Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Learn English Idioms with New Multicultural & Multilingual Book Series!

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A new series of idiom books in many languages was released today by Independent publisher (and MCBD PLATINUM SPONSOR) Language Lizard!

Language Lizard Idiom Books explain common English idioms using clever multicultural illustrations and English example sentences. Bilingual versions of the books provide idiom translations and meanings in a second language, making the idioms easier for English language learners to understand. The books come with free multicultural lessons and activities to support culturally responsive teaching.

Language Lizard Idiom Books Series consists of four titles:

Language Lizard Idiom Books Series

  • Fresh as a Daisy – English Nature Idioms by Diane Costa, illustrated by Maria Russ
  • Icing on the Cake – English Food Idioms by Troon Harrison, illustrated by Joyeeta Neogi
  • The Lion’s Share – English Animal Idioms by Troon Harrison, illustrated by Dmitry Fedorov
  • With Flying Colors – English Color Idioms by Anneke Forzani, illustrated by Dmitry Fedorov

Language Lizard Idiom Books are available in English and in bilingual editions with the following languages: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Spanish, Telugu, and Vietnamese (More languages will be coming soon.)

Language Lizard Idiom Books

There are 4 books, each with a different theme (food, colors, animals, nature), and they will be available in English only as well as in bilingual editions. The bilingual editions will include idiom explanations in different languages. The Language Lizard Team is actively working on Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Telugu, Haitian-Creole, Vietnamese, and Hmong versions with a few other languages in the pipeline also.

“These books are like no other idiom books available as all the idioms are presented with characters and settings from around the world,” shared Language Lizard CEO, Anneke Forzani. “I truly believe there has never been anything like this before. All my kids have learned about idioms, and all the idiom books they read had stick figures or non-diverse characters.” 

Language Lizard Idiom Books Series Bonus Materials

“Our new books have fun illustrations with multicultural characters and international settings,” Anneke added. “In addition, each book comes with a link to LOTS of amazing teaching resources.”

  • English audio of the book
  • Lesson plans that teach idioms while exposing children to other cultures
  • Fun idiom activities for use in the classroom or home
  • Information about the history of the idioms in the book
  • Additional idioms with their meanings and history

Bonus Materials and Resources Include:

—> Lesson plans that teach about figurative language but include a multicultural component and provide opportunities for home-school connections (e.g. one exercise in the lessons look at similar idioms in different languages/cultures, and has kids explore idioms in their home language with their parents).
—> Fun idiom activities (e.g. idiom fill-in-the-blank stories in which the content of the story teaches them about the Holi festival, the Hanami cherry-blossom-viewing in Japan, or animals in South America).
—> Explanations of the multicultural illustrations.
Advance praise for the Language Lizard Idiom Book Series:

“I highly recommend the Language Lizard Idiom Book Series to teachers, parents, and English-language learners of all ages. From the youngest to the most experienced, readers will have a whale of a time discovering new phrases and expressions while turning pages with laughter and joy. The books are fun to read, easy to understand, and appropriate for any educational setting. Without hesitation, I rate this series 5 out of 5 stars. They would make a great addition to any home or classroom library, and I’m confident you, too, will feel the same.” Tara Brown, ESL, English, and Spanish Teacher, Michigan

“These books are highly recommended to foster and develop common English phrases that cause confusion for multilingual learners in a meaningful, relatable, and relevant format.” Robyn Dailey, Title III Instructional Coach, Georgia

About Language Lizard

Language Lizard, LLC (www.LanguageLizard.com) is a leading supplier of bilingual products in over 50 languages. The company provides award-winning bilingual books and audio resources to schools, libraries, literacy organizations, and bilingual families. Language Lizard offers culturally responsive teaching materials, multilingual posters, and free multicultural lesson plans to support diverse classrooms and homeschooling families.

Language Lizard Idiom Books are available as English and bilingual paperbacks at www.LanguageLizard.com, Ingram, and bookstores worldwide. eBooks are available on major eBook platforms and on Overdrive and are 32 Full Illustrated Color Pages for Grade Level K-5.

Language Lizard, LLC “Inspiring Kids Through Language!”

It’s September and we are OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

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It’s time! We are throwing open the hypothetical doors and kicking off the beginning of the adventure known as the 8th Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD)!

As of 9/1, the MCBD2021 book reviewer sign-up is open, all Sponsorship Levels are open, and Book Donator sign-up is open as well.

January 29, 2021, will mark the 8th year of Multicultural Children’s Book Day’s quest to get culturally diverse books into the hands of children, parents, teachers, and librarians. Let the book love begin!

Here’s The Breakdown of How you can get involved in Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021

 

Sponsorships for the Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 Event are OPEN! 

How to be a Multicultural Children's Book Day SPONSOR

Sponsorship is a great way to support our non-profit initiative while tapping into some amazing visibility and exposure for authors and publishers of diverse board books, picture books, chapter books, and YA. Learn more here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-1A

 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day Book Reviewers-We Need YOU!

If you love diverse books for kids and have a social media platform to share a review on, we want to give you a FREE diversity book to review!

Book reviewers need at least one non-private social media account, plus the ability to leave a review on Amazon, to be able to qualify for a free book.

Acceptable social media platforms include Facebook (Pages only-no Profiles), and non-private Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube accounts.

Get the full scoop HERE: https://wp.me/P5tVud-hm

 

Book Donator Sign-up for MCBD2021 is OPEN!

Publishers/Authors-if you have multicultural books for kids that you would like to get into the hands of deserving teachers, librarians, parents, and young readers, we could use your help!

Diverse board books, picture books, chapter books, and YA books that are donated to this non-profit initiative help us to continue to raise awareness on the importance of kids being able to “see themselves” in the pages of the books they read. Multicultural books also help readers learn about new traditions, cultures, religions, and ethnicities within the pages of a book.

If you’d like to help do your part and make a difference. GO HERE and to see who you can help:   https://wp.me/P5tVud-MR

Questions? Email MCBD Admin Kristi at Admin (at) MulticulturalChildrensBookDay (dot)

 

 

New Diverse Kidlit Books that Embrace the Uniqueness of our World!

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Before we just in and start sharing the latest in amazing multicultural books that have come across our desks, we want to say this…

Thank you for supporting the diverse children’s literacy initiative Multicultural Children’s Book Day! Our 8th celebration will take place on January 29, 2021, and we cannot wait for the celebration to begin.

We always welcome quality, relevant, and literacy-related contributions from writers, authors, publishers, and organizations. We’ve had some really, really cool. If you are looking for guest posts about diverse books that focus on timely topics and unique language, there have been many on Multicultural Children’s Book Day blog recently.

Here are a few of the latest:

Author Idan Ravin shares his wonderful book about patience and one of our new mantras in life #FindYourCornbread HERE.

Author John Stickler shares his story of a surprise international prize for his delightful diverse book Maya and the Turtle HERE.

Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Folk Tale

Language Lizard has some ammmaaazzzing language tools, books, and resources for teachers, distance learners, and homeschoolers HERE.

We love it when we have guests on our blog that showcase books with hard-to-find languages.

We are thrilled that authors Monica Hernandez and Bilen Haile stopped by to share their Sri Lankan kidlit book…

… and we felt like we hit the lotto when Sandra Amoako stopped by to share her Ghanian (Twi) language book for beginning readers.

In our opinion, there can never be enough kids’ books available on the topic of unique family dynamics.

Kendra and Claire-Voe Ocampo, authors of the new LGBTQ children’s picture book, Mighty May Won’t Cry Today have penned a beautiful diverse story a little girl and her two moms that should be on every bookshelf.

**Discover even more excellent articles and posts about diversity, languages, equality, activism, and so much more on the MCBD blog HERE.

Ways to Get Involved in Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021

Book Donation: Creators can donate books that will be reviewed and shared on social media.

Sponsorships: Sponsorships are directly connected to the yearly celebration itself and are a great way to tap into the hundreds-of-thousands of views our social media channels get from November to February 1. We have sponsorships at a variety of price points to fit any budget. All levels of Sponsorships for MCBD 2021 will open up September 1.

Do a Social Shout Out for your book or Favorite Author’s Book: Shout Outs are a one-time social media push on an author/diverse book’s behalf. Our Social Shout Outs are available all year long and act as a fundraiser for our Free Books for Classrooms Project. See samples of how awesome our Social Shout Out images look HERE.

Join our Exclusive MCBD Facebook Group: This group is a nice mix of parents, book reviewers, teachers, and authors, so you will be able to connect with like-minded people!

Guest posts: As you can tell, MCBD loves to welcome guest post ideas that are in alignment with our mission! For more information about guest posting for us, contact Becky at Becky@MulticulturalChildrensBookDay.com .

Be a Book Reviewer: We are always looking for people who would love a free diverse book in exchange for an honest review on social media during the month of January. If this is something you are interested in, subscribe to the MCBD blog and we will let you know as soon as the reviewer sign up is open September 1.

If you have any questions about Multicultural Children’s Book Day, contact Becky at Becky@MulticulturalChildrensBookDay.com 

 

A July Flash Sponsorship Sale Tutorial+ The Power of Collaboration

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As I type this, I am so proud that  Multicultural Children’s Book Day is in its eighth year. Eight years!

Time flies when you are loving your work! If you are new to this initiative, Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) is a non-profit initiative that is dedicated to supporting and shining the spotlight on diversity in children’s literature and their authors and publishers. Read more about our mission here.

The MCBD on and offline celebration occurs on the last Friday of January and our next celebration will be 1/29/2021.

So many amazing things have occurred over the last eight years and notable headway has been made in raising awareness on the importance of diversity in kid and YA literature. Check out our past post, 5 Ways that Increasing the Awareness of Diverse Books is Paying Off for more facts and victories.

But, I am also keenly aware that today’s world is not what it was 12 months ago.

If you are an Author or Publisher, I’m sure you have noticed that it seems that people are pulling back from buying a bit. And rightfully so. People are scared and unsure about where the next paycheck is coming from. I also know adults and kids alike need distractions, escape, and positivity that reading a book can provide. So if it feels like your book promotions/launches/sales are falling flat, don’t despair.

Keep going. Keep writing. Keep sharing.

I was recently doing some reading on innovative ways to marketing books during uncertain times and every.single.article mentioned collaboration as one of the most powerful ways to get your work in front of new eyeballs and pocketbooks.

THAT, is what MCBD is; collaboration. Authors and publishers support our non-profit with Sponsorship purchases so we can continue to donate books to organizations, centers, classrooms, and under-served readers.

In return, these same authors and publishers are tapping into a monstrous social reach and powerful name-recognition that we have worked 8 years to build.

It’s a win/win.

So, if you are a diverse children’s book author or publisher, being part of this epic online celebration is yet another unique and exceptional way to be seen.

To be heard. To be discovered. And our July Flash Sale is a way to save some moolah while locking in either a Platinum Level or Author Sponsor Level for 2021.

If you are a diverse children’s book author or publisher, go here to download our Sponsorship Packet for 2021 to see all the perks that are included in the different levels of participation.

**Our Super Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Levels will be available September 1, 2020***

If you want to save some $$ and get on board for our 2021 celebration….

Go here to read more details about the Flash Sale.

Go here to secure a Flash Sale Platinum Level (only 2 spots left!)

Go here to secure a Flash Sale Author Sponsorship spot for 2021 (unlimited)

**Our Super Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Levels will be available September 1, 2020***

In a nutshell, ALL MCBD sponsorships provide participants with an amplified level of visibility and recognition for their multicultural/diverse children’s and YA books.

Sponsorship Level Perks also include:

  • Social proof that publishers, book reviewers, book buyers, and educators take note of for years to come
  • Those who participate as a Sponsor during this wildly successful event also know they are tapping into epic buzz and visibility on social media.
  • Our Sponsors are also matched with as many or as few vetted book reviewers who will read, review, and share the book on their social channels.
  • The opportunity to be of service and work towards the greater goal of getting diverse books into the hands of under-served readers.
  • As a non-profit, MCBD also works tirelessly to get those books in front of parents, caregivers, educators, and librarians while also getting them into the hands of young readers. Read more about our mission here.

Proof of Success and Warm Fuzzies from our 2020 Event

Maybe it’s just us, but the MCBD Team felt that our 2020 on and offline diverse kidlit celebration reached a whole new level of “Epic-ness!”

Needless to say, there were many, many examples of Multicultural Children’s Book Day Celebrations that made our eyes leak with happiness. Here are three stand-outs:

#1-Heartwarming Classroom celebrations: Over the last seven years, support and recognition from educators and librarians have continued to increase. This makes us incredibly happy. Some of the best rewards for the hard-working MCBD Team are to see all of the smiling faces and little hands clutching multicultural books and enjoying a classroom celebration.

Find a plethora of examples that will make your heart sing and give you the warm fuzzies for weeks on the Multicultural Children’s Book Day blog here!

#2-We Trended on Twitter!

January 31st was a tough day to try to trend on Twitter against a trifecta of disturbing and sad (Kobe Bryant, Coronavirus, Impeachment)…but we did it! During our #ReadYourWorld Twitter Party, we slightly broke the Internet with all of our diverse book-loving magic and trended on Twitter. Yay us!

Multicultural Children's Book Day 2020 Trends on Twitter!

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 Trends on Twitter!


From Super Platinum Sponsor, Make A Way Media

This is just a small sample of the global fun and book-inspired participation. Search #ReadYourWorld on any social media channel to discover MORE memorable moments of Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020. THANK YOU, everyone!

Ways To Get Involved

Some other things you can do to not only stay in the loop on what Multicultural Children’s Book Day is up to but also raise awareness for your work in affordable ways. Here are a few ideas:

1. Join our private Facebook Group of over 1500 like-minded book reviewers, publishers, authors, and educators. Just be sure and note the rules (book promotion is limited to Monday Marketing only).
Multicultural Children's Book Day Facebook Group
2. View our timeline for event planning HERE. This will give you an idea of what our process is and know when and where to look for signups and updates.
4. Participants and supporters can also stay in the loop with the festivities via the event’s hashtag #ReadYourWorld on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media.

5. Social Media Shout-Outs! Leverage the robust social media presence of MCBD with the uber-affordable Social Media Shout-out to shine the spotlight on your book (or an author or book you admire). Multicultural Children’s Book Day has some serious social media juice on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and shout-outs are a marketing nugget of gold for authors and publishers! Get all the details HERE.

 

6. Guest Posts on the MCBD Blog: Tell us the story of your author’s journey. Tell us why YOU think diversity in kidlit is important. Tell us about a diverse book-related topic that you believe in, have experience in, or one that simply needs deeper discussion. Connect with the Project Manager at Becky (at) MulticulturalChildrensBookDay (dot) com with your idea and to request our Guest Post Guidelines.

Have questions on How You Can Get Involved In Multicultural Children’s Book Day? Connect with the Project Manager at Becky (at) MulticulturalChildrensBookDay (dot) com.

Others ways to participate in the Multicultural Children’s Book Day Initiative:

    1. 1. {Teachers} Multicultural Children’s Book Day FREE Book for Your Classroom Campaign-If you know of a classroom or library that would like a free hardcover, library-approved, diversity children’s book, have them sign up HERE.
    2. {Parents/Librarians/Teachers/KidLit Lovers} Free Book to Review. MCBD offers a free diverse children’s book to parents, grandparents, and educators that are willing to write a review and this year we are not limiting reviewers to just bloggers. Just share on your review on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or your blog. Get sign up details here.
    3. {Everyone} Be an MCBD2021 Sponsor: Sponsorship is not only a great way to support this event; it is an excellent way to get an author’s name and books in front of thousands of readers. Sponsorship levels range from Platinum to Author Level and a Friends of MCBD option is also available for those who would like to support the initiative with a monetary donation. MCBD Sponsors not only keep the MCBD machine humming, it enables us to support underserved readers, libraries, and schools all year long.
    4. {Everyone} Multicultural Children’s Book Day Free Resources, Booklists, and Extension Activities for Teachers and Parents. Enjoy this vast resource list of diverse children’s books categorized by culture, religion, sexual orientation, special needs or ethnicity.
    5. Check out the MCBD2020 Big Giant Linky for HUNDREDS of diverse kids’ and teen book recommends and reviews to help expand your home or classroom bookcase. Go HERE and scroll down.

 

– Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MulticulturalChildrensBookDay

– Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay

-Instagram https://www.instagram.com/readyourworldmcbd/

-Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pragmaticmom/multicultural-books-for-kids/

As the next MCBD event approaches on January 29, 2021, I encourage everyone to follow along via the MCBD website and social media to win even more books, hear from authors and learn the importance of “windows and mirrors” in today’s children’s literature.

 

The 2021 Author/Platinum Sponsorship July Flash Sale has BEGUN!

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It’s time!

Back by popular demand is our MCBD 2020/2021 Platinum and Author Sponsorship July Flash Sale! 

We are also offering a new/fun perk for the Platinum and Author Levels that sign up during this July Flash Sale.

**Platinum Level has a limit of THREE spots…and there’s only TWO LEFT**

For those to take advantage of the 30% savings by locking in their 2021 Platinum or Author Sponsorship before July 31 will be part of the HUGE Back To School Diverse Book giveaway we plan to do in August!

Sponsors can donate a book (or two) to the mega book bundle and enjoy the social media spotlight surrounding that giveaway!

Go here to download the 2021 Sponsorship Packet.

Planning for MCBD2021 is already underway and we can’t help being in awe as to how far this non-profit initiative has come.

Mission:  Raise awareness for children’s books that celebrate diversity by getting more of these books into classrooms and libraries. Multicultural Children’s Book Day is celebrated on the last Friday of January 2021 (1/29/21) and this will be our 8th year!

We are already getting giddy about our much-anticipated Twitter Party that occurs on the day of the celebration because it continues to grow bigger (and more fun!) every year.

From October through February, Multicultural Children’s Book Day is especially active on social media and the buzz surrounding this event gets national even global support and recognition. The whirlwind that is Multicultural Children’s Book Day is a proven way to get books into the hands of young readers while also raising awareness with parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians.

We know that all levels of MCBD Sponsorships are an amazing and powerful way for authors and publishers to get visibility and readership for their work. Last year’s July Flash Sale was a huge success and authors and publishers appreciated the cost savings.

NOTE: All other Medallion Level Sponsorship options for MCBD2021 (1/29/21) will be available by September 1, 2020…but in the meantime…

Lock in your MCBD2021 PLATINUM Sponsorship during the Flash Sale (only THREE spots available) here Add to Cart button below. (sale price is $1,105 instead of $1579!)


Lock in your MCBD 2021 Author Sponsorship during the July Flash Sale here or click the Add to Cart button below. (sale price is $89 instead of $129!)