorary Sponsor- The Junior Library Guild

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: 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, 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

 

2018 Multicultural Children’s Book Day CoHosts


 A Crafty Arab, 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,  The Educators’ Spin On It , Embracing Diversity,Franticmommy, Growing Book by Book , Here Wee Read,   Imagination Soup  Kid World Citizen · Mama Smiles · Multicultural Kid Blogs , Randomly Reading,  Spanish Playground, The Logonauts, Wise Owl Factory

 

2018 Multicultural Children’s Book Day Participating Bloggers

600+ wonderful bloggers stepped forward and agreed to review multicultural children’s books for our special event.

(Link cloud coming soon!)

 

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our 2018 event a huge success!

*For Multicultural Children’s Book Day, we hand-tabulated the social media shares of most of the individuals listed above, tracking Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest social media shares only. Additional social media shares on Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media platforms were not included. Social media share impressions by individuals not listed above were also counted.

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