Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

Supporting our LGBTQIA Kids

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Guest post by Afsaneh Moradian

 

Our story 

About two years ago, my child informed us that they are nonbinary. That they don’t identify as either boy or girl and that their pronouns are now they/them.  Of course, this was fine with me. But, it did take a lot of work to stop using she/her in reference to my child. I’d been doing that for so many years, I was on autopilot. I tried and made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. Then I saw my child’s face when someone called them she. My child cringed and felt so uncomfortable. 

[Read more…]

Sky-Diving to Success Through the Sliding Glass Doors of Picture Books

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Women’s History Month is celebrated throughout the whole month and we are thrilled to share with you this guest post by author Vivian Kirkfield.

SKY-DIVING TO SUCCESS

THROUGH THE SLIDING GLASS DOORS OF PICTURE BOOKS

I had a lucky childhood.

I didn’t have to worry about food or shelter or safety. And growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City, I learned early on that people came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I didn’t need books to introduce me to different cultures – I just played with the neighborhood kids – their family backgrounds spanned the globe. [Read more…]

Next Steps for MCBD2022 Book Reviewers

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“Where’s my diverse book to review?”

“My book review is ready, what now?”

We are getting a lot of these types of questions lately and we TOTALLY get it. So here is some info that will help everyone navigate both:

If Your Review Book for MCBD is M.I.A.

MCBD2022 is not far off and we are aware that some reviewers still:

  • *need a book to review
  • *their assigned book hasn’t arrived
  • *feel they were not assigned a book yet

Please keep in mind that mail delivery is painfully slow these days. If you are still waiting for a physical copy of your assigned book, ask your publisher/author if they can send you a PDF version to review until your hardcopy arrives. [Read more…]

New Feature! MCBD’s Instagram Lives!

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One of the many missions of MCBD is to always be shining the spotlight on authors of diverse kidlit. Thanks to the talents of MCBD Team Member and long-time CoHost, Leanna Gullien-Mora, we are excited to announce the addition of a reoccurring Instagram Live feature! Every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET., followers can tune in and learn more about these amazing authors and their books.

Here’s a look at the authors that Leanna has already interviewed and the ones yet to come. [Read more…]

Casual Diversity in a New Graphic Novel

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{Guest post from Debbie Dadey}

When I was a librarian, I was determined to find the perfect book for even the most reluctant reader who stepped into my library. I believe J.K. Rowling was right when she said, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” So that was my mission, but for some kids, I found the books weren’t there.

One young black girl wanted a picture book that had a black kid on the cover. A new one every week. That was easy . . . for a few weeks. There was a need for more. In fact, in 2012 only 7% of books published were about people of color.             [Read more…]