On My Desk | New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider
This is shaping up to be one of my favorite blog posts to write for our MCBD blog!
Last week I shared that, because of my role as Project Manager, I get to enjoy the motherlode of amazing multicultural books for kids that are donated to our project. And as a result, I wanted to find a fun way to share those books with the loyal folks who show up here to read every week and support this non-profit. You all are amaze-balls 🙂
As the prep for MCBD2018 gets into full swing, I’d like to do something fun and different simply because so many of these books deserve as much visibility as we can offer. With that in mind, I’d like to start something new called On My Desk as a way to share some of the notable multicultural books for kids that cross my desk every week. Here’s what the Mailman Book Fairy brought me this week in the way of New Diverse Kids’ Books to Consider:
Jasmine Toguchi-Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiki Florence: “Jasmine Toguchi is a flamingo fan, tree climber and Champion Mess Maker!” This fun and eye-catching chapter book is about the wild adventures of one very spunky 8-year-old Japanese American girl. The first two books are Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen and Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth (FSG/July 11, 2017).
Book 3, Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl will publish on April 3, 2018 and book 4,Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper will publish on July 3, 2018. A third generation Japanese-American and a native Californian, Debbi now lives in Connecticut with her husband, a puppy named Kiku, a bunny named Aki, and two ducks named Darcy and Lizzy. She loves to travel with her husband and daughter. Debbi is also an Author Sponsor for MCBD2018!
Che[M]ystery from Atomic Universe and author C.A. Preece: Written like a graphic novel (this will make my daughter so HAPPY-she loves graphic novels), I am really groovin on this book because of the diverse characters and the use of science to weave together a fun mystery. I think this book will be a winner with young readers.
Meh by Deborah Malcolm: Meh is a book about just what it sounds like; sadness and ambivalence. I love the fact that this book has no words, yet clearly tells a story of a boy who has an “in the dumps” kind of day and how he using his imagination and problem-solving skills to his feelings into something manageable. There is also a Questions to Encourage Discussion section in the back and discussion points as well. Sadness is something all kids (and adults) feel and this book is a wordless tale that shows one boy’s journey through depression.
Frida Kahlos and her Animalitos by Monica Brown: What’s not to love about Frida Kahlos?! This vibrant hardcover book takes a look at Frida’s colorful life including her many pets (2 monkeys, a parrot, 3 dogs, 2 turkeys, an eagle, a black cat and a fawn).
MCBD2018 Event Details
As you may know, Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCCBD) is a non-profit that works with authors to get their books reviewed during our online event and works to get free diversity children’s books into the hands of young readers.
The online event/holiday takes place every January 27th and we are now in our 5th year. Because the event falls on a Saturday this year, we are encouraging parents, teachers and librarians to “party” the week leading up to the big day (1/22-1/27/18) and we expect many classrooms will be celebrating on Friday the 26th.
Resources to Bring your Multicultural Children’s Book Day Event to Life
The Official Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 Poster courtesy of author/illustrator Aram Kim
MCBD site: https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/
Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta
Free Classroom Empathy Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/mcbd2018s-free-classroom-empathy-kit-is-here-empathy-immigration/
Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/
Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with is on social media and be sure and look for/use their official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
Connect with us on social media and share, share, share!
– Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MulticulturalChildrensBookDay
– Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay
-Instagram https://www.instagram.com/readyourworldmcbd/
-Reminder: The hashtag for this event is #ReadYourWorld
Thank you so much for your support!
I have Jasmine Toguchi Mochi Queen and Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos on my desk too. Meh looks interesting – I’ll need to read that one also.
Meh IS interesting! Thanks for stopping by Claire!
Excellent selection and great event. Thank you for promoting Diverse Literature for children. We need this!