Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Building Culturally Responsive Classrooms that Celebrate Diversity

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Guest post from Anneke Forzani, CEO of Language Lizard, LLC

Are you a teacher or homeschooling parent looking for ways to incorporate diverse cultures and languages in your teaching? A new book helps educators build culturally responsive classrooms that embrace multiculturalism through lesson plans, games, and fun activities from around the world. These resources help students develop a greater understanding of, and respect for, diverse cultures and perspectives. 

 

Building a Culturally Responsive Classroom

Building culturally responsive classrooms

Building Bridges with Bilingual Books and Multicultural Resources: A Practical Manual of Lesson Plans, Literacy Games, and Fun Activities from Around the World to Celebrate Diversity in the Classroom and at Home helps teachers and homeschoolers incorporate cultural diversity into their teaching.

This timely and practical manual saves educators significant time by providing numerous ready-to-use lessons and activities to:

  • Build culturally responsive classrooms
  • Create positive connections with dual language students & families
  • Teach children about other languages & cultures
  • Support literacy development among English language learners
  • Foster a welcoming and inclusive learning environment

Multicultural Lesson Plans
Building Bridges includes numerous multicultural lesson plans that use bilingual books and diversity activities to support literacy development and build culturally inclusive classrooms. 

The lessons meet Common Core State Standards and include detailed procedures, assessments, cross-curricular extension activities, and vocabulary-building flashcards. Each lesson incorporates optional ESL activities, accommodations for language learners, and suggestions for involving dual language families.

Multicultural Lesson Plans

Multicultural Games, Foods & Crafts

Also included in the book are foods and crafts from around the world, as well as both physical and literacy-related games and diversity activities.

Cultural Diversity Classroom Crafts

In addition, this manual includes:

  • Diverse language profiles
  • Handouts to build community in the classroom
  • Unique multicultural holidays and events to celebrate diversity
  • Useful links and resources
  • Special bonus offers

The lessons and activities in the book will help educators support dual-language children and incorporate diversity in their teaching. 

About the Author

Author Anneke Vanmarcke Forzani is the President and Founder of Language Lizard LLC, which provides multicultural resources in over 50 languages to schools, libraries, and literacy organizations. She has presented workshops about using multicultural resources in diverse classrooms at educational conferences.

Building Bridges was written with assistance from Dr. Heather Leaman, coordinator of the Master’s of Education program in Applied Studies and Teaching at West Chester University, and elementary school teachers Edmond Gubbins and Ellen O’Regan.

Building Bridges with Bilingual Books and Multicultural Resources: A Practical Manual of Lesson Plans, Literacy Games, and Fun Activities from Around the World to Celebrate Diversity in the Classroom and at Home is available now.

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions for building culturally inclusive classrooms. Comment and share your thoughts below!

Diverse Children’s Book Reviewers: Get a Free Book for MCBD2020

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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!

January 31, 2020, will mark the 7th year of Multicultural Children’s Book Day’s (MCBD) quest to get culturally diverse books into the hands of children, parents, teachers, and librarians. As you may know, Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) is a non-profit that works with authors to get their books reviewed during our online event and also works to get free diversity children’s books into the hands of young readers.

Multicultural Children's Book Day Official 2020 Poster

In a nutshell; you don’t have to be a blogger to review multicultural children’s books for our MCBD2020 (1/31/20) online event. You just need to have a love of diversity in children’s literature and be willing to share on your social media platforms such as Facebook (Pages only-no Facebook profiles), Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube. We encourage honest Amazon reviews of assigned books whenever possible as well.

SIGN UP HERE to be an MCBD2020 book reviewer or use the embedded form below.

(Signup deadline is 12/15/19)

Reviewers are then “matched” with an author or publisher that will supply them with a free children’s book to review. Reviewers are encouraged to read the books and share their thoughts on the book (a basic book review) in the form of a complete review post that can (optional) contain fun book-related activities that will bring the story to life.

​Once the book review you, the reviewer, write is posted via your blog and/or your social media  (any time between January 1 and January 31, 2020 is good). The MCBD linky will go live on January 31st 2020 and reviewers are invited to “link up” their blog post on the Linky that will be found on the MCBD website. plus any of our CoHosts’ sites

Reviewer sign-up deadline is 12/15/19 (NOTE: We will not be shipping out any books for the 2020 online event until Nov/Dec of 2019!

Reviewers can sign up via a Google Sign-up and review a multicultural children’s book for this event.

Important MCBD Links

The Multicultural Children’s Book Day website and view our booklists, reading resources and other useful multicultural information.

Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board has even more reading ideas.

Watch for the #ReadYourWorld hashtag on social media and share

List of our CoHosts- https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/about/co-hosts/

Our Instagram Account https://www.instagram.com/readyourworldmcbd/

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

-Our Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay

Sign up Here to be a Reviewer for MCBD2020

What do you want? Books For Kids with Disabilities

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What do you want?

What do you want? Everyone has been asked that question. Is your answer “a million dollars, peace, and quiet or a new car”?

What do you want? It can be a caring question or an exasperating question.

What do you want? Your answer gives you the opportunity to advocate for yourself.

Books For Kids with Disabilities from Finding My Way Books

In 2011 Jo Meserve Mach started working with Vera Lynne Stroup-Rentier and Mary Birdsell to create children’s books. They brought together their different experiences in working with children with disabilities and their belief that these children’s voices needed to be heard.

Jo worked as an Occupational Therapist in early Intervention services with Vera, an Early Childhood Special Education teacher. Mary worked both as a middle school Speech and Theatre teacher and a videographer for early intervention services. Their lives and their dreams intersected. They came together to create books that would be meaningful for children with disabilities and fun for all children.

Important components of the book format were identified. By writing in the first person the books would be in the voice of the child. By including the word ‘want’ in each book title the books would show children with disabilities that they can advocate for themselves. Readers would be listening to them!

The creation of each book began by interviewing the child and their family members to discover what was most important to the child. This became the basis of their story and developed as the child’s interests and voice was revealed. Mary captured their emotions and actions in her photographs.

Finding My Way BooksEthan was born with congenital heart disease and his medical needs caused his development to be delayed. His speech was difficult to understand. A puppy becomes part of his family. His story shares how he is changed and realizes new abilities.

 

 

Kaitlyn was born with Down syndrome and she knows just what she wants to do.  But she is part of a family and has to learn that everyone has things they want to do. Her story describes how the needs of all her family members are met. It’s quite an exciting day at the zoo!

 

 

Joe Steffy is an adult with Down syndrome and autism. With family support, he owns and works in his gourmet popcorn business. Dylan is a young boy with Down syndrome and he shows how he can be like Poppin’ Joe while following his own interests. All children should want to grow up to be hardworking adults like Poppin’ Joe.

 

 

Isiah was born with Spina Bifida. He and his cousin Marco both share their love of playing ball. At times Isiah has to play differently, due to his disability, but that doesn’t stop their fun.

 

OE was born with cerebral palsy in the Soviet Union and spent the first five years of her life in a crib. She was adopted by a US family who wanted her to be able to do everything she possibly could for herself. She wants it to be Friday because that’s the day she learns to play boccia.

 

 

Waylen has autism. He wants to play the drums like his brother. When Waylen follows his interest he can do amazing things. Waylen’s story shares how he learned to be part of a drumline.

 

 

 

This nonfiction six-book series is published by Brown Books.  Many educational handouts are available for each book at Finding My Way Books.  They are great stories to share during Inclusive Schools Week.

Learn more about Author Sponsor, Finding My Way Books, on our Author Sponsor Page HERE.

Finding My Way Books

Helping Children and Strengthening Families by Equipping Dads

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San Bernardino Fatherhood mission is: “To eliminate fatherlessness in San Bernardino by promoting a culture of father inclusion and responsible fatherhood in our communities. This mission will be accomplished in collaboration with local schools, community partners, faith-based organizations and public and private agencies.”

San Bernardino Fatherhood vision is: “A society where children thrive, families are stronger, and communities are safer as a result of responsible fathering.”

About Real Dads Read

San Bernardino Fatherhood has worked in the field of responsible fatherhood for the past three (3) years, recognizing that fathers are more engaged today than ever.

Real Dads Read (RDR) is aimed at elementary and middle school-aged children (K-8) and their fathers/male caregivers with the goals of:

  1. Encouraging children to develop a love for reading.
  2. Improving children’s literacy skills and educational outcomes.
  3. Strengthening bonds between fathers/male caregivers and their children.

Real Dads Read is a two-generation approach to engaging and improving outcomes for both men and their children for which they are responsible.

NOTE: Kenneth Braswell and Read Dads Read is a returning Author Sponsor for MCBD2020. Get the scoop HERE.

Fathers Incorporated

Helping Children and Strengthening Families by Equipping Dads

Research shows that fathers are involved in the lives of their children, especially their education, children learn more, perform better in school, and exhibit healthier behaviors.  Even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact.  The program has four engagement levels.

  1. Implementation of book drives in barbershops throughout the city of San Bernardino.
  2. Creating small children libraries in barbershops.
  3. Creating school-based community groups to meet once a month in reading activities.
  4. Creating a social media platform to impact the current narrative of “Black and Brown” men/fathers and their children.

“San Bernardino Fatherhood believes that Real Dads Read will be a great project to assist with the images of narrative change for ‘Black and Brown’ Men/Fathers, their children and families,” shared Ryan Berryman, MSW, the Executive Director of San Bernardino Fatherhood. “The project is a perfect opportunity to help elevate a counter-narrative by providing a great two-generational approach to services for parents and children.”

San Bernardino Fatherhood is seeking to establish at least fifty (50) “children reading centers” or children libraries in barbershops in the cities of San Bernardino and Highland.

How You Can Help

The objective of San Bernardino Father’s initiative is to partner with barbershops to encourage children to read and (most importantly) fathers/male caregivers to read to and with their children while waiting in barbershops.

San Bernardino Fatherhood will do the “work” in locating, promoting, educating, setting up and monitoring the children reading centers in barbershops for their success.  We are seeking a donation of books for each of our partnering barbershop locations.  Our goal is to have fifty (50) barbershops well established with a “Children’s Library” by June 2020.

Ways to help this timely and much-needed project is via donations of children books that are engaging, relevant and promotes positive images of “Black and Brown” children and families in our communities.  The children targeted should be from ages zero (0) to eleven (11) years.  Research evidence stresses the importance of early childhood literacy and children reading at “grade level” by the third grade to increase outcomes for future success.

Go here to learn how and where you can donate books.

It is suggested that the donated books depict positive role models and promote positive character-building traits (e.g., responsibility, honesty, respectful, safe, kind, courage, grit, social justice, discipline, etc.).  Again, it is suggested that the characters in the children’s books are reflective of the diversity of the “Black and Brown” members in our communities.

San Bernardino Fatherhood is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, charitable organization. Learn more about them via their website and Facebook.

 

Bilingual Personalized Children’s Books that Reflect Today’s Families

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“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”~Toni Morrison

That was the sentiment that author and mom, Jill Barletti, kept in mind when she took a leap of faith and created her flourishing publishing company, Snowflake Stories. “Just like a snowflake…every child’s story is unique,” has been the mantra and mission of her books; books that are created to be Bilingual Personalized Children’s Books.

Snowflake Stories

“I just didn’t wake up one day and decide to start a personalized book company,” Barletti shared. “It all began a few years ago when I was working as a translator, and I made the off-handed comment to my parents that I enjoyed writing posts for my blog more than I liked doing the actual translations. They responded by encouraging me to pursue writing, as I have always had strong writing skills. I agreed to give it some thought and began pondering what kind of book I might write.”

A few months later, as her extended family gathered for a reunion, Barletti experienced another “ah-HA” moment. At bedtime, her niece, Ava, and nephew, Aidan, requested a bedtime story. Not finding one that they were happy with, Barletti made up a tale about Prince Aidan and Princess Ava who fought the fire-breathing dragon. As the youngsters became more enthralled with the tale that included them in the storyline, Barletti I knew she had to write personalized children’s books.

Since that moment in 2013, this ambitious mompreneur, with help from her kids, has spent the past few years quietly building a line of award-winning, personalized children’s books that are a reflection of what today’s families truly look like.

With four books that can be highly customized in the Snowflake Stories catalog, parents, grandparents, caregivers, and educators are appreciating the uniqueness and relevancy of Snowflake’s line of bilingual personalized children’s books; books that help to reinforce that it shouldn’t matter if a child speaks Spanish or English, has brown eyes or blue, or has a single mom or two.

Bilingual personalized Children's books

Bilingual Personalized Children’s Books

“Initially, my mission was to write bilingual stories because I struggled to find books written in Spanish for my two half-Peruvian children when they were young,” Barletti recalled. “But we soon learned that it’s not just bilingual families who have to seek out books featuring families like their own — biracial, LGBTQ, single-parent, blended, adoptive, and multi-generational families do, too. And we realized that if we invested a little more time and effort, we could help lots of families find a few more books that look and sound like they do.”

The idea of creating customizable characters that reflected modern families became even more prevalent as Barletti researched other personalized book competitors. She noted that other personalized book companies relied on characters with raspberry-colored hair, disguises, and awkward angles to make the characters in their books relatable to more kids.

“To us, it was really important that young readers truly see themselves reflected on the pages of their custom storybook. To make this a reality, we worked closely with illustrator Jelena Brezovec in selecting a variety of skin colors, hair colors, hairstyles, eye colors, eye shapes, and a few other features for each character. Our books can feature other types of families often overlooked by traditional publishers – not just bilingual and single-parent families – but also biracial, LGBT, blended, and multi-generational families as well.”

Barletti also worked tirelessly to build a platform for parents, educators, and young readers that allowed them to select their book’s “cast” while tailoring the appearance of each character.

Customizing Books with Snowflake Stories

Bilingual personalized Children's books

► Choose your cast of characters:

1 special child + (up to) 5 loved ones

► Customize the appearance of each character:
Pick skin color, hairstyle, eye color & more

Bilingual personalized Children's books

► Select any 1 – 2 of 5 languages:
English, Spanish, Portuguese, French & Italian

Bilingual personalized Children's books

“The end result is books that look and sound just like your child!,” Barletti added. “I’m proud to say that each book is multi-award-winning; the books have won awards from the International Latino Book Awards, Foreword Review’s Foreword INDIES, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.”

Bilingual personalized Children's books

The Inspiration for Snowflake Stories

When asked what the inspiration was for naming her growing company Snowflake Stories, Barletti had this to say;

“The funny thing is, none of us remembers who came up with the name Snowflake Stories! But we liked the alliteration. It was important that the name rolls off the tongue and just sound good. It also had to be memorable. We felt that Snowflake Stories checked both of those boxes. We also liked that the uniqueness of a snowflake reinforces the uniqueness of each book we create. We offer so many customization options that kids really can see themselves and their families in their book – even books for twins are different. And the tagline wrote itself: Just like a snowflake … every child’s story is unique!”

With four award-winning, personalized books, as well as forthcoming non-personalized books (adapted from their personalized books), Snowflake Stories has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Books from Snowflake Stories Include:

Dance Recital  

The Big Soccer Game (for girls) 

The Big Soccer Game (for boys) 

At Bat 

Beautiful Ballerinas 

Bilingual personalized Children's books

The team at MCBD not only loves the fact that these diverse picture books will encourage kids to hone their love of reading, but also that these personalized books also become so much more than a story–they become a keepsake filled with valuable lessons that will stay with kids their whole life.

To learn more about Jill Barletti and Snowflake Stories, visit them on the web at https://www.snowflakestories.com/

Or Connect on Social Media: Twitter: @Snowflake_Story // @JillBarletti | Facebook: @SnowflakeStories | Instagram: @snowflakestories

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