Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Getting to Know Our Neighbors and a Book about Brazilian Americans

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Getting to Know Our Neighbors

By Elizabeth Andrews, author of the Our Neighbors series from ABDO’s Pop! division

{Guest post by ABDO}

Wherever people walk in America, they will pass others from all different backgrounds. This blend of people is also apparent in an American classroom. No one looks exactly the same. No one has the same family story. 

When I started writing the Our Neighbors series for ABDO’s Pop! division, I knew I wanted to get to know each culture’s day-to-day life before writing. I was learning about Somali, Indian, Chinese, Lebanese, Brazilian, and Mexican Americans. Blogs, news articles, and YouTube videos let me dive into each specific culture. [Read more…]

ASD, Idioms, and Figurative Language

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{Guest Post by Language Lizard}

It is well known that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience significant social, behavioral, and communication challenges resulting from their developmental disability. For example, identifying figurative languages like metaphors and idioms is very challenging.

While some researchers believe this difficulty results from compromised core language skills (ie. semantics, grammar), the majority attribute a compromised Theory of Mind to be the main cause. In plain terms, children with ASD need more help recognizing the mental states, unique beliefs, and desires of other people. Since figurative language is all about what isn’t being said, you can see how tricky it is to navigate not only social interactions but also literature.  [Read more…]

A Language Spotlight on Cherokee Language

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{Guest post from Language Lizard}

Cherokee, a member of the Iroquoian language family, is spoken by the indigenous, Cherokee Nation of North America. Originating from the southeast region of North America, the most significant Cherokee-speaking population now lives in a tribal territory in Oklahoma. About 2,000 people still speak Cherokee today.  

Cherokee Language Preservation [Read more…]

Why Jewish Kidlit Shouldn’t be Offered to ONLY Jewish Children

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{Guest post from Chana Stiefel}

I recently saw a question posed by Multicultural Children’s Book Day that I felt needed a thoughtful response from me.

The question was, “What book-related topics/concerns are you seeing discussed? Where do you feel there are “gaps” in representation when it comes to multicultural books for kids?”

First, I want to say a heartfelt “thank you” to the MCBD team and all of the hard work they are doing to spread the word about diversity in children’s books. When I saw their request for feedback about underrepresented groups, the first thought that came to mind was that I would love to see more Jewish books and Jewish authors and illustrators included in this important conversation. [Read more…]

Gender stereotypes – Not again!

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Guest post by Lisa Wee

No matter which part of the world you’re from, you’d have been told how to behave like a boy or a girl from a very young age.

At the age of 5, I got my first dungaree. I wore it whenever I could because of the sense of comfort and freedom it gave me. It gave me the opportunity to track through mud, run, and climb trees with my brothers.

Then a new world started to appear around me. “Don’t be so tomboy, Lisa.” As a 5-year-old, I didn’t understand the word but I could sense the disapproval that went with it in the odd looks exchanged between the adults. [Read more…]