Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 Poster Reveal! (Artwork by Julie Flett)

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Saying “Thank you” never seems like quite enough when working with the amazing children’s illustrators/authors that make our Official MCBD poster possible every year. This year is no exception.

We felt Julie Flett would be the perfect artist to create the Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 Poster. As a Cree-Metis author, illustrator, and artist she has a passion for diversity in children’s literature and a portfolio of talent that is mind-blowing! With an assist from designer, Robin Mitchell Cranfield, the result of the MCBD2019 was a home run!

About Julie

Author/Illustrator/Artist, Julie Flett

She has received many awards including the 2017 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature for her work on When We Were Alone by David Robertson (High Water Press), the 2016 American Indian Library Association Award for Best Picture Book for Little You by Richard Van Camp (Orca Books), and she is the three-time recipient of the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Award for Owls See Clearly at Night; A Michif Alphabet, by Julie Flett, Dolphin SOS, by Roy Miki and Slavia Miki (Tradewind Books), and My Heart Fills with Happiness, by Monique Gray Smith (Orca Books).

Her own Wild Berries (Simply Read Books) was featured in The New York Times and included among Kirkus’s Best Children’s Books of 2013. Wild Berries was also chosen as Canada’s First Nation Communities Read title selection for 2014–2015.

 A Q&A with Julie Flett

  1. What are you most proud of as an author/illustrator?

Julie: A few things: that as an artist, I can contribute something to my community, toward language resurgence; that I can work with and share stories that we didn’t have access to as children; that I can work with some of my favorite human beings, children; and that I’m building a livelihood with the work.

 

  1. Where do you pull your inspiration from as an artist?

Julie: It always starts with the story, stories that connect us. I’m also inspired by painters, filmmakers, and children’s bookmakers from earlier periods; Ezra Jack Keats, Inuit print-maker Pitseolak Ashoona, and animator Yuriy Norshteyn, to name a few.

 

  1. What was your inspiration for the official 2019 MCBD poster?

Julie: The everyday magic that happens through story and being together.

::drum roll:: Multicultural Children’s Book Day and author/illustrator, Julie Flett, would like to proudly share our official poster for MCBD2019!

Connect with Julie on her website and Twitter

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 Poster

**Click HERE or click the poster image to download your free copy!

Again, we owe many huge thanks to all of the talented illustrators for donating their time to create a poster on behalf of Multicultural Children’s Book Day! We appreciate the support and passion that is equal to ours 🙂

To view our beautiful posters from past MCBDs, go here to our Gallery.

Our Poverty Classroom Kit and 2019 MCBD Sponsorship Info!

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Now that the kids are back in school (or college for a few of the MCBD team) things are “full steam ahead” with getting ready for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019.



First, we’d like to remind everyone of the 2019 date change (and future dates for MCBD as well).

Instead of being “every January 27th,” we are shifting to a “last Friday in January” focus so we don’t interfere with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This change just felt right and we are glad to make this positive move. So, the next Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 will be on January 25, 2019.

2019 MCBD SPONSORSHIPS

Medallion and Author level Sponsorships for MCBD 2019 are OPEN!

“I’m excited for this, last year I had great results with promotions after participating. It also made me feel much closer to the kidlit community and introduced me to great bloggers. Thanks for opening up the event to all publishers.”~Author Elsa Takakoka

GO HERE to view the levels, download the Sponsor Packet, and lock in your 2019 Sponsorship ASAP.

Our 2018/2019 Classroom Poverty Kit is ready for download!

Our Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate: Understanding Poverty in America kit is ready to be downloaded and enjoyed by parents, librarians, and educators. This free classroom kit includes:

~Over 2 dozen poverty in the U.S.-themed books for ages 4-12,

~Two classroom or home activities

~Our official “Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate” Classroom Poster thanks to the talents of award-winning illustrator, Mehrdokht Amini

~ Helpful Poverty Talking Points for Teachers

~ Links, resources and services available to under-served families in the U.S.A.

Link to sign up on the website: https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/multicultural-reading-resources/teacher-classroom-poverty-kit/

Link to Blog post: https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/free-downloadable-classroom-poverty-kit-understanding-poverty-in-america/

As always this non-profit thanks you for helping us to continue our mission of getting diverse books into classrooms or the hands of young readers while also helping authors and publishers shine the spotlight on their work.

Our official hashtag is #ReadYourWorld

FREE Downloadable Classroom Poverty Kit: Understanding Poverty in America

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Multicultural Children’s Book Day

 Classroom Poverty Kit 2019

Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate | Understanding Poverty in America

Is ready for download!

Understanding Poverty in America

As our sixth Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday approaches on January 25, 2019, we are thrilled to have you as part of our amazing community of supporters! With enthusiasm, optimism, and hope, we are preparing for MCBD 2019 and hope you will, again, join our celebration of diversity through children’s books.

We are fortunate to live in a country that is a melting pot of diversity and land of opportunity. But not all those living in The Land of the Free have what they need for basic everyday living.

Current estimates in the U.S. show that the official poverty rate is somewhere around 12.7 percent, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 estimates. That year, an estimated 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty according to the official measure.

    “People come into the United States from all over the world to find freedom and to uncover enough wealth to raise their families. Many come from poor regions where they believe that the country doesn’t struggle with poverty. As one of the world’s wealthiest nations, this is simply a fallacy. And the numbers can attest to the fact that poverty is a pervasive problem America, but we don’t like to admit it. We would like to think that the poor only dwell in third-world countries, but there is no denying it, poverty is a pervasive quandary in America.”

Source: http://www.beliefnet.com/news/articles/7-facts-on-poverty-in-america.aspx#XeGtZ0e8CvWay7pd.99

But what does that mean? The official definition of poverty is “a condition where people’s basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met.” Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic according to the National Poverty Center. Most of these women have children and without additional income from a spouse, are at a greater risk of poverty.

Now let’s think about what that means, feels like, and looks like through the eyes of a child. Not having enough to eat or seeing their parent(s) struggle to pay bills creates stress and trauma in a child that feels powerless to help.

How about children who don’t live in homes touched by poverty? What does poverty look like to them? How can educators, parents, and caregivers help the next generation of leaders understand and empathize with a growing issue that is likely affecting someone close to them?

This Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 Poverty Classroom Kit is filled with books, activities, discussion questions, resources, and a free classroom poster to help students understand that Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate.

A HUGE “Thank You!” to Mehrdokht Amini for creating the poster for this years’ kit.

Click HERE to download your

FREE Classroom Poverty Kit 2019: Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate | Understanding Poverty in America

Our FREE Classroom Poverty Kit contains:

~27 Classroom Books that will help Readers Understand Poverty in America for ages 4 -12

~ Two Classroom or home Activities

~ “Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate” Classroom Poster thanks to the talents of award-winning illustrator, Mehrdokht Amini

~Helpful Poverty Talking Points for Teachers

~Links, resources and services available to under-served families in the U.S.A

     Thank you for cultivating understanding, kindness, inclusion, and exploration of this beautiful world in your classroom.

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MCCBD Sponsor

Pass the Word! Sponsorships for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 are now OPEN!

Medallion and Author level Sponsorships for MCBD 2019 are OPEN!

Celebrating Diversity in Children’s Literature

The 6th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day is  coming January 25, 2019

#READYOURWORLD

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

“I’m excited for this, last year I had great results with promotions after participating. It also made me feel much closer to the kidlit community and introduced me to great bloggers.

Thanks for opening up the event to all publishers.”~Author Elsa Takakoka

 

 

Click HERE

to download the 2019 MCBD Sponsorship Packet that outlines the benefits/perks of each level.

GO HERE to learn more about SPONSORSHIP LEVELS for MCBD 2019

Facebook for Business and Authors – Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

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Guest blog post by Susan Mayfield of Reduce the Chaos

With the recent changes on Facebook and the decreased reach for business pages, a lot of business people and authors are re-evaluating keeping a business page on Facebook. Some have made the drastic decision to delete their Facebook business pages or abandon them.

Facebook for authors

Stop! Before you follow them and delete your business from Facebook, you might want some facts to help make a more informed decision. I understand the frustration of the reduced reach on Facebook unless you pay for ads. However, there are still some valid points to having a business page and a quality, active presence. There are also some things that are working for organic reach if you have an engaged community. Until there is a more viable alternative, Facebook is one of the main places where the action is going to be when it comes to prospecting for clients and customers.

We used to have the local “Yellow Pages” to look up a business and contact them by phone, or just drop by during business hours. Today, most people don’t look for businesses that way, they look for businesses online. Most of the time people look for a business from their phones.

Websites are good, however, many people also look up a business on the following social sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Will people find your business on those sites? If they don’t find your business, it’ a given they will find others who offer similar services during their search.

The crucial thing to keep in mind is: What will potential clients and customers see when they go to those social sites? Clear contact information? Service and/or product information? Interesting images? Recent posts and activity from the business?

If you have ever gone to a Facebook page and nothing has been posted since 2013, I am sure you are left wondering if the business is still around. Don’t let your business page sit stagnant and unattended.

Facebook for Authors

Know the numbers to make an informed business decision!

Some stats*:

  • Facebook Has More Than 2 Billion Active Users on Facebook
  • Facebook has Over 1 billion daily active users
  • Demographics: 83% of Women & 75% of Men Use Facebook
  • People Access Facebook an Average 8 Times Per Day

Businesses:

  • 60 million businesses have a Facebook Page
  • 94% of businesses use Facebook
  • 64% of businesses use Instagram

Potential Customers and Clients:

  • 60% visit Facebook before going to your business
  • 80% more inclined to purchase after visiting your Facebook page
  • 62% use the information from your page to make a decision to use your services

“What happens if your business isn’t on Facebook, but other similar businesses are?”

What Facebook wants Business Pages to have:

#1 Meaningful Interaction

#2 Activity: Interaction and engagement on the page by followers and by the page.

Some things to keep in mind:

  • If no one is interacting, then the reach will decrease even more
  • Facebook gives more weight to shares and comments, then the reactions to the posts

How do you get more reach on Facebook?

Do the following:

  • Get people to react to the posts (great content)
  • Likes, comments are a good start
  • To ensure visibility get reactions (not just likes)
  • Super important: Always reply – response time and Replies to comments are tracked and rated by Facebook

When should you post content?

  1. When the majority of your followers are online
  2. If you post when your followers are online, then you will get more reward from Facebook by increased reach (Yes, Facebook is tracking the posts against when your people are online and this will affect your reach)
  3. Mix it up by sometimes posting at varying times to reach people who are online when most of your followers aren’t to be sure they are served too.

IMPORTANT DOES:

  • Fill out your business page profile completely, especially your contact info!
  • Sharing trending stories is a plus.
  • Use targeted audiences for shares
  • Schedule posts directly in Facebook**
  • Upload videos to Facebook, not from a Youtube link for better reach
  • Use posting to Nessenger to share content (if your followers are receptive to this)
  • Use sub titles ON THE VIDEO so the video can be viewed with sound off and it will usually get move viewers watching to the end. (Videos with higher completion rates get more reach)

**Note, Facebook is giving preference for authentic posts (not scheduled)

The stats from before the changes showed very little difference between the reach of scheduled posts using a third-party scheduler and using the scheduling option in Facebook. This may change. We encourage you to experiment using a scheduler mixed with authentic posts and posts scheduled in Facebook to see which is working best for your business.

Things to Avoid doing on Facebook:

  • Avoid sharing questionable stories (those that might be fake, but you aren’t sure)
  • Avoid frequent promotional posts
  • Avoid links outside of Facebook like your website. Facebook wants people to stay on Facebook and they don’t want OUTBOUND LINKS!!!
  • Posting things that cause people to hide your posts, marking posts as spam or as inappropriate, or “unliking” your page

What about advertising on Facebook?

Boosted posts are not recommended in general: this can be a waste of money, especially if you don’t have targeted audiences for the posts set up before boosting.

Use ads. Cost per click has dropped so they are more cost effective.

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How TO USE FACEBOOK to GROW YOUR BUSINESS or Author Platform

First, you need to know who your customer IS – this helps you to find them in a variety of ways and to create a message that appeals to them (where are they hanging out? Then hang out there too)

Grab their Attention with these:

– How to Videos

– Offer something of value for free/Special Offers or Discounts

– PDF guides/cheat sheets (downloads from your website)

– Giveaways

IMAGES: use them to get attention by using images that draw attention with **Emotion/Motion/Color** on your images. This means eye catching and interesting images.

Build Relationships

– collect emails through your website

– use an ad linked to Messenger (don’t be spammy with messenger ads)

– nurture: give them more contact with your business to get sales

Followup – this leads to more sales, referrals

Customer Service – have great customer service so your clients/customers come back and refer others to you.

The best way to get people from being just “on your Facebook page” is to lead the contact off Facebook and onto your website then to sign up for your email list. Through your email list is where you can contact them on a regular basis, no matter what Facebook is doing with your page visibility.

If you want to know if Facebook is worth your efforts, look at the analytics for your website and where your leads are coming from.

Most important of all, if you have a page on Facebook, make the best possible use of it with consistent and engaging content.

The one thing you can be certain of, there will continue to be changed on social media. Those who adapt will continue to benefit from being on social media.

Still unsure how to get more out of your social media or make Facebook work for you? You can find more information at Reduce the Chaos Virtual Assisting and Social Media Management

*Stats were taken from a combination of sources:

Sprout Social 

Tech Crunch

Top Dog

About Susan Mayfield and Reduce the Chaos:

My goal is promoting growing Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Authors, and Organizations, to increase their visibility to their prospective clients and their current clients. The goal is for this increased visibility to result in more client satisfaction and increased revenue for you, the client.

Reduce the Chaos supports Businesses and Authors to reach more of their ideal clients and customers through Facebook/Social Media: creating business accounts; content creation and scheduling, managing multiple social accounts and monitoring. Email Marketing Services: Set up and use Mailchimp, Aweber, Get Response or other marketing email programs to send emails and email newsletters.

Find me on Facebook

 

 

Your child’s choice of career + proficiency in a foreign language = success!

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**guest post from author, Judy Martialay**

Foreign language skills will open doors for your child, regardless of his or her career choice.

Language is about life. Wherever there is communication with people who speak another language, in our country or abroad, knowing another language is an asset or is required. This is why languages are one of the top 8 skills required of all occupations. In many countries, students study the language along with their career preparation.

children and foreign languages
Native English speakers comprise 5% of the world’s population. Although millions speak or study English, the majority have limited skills, and many prefer to communicate in their language.

The old adage for business is “Buy in your language but sell in the buyer’s language.” Solid lasting business relations are based on trust, friendship, and cultural affinity.

Foreign language skills will open doors

Students of another language can develop appreciation and respect for other cultures, and develop skills to work with people from diverse backgrounds. The ability to communicate in the language of the customer plays a big role in establishing friendship and trust.

These are some of the benefits that proficiency in a second language has for your child and his or her career:

• In the competition for jobs, all things being equal, the candidate who is bilingual has the advantage.
• Bilinguals are needed to interact with employees and customers abroad and in our country.
• Bilinguals can discover and attract more potential customers or clients than monolinguals. They can access important information which is unavailable to monolingual English speakers.
• Employees who are proficient in another language can receive a bonus.

Proficiency in a foreign language = success

The military needs people who are competent in other languages. Every soldier accepted by the Green Berets must know a foreign language. These soldiers are sent to other countries to advise and train local troops. Armed services are just one of the many careers where knowing a language is either required or an asset: health, social services, police, corrections, journalism, foreign service, politics, sports, hospitality, engineering, sales, the arts, travel, and tourism.

Can you think of more? I just read in the newspaper that radio sports announcers need to know how to pronounce the baseball player’s names. There are many players from foreign countries, mostly Spanish-speaking.

Encourage your child to start and/or continue the study of a language along with his or her major subject. Where possible, he or she should strive to earn the Seal of Biliteracy which is awarded upon graduation in many states.


He or she will be able to put this on his or her resumé. This will not only set him or her apart from the crowd; it will also open the door to exciting opportunities.

About Judy

Author Judy Martialay

Author Judy Martialay

“Children absorb languages like sponges.” Elementary school teacher
Visit: http://www.polyglotkidz.com
Bonjour! Let’s Learn French:

NABE Book Achievement Award Winner Winter 2018 Children’s Bilingual

Honorable Mention Cultural Diversity Purple Dragonfly Award 2018

order now on Amazon.com

print

https://amzn.to/2m3WgyX

kindle:  https://amzn.to/2mersvn

B&N.com:  https://goo.gl/W7y2dT

Bookbaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Bonjour-Lets-Learn-French

¡HOLA! Let’s Learn Spanish

NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner Winter 2017 Children’s Bilingual
Readers’ Favorite Bronze Award Children’s Educational 2017
Honorable Mention Educational Purple Dragonfly Book Award 2017

Judy’s books on Amazon.com

Softcover printed

https://amzn.to/2mizrYw

Kindle:
https://amzn.to/2ujRTEs 
B&N:
http://bit.ly/2eNNi6o

Bookbaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/¡hola-Lets-Learn-Spanish 
Like me on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJudyMartialay/
follow me on Twitter
Judy Martialay@judyruth10
Lead with languages

A Walk in Nature, Une Promenade en Nature {An English/French Picture Book}

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Guest Post By Author Jesica Nkouaga

So What Do Nature and Children Have in Common?

They grow! They grow especially when they are nurtured and cared for by someone who loves them.

Nature and children are two things that author Jesica Nkouaga loves. Jesica’s love for nature inspired her to draw pictures of the natural surroundings around her, both at home and abroad during her ESL teaching adventures overseas.

Author Jesica Nkouaga

Although not an artist by training, Jesica took deep comfort in drawing the countryside landscapes that she saw around her, especially while teaching English abroad in Thailand, Jordan, and Honduras. Many of the drawings in this book are a result of over ten years of traveling and drawing. The book also includes drawings of the countryside near the farm where Jesica grew up in Minnesota.

It also includes drawings of hobbies that Jesica and her family members engage in such as riding a unicycle and playing guitar.

After ten years of collecting drawings, Jesica came up with a way to put all of the things she loves together. She put the nature drawings together to create a basic language learning book for children.

As an ESL teacher, language teaching and learning are something that Jesica does daily, so it made sense to create a book about language learning for children.

Why include the French language, you might ask?

French connects with Jesica’s love for learning new languages, and it is one of her lifetime goals to learn French— the native language of her husband who is from Cameroon. By including a French translation in her book, it not only helps her learn and practice French, but it aids others who are learning and practicing French especially children! She is grateful to her husband, Abel, who enthusiastically and patiently helped to translate the book into French.

It is Jesica’s hope that children and parents will be inspired by the colorful and vibrant drawings of nature depicting different settings around the world, and hopefully, some French can be learned along the way. In this book, enjoy learning French and enjoy a walk in nature— une promenade en nature!

Connect with Jesica on her Facebook Page.

A New “Must Read” #DiverseYA Book | The Length of String by Elissa Weissman

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I (Becky) can’t remember what came first; me discovering a gorgeous book called The Length of String, or author Elissa Weissman reaching out to MCBD to share news of this novel with us.

Either way, the moment I saw the cover and the summary of the story, I couldn’t hit the “Buy” button fast enough.

The Length of String by Elissa Weissman

The Length of a String is about a black, adopted, Jewish girl who discovers her great-grandmother’s diary from World War II. Part of the book is the diary itself, which takes place mostly in Brooklyn in 1941. This historical story alternates with the contemporary story of Imani in present-day Baltimore, reading the diary and beginning to think about family in a new way.

Elissa is also the author of the awesome Nerd Camp series that has garnered rave reviews from School Library Journal and The Horn Book.

Elissa Weissman

About The Length of String

Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she’s black and almost everyone she knows is white. Then her mom’s grandmother–Imani’s great-grandma Anna–passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It’s Anna’s diary from 1941, the year she was twelve and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn, New York. Anna’s diary records her journey to America and her new life with an adoptive family of her own. And as Imani reads the diary, she begins to see her family, and her place in it, in a whole new way. Engrossing, heartfelt, and captivating from start to finish, The Length of a String combines contemporary and historical fiction in one moving story that shows family is far more than genetics. (for ages 10-14)

When we asked Elissa what her inspiration for THE LENGTH OF A STRING was, she had the most interesting story to share!

“The inspiration for The Length of a String came from three different places,” she recalled. “Growing up, one of my closest friends had been adopted from Mexico. She and her sister, who was adopted from within the U.S., were raised Jewish, like me. Thinking about their experience—especially what it might be like to look different from everyone else at Hebrew school—gave me the idea for Imani.”

Elissa then shared that the second idea came from an episode of “The Diane Rehm Show” on NPR in which many people were calling in and sharing their stories about being children of Holocaust survivors. One caller revealed that her grandparents had saved up money to send their children to America, but they could only afford to send two. When they got to the boat, the smuggler said, “Sorry, the price just doubled.” Now they could only afford to send one.

“I heard that and immediately began thinking about the story of the young girl who had to go to America by herself. It gave me the idea for Imani’s great-grandmother, Anna,” she added.

The third piece of this wonderful book came from Elissa’s own family history. “When I started writing the books, I was fortunate to still have four living grandparents, three of whom grew up in New York City in the 1930s and 40s. I sat down with them and recorded them talking about their childhoods and, with my Grandpa Marty, his career as a furrier. I was excited about the opportunity to incorporate their memories and stories into a book. But I’d never written anything historical before, and I was intimidated by the research involved. I decided to try combining my contemporary, adopted-character idea with my historical idea as a way to ease myself into this book. Once I started writing, I realized that the two stories were meant to go together all along”

I (Becky) have just started digging into this book and I can assure you, I’m hooked. Putting this book down to get some work done is going to be a challenge! When I asked Elissa what she wanted teachers, librarians, and parents to know about The Length of String, she had this to say;

“Though a good portion of the book takes place during World War II, this is not your typical Holocaust story. Also, the ending is really good!” she shared. “The Length of a String is different from my other books—it’s for slightly older readers, it contains a historical story in addition to a contemporary one, and the subject matter is more serious, though it still contains a good amount of my trademark humor.”

Elissa’s website is also bursting with amazing teacher resources and curriculum for all of her books.  Learn more at ebweissman.com. You can also connect with Elissa on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Author

 

Elissa Brent Weissman is an award-winning author of novels for young readers. Best known for the popular Nerd Camp series, she and her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, NPR’s “Here and Now,” and more. Named one of CBS Baltimore’s Best Authors in Maryland, Elissa lives in Baltimore City, where she teaches creative writing to children, college students, and adults. Learn more at ebweissman.com.

 

 

 

 

 

The Length of String

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Why there is still work to be done in the world of #DiverseKidlit

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Friends, we still have so much work to do!

Here’s some information from the CCBC about diversity in kidlit. In their analysis of picture books published in 2017:

Of the approximately 3,700 books received at the CCBC in 2017, most from U.S. publishers, here’s the breakdown:
  • 340 had significant African or African American content/characters.
    • 100 of these were by Black authors and/or illustrators. (29.41% #OwnVoices)
  • 72 had significant American Indian/First Nations content/characters.
    • 38 of these were by American Indian/First Nations authors and/or illustrators. (52.78% #OwnVoices)
  • 310 had significant Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific American content/characters.
    • 122 of these were by authors and/or illustrators of Asian/Pacific heritage. (39.35% #OwnVoices)
  • 216 had significant Latinx content/characters.
    • 73 of these were by Latinx authors and/or illustrators. (33.8% #OwnVoices)
(The numbers will change slightly as they continue to receive a stray title or two. Check their website for up-to-date statistics, including the numbers for books from U.S. publishers only, and more on what and how they count.)

* A character in a picture book was 4 times more likely to be a dinosaur than an American Indian child.
* A character in a picture book was 2 times more likely to be a rabbit than an Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific American child.
* A female character in a picture book was highly likely to be wearing pink and/or a bow, even if she is a hippopotamus, an ostrich, or a dinosaur.
* A child with a disability appeared in only 21 picture books, and only 2 of those were main characters. Most others appeared in background illustrations.

That’s less than one-third of one percent of picture books published in 2017 and received by the CCBC that had the main character with a disability. No wonder I have trouble finding books I want to review!

#OwnVoices Controversy

Resources for Diverse Booklists and Authors:

KitLit411 has an excellent list of resources and publishers that focus on diverse books for kids.

View out MCBD 2018 Author Sponsors and Medallion Level Sponsors to discover even more titles and diverse book publishers.

 

Thanks for being part of this movement to change these statistics.

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Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day (An Adoption Day Story)

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Sometimes the idea for a great diverse picture book for kids comes from the more genuine and authentic sources. That is exactly the case with Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day by Carolyn Wilhelm.

The idea for this book occurred to Carolyn when she saw her-2-year-old grandson watch his Auntie Betsy from South Korea, and seem to wonder how she fit in the otherwise white family.

Who knows what he was thinking, but it appeared to be he was noticing Auntie’s eyes and skin color. Carolyn decided this book could help him and other young children with older, adopted relatives, understand their families.

“This book is the story of one family’s airplane day party as seen through the eyes of the youngest nephew of the aunt who was adopted by a white family from Korea over 30 years ago,” Carolyn recalled. “Some people call such events gotcha day or adoption day celebrations. The twist is that the child is not the adopted person in the story.”

Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day: An Adoption Day Story by Carolyn Wilhelm and illustrator Pieter Els.

Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day is a multigenre fiction story based on a nonfiction annual event, the adoption day celebration sometimes called “airplane day” or “gotcha day.” This is the story of how an adult aunt adopted from South Korea fits in an otherwise white family in Minnesota in the United States. It is meant for the young family relatives to help them understand how a family could have racial diversity. Celebrations such as airplane day and gotcha day are a good way to help family members with such memories.

This sweet picture book is a great way to share the beauty and celebration of adoption while letting a student, friend or family member who has been involved with an international adoption see their story in the pages of a book. This book is also great for any parent or educators trying to help a young child to understand more about the wider world.

Why Teachers, Librarians, and Parents will love this Book

“If your classroom or story time group has children who live in multi-race families (perhaps because they are adopted), they wish to see and hear about themselves in stories,” Carolyn noted. “Although book publishers have more multicultural inclusion in recent years, it is still important for teachers and librarians to make a point to be sure and find books reflective of their students for read-aloud time.”

1 Adoption Story-3 Ways to Read it

Another wonderful benefit of Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day is that it comes in three different reading formats; paperback, Kindle Paperwhite, eBook, and Kindle Fire interactive eBook. This book will appeal to kids in the  Pre-K through Grade 2 age group.

About The Author

Carolyn Wilhelm-Author and CEO of Wise Owl Factory

Carolyn has been a long-time supporter of MCBD and we appreciate her more than words can say. Her love of kids, books, and education are expressed in everything she does and she is one smart lady!

Carolyn Wilhelm has been writing mostly free lessons for teachers online since 1988. When blogging became popular about 2011, she began her own website and blog to share elementary education resources. She has had lessons published by the National Council of Teachers of English on their ReadWriteThink.org website. Prior to 2011, she used to have her free-lance lessons published by Good Apple and other teacher publications. She taught school for 28 years and found her students enjoyed the stories she wrote. Finally, she has begun writing and self-publishing children’s books.

When asked who her writing inspiration was in life, Carolyn had this to say; “My daughter is my biggest influencer as she is from South Korea and read books about mostly white children when she was growing up. This did not hinder her love of reading. She is an advocate of Multicultural Children’s Book Day and encourages my involvement each year. My husband has patiently proofread countless drafts and has been a writing mentor and supporter.”

Carolyn is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which has published four of her lessons on ReadWriteThink.org. Her educational resources are for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers as well as Teacher’s Notebook.  Previous publications include a story in an anthology Mom for the Holidays: Stories of Love, Laughter & Tantrums at Christmas & Hanukkah by Nolan and Demas.

She lives in Minnesota and enjoys time with her grandchildren, creating lessons, reading, and being involved in local community center activities. She loves taking time out in nature to observe her favorite bird, owls. She is Red Cross certified in pediatric through adult first aid and CPR.

Connect with Carolyn and Wise Owl Factory on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. Grab your copy of on Amazon.

Alex Asks About Auntie's Airplane Day

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