Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Army Vet, Daddy and Author | Davy’s Pirate Ship #OwnVoices

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guest post from author, Danual Berkley

After getting out of the military, I self-published my first book Wonderful Magical Place. I did not know anything about publishing and marketing, so it didn’t do too well. I eventually gave up writing for several years until my wife encouraged me to get back into it. She thought it would be nice to read the poems to our boys at night. As a result, Wonderful Magical Place is in the process of being completely redone and was given the new title, One More, then Goodnight.

Danuel Berkley

As I began getting more serious about my writing, I started creating stories from playing around with my boys. It occurred to me that as a kid I never saw, or was exposed to, adventure books (or many books in general) with black families or black characters. I decided then that what I wanted to do for my sons was write another book, but in this book, it would have all black characters. That way when my sons read it, they could say, “Hey, that kid looks like me!” or “That dad looks like my dad!” I felt that it was important that they had something that represented them. It says a lot when a child can see a reflection of themselves, or their culture, in a book. It’s a good feeling to know that there are other people out there like you.

I also wanted to provide a positive example that would go up against some of the stereotypes out there about Black men. Black men are hit with several stereotypes, including that we don’t raise our kids or get married. Those stereotypes obviously aren’t true, and my hope is that my books will help to disprove that.

Danuel Berkley

Additionally, I wanted to tap into my culture a little. I am a Black man with earrings and tattoos as a way to express myself, and there are many more like me. We call it swag. It’s our style. Some people see that and may assume that I’m a thug or a drug dealer, and they fear me. Having tattoos, dreadlocks, or anything that represents me, or my Black culture, shouldn’t automatically equal fear. By having characters like myself in the children’s books that I write, I hope to show that it’s just a way of expressing one’s originality. This is my culture, and my culture isn’t anything to be afraid of.

In my book, Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure, I try to represent all these things within the illustrations themselves. Amariah Rauscher, who has illustrated the Scholastic’s Princess Truly series, has done the illustrations for Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure. We had a lot of fun creating this book, and we believe this will be not only a game changer but the first of many more books just like it.

Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure is a book starring my older son Davion, who goes by the name Davy. He builds a magical pirate ship so the family can search for gold, but we run into a couple of obstacles along the way. Together, as a family (and with the help of some good alien and animal friends), we make it. It’s all rhyming and there’s a couple of twists that I’m very excited about.

Grab your copy of Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure on:

Author’s Website

Available on Amazon 

Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Hi there! I’m Danual. Simply put, I’m a full-time firefighter, husband, father of two little boys, Army vet, and a guy with a dream. My dream is to one day become a well-known children’s author.  The world is diverse and reading should be too!

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

Shooting for the Moon | Guest Post by author Christina Matula

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Guest Post by author Christina Matula

Becoming a writer was not something I dreamt about while growing up. My parents guided me into the path of math and science so I could get a good, stable job, which for them was of paramount importance like it was for many immigrants of their generation.  Writing is something I fell into accidentally, but it’s something I cannot imagine not doing now that I’m here.

Growing up in suburban Ottawa, I felt like I was one of the few Asian kids at my school, let alone the only mixed one. Although I had a huge extended family on my Taiwanese side (20+ first cousins!), I spent a lot of my childhood shying away from this part of my heritage.  Perhaps it’s because I wanted to be the same as everyone else.  Perhaps it’s because no one in the books I read looked anything like me. Perhaps it’s because I knew I would never have what it took to be a heroine in a teen novel – blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.  (I’m looking at you Sweet Valley High!).

It wasn’t until I moved to Hong Kong in my 30s that I really started to embrace my heritage.  I had always felt a bit guilty about not speaking Chinese – I refused to attend Chinese Saturday school when I was younger – so when I found an intensive Mandarin program at the local university, I jumped at the chance. In learning the language, I also learned more about Chinese culture and customs. I developed a newfound appreciation of the food, festivals, and folktales.  It was an epiphany for me, a new window into my heritage.

A while back, my daughter was celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival in school.  It’s the second biggest festival in Chinese culture after Lunar New Year.  I tried to find a picture book about the legend behind the festival to read with her, but couldn’t find anything.  So, on a whim, I decided to write one myself!

My writing journey was not typical.  I linked with fantastic illustrator Pearl Law and self-published the book in Hong Kong.  Shortly after, I attended a writing workshop given by visiting author Susan Blumberg-Kason (@Susan_BK).  She was so kind with her encouragement and generously introduced me to her agent, the fabulous Carrie Pestritto (@literarycarrie).  The book was soon picked up by Charlesbridge and my debut picture book will be launched in the US and Canada this summer!

The Shadow in the Moon is about two sisters listening to their grandmother tell them the tale of Hou Yi and Chang’e, the archer and the Lady in the Moon, and how the Mid-Autumn Festival came to be.

View the trailer premiere here!

I love that I’ve been able to share a little piece of myself and my heritage through this book.  I hope that young readers will be able to see themselves and their families in the book, regardless of their background.  And I hope that I can continue to share my passion for writing stories that are a reflection of the people who may read them.

Shadow in the Moon {ISBN: 978-1-58089-746-4} will be available on July 17. Preorder your copy from Charlesbridge Publishing today!

 

Author Christina Matula

Author Christina Matula

Christina Matula is a Canadian author living in Hong Kong with her family.  She is a Board Member of Bring Me A Book HK, which is a non-profit organization that encourages families to read aloud together and provides quality books to under-served communities. 

 She is also the author of two stories that have been set to music composed by Alexis Alrich and turned into chamber music concerts for children,  Both concerts feature western and Chinese classical instruments, and were commissioned by Premiere Performances of Hong Kong.  

You can find Christina on

Website: www.christinamatula.com

Twitter @christinaaa_hk

Instagram:  christinamatula

Facebook:  @christinamatulaauthor

 

 

Ever-changing Diverse Booklists, Recommends and Resources for Teachers and Librarians

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Recently we had an email come through from a NYC school teacher who was on the hunt for new diverse book titles for her home and classroom bookshelf. Her question to us was; did we have access to any new lists or multicultural book recommends?

We LOVE questions like that!

Truth-be-told, there are tons of booklists and resources on the Multicultural Children’s Book Day site and we are adding new ones all the time.

From blog posts, author visits, directories of book and even an e-book, MCBD has a ton of Diverse Booklists and Book Recommends for Teachers and Librarians. Here are a few resources that everyone might find helpful:

Diverse Booklists, Recommends and Resources for Teachers and Librarians

1.Our FREE Classroom Empathy/Understanding Refugees Kit has great classroom tools plus a bunch of great diverse book recommends.

[Read more…]

Breathtaking Children’s Books in 23 languages | Diverse Titles from Star Bright Books

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Welcoming Gold Sponsor Star Bright Books

Sgar Bright Books

Star Bright Books is an independent children’s book publishing house that was established in 1994. They are dedicated to producing great books for great kids—books for parents and children to discover together. Today, Star Bright Books’ high-quality hardcover, paperback, and board books are available in bookstores, schools, libraries, and literacy programs.
This growing publisher believe that all children should see themselves in print and they make a concerted effort to include children of all colors, ethnicities, nationalities, and abilities in their books. As Star Bright Books also believes that children should see and hear familiar language in their books, they publish books in 23 languages including Arabic, Chinese, Navajo, Spanish, and many more. [Read more…]