diverserkidlit Archives - Multicultural Children's Book Day

A New “Must Read” #DiverseYA Book | The Length of String by Elissa Weissman

July 14, 2018 by Rebecca Flansburg

I (Becky) can’t remember what came first; me discovering a gorgeous book called The Length of String, or author Elissa Weissman reaching out to MCBD to share news of this novel with us.

Either way, the moment I saw the cover and the summary of the story, I couldn’t hit the “Buy” button fast enough.

The Length of String by Elissa Weissman

The Length of a String is about a black, adopted, Jewish girl who discovers her great-grandmother’s diary from World War II. Part of the book is the diary itself, which takes place mostly in Brooklyn in 1941. This historical story alternates with the contemporary story of Imani in present-day Baltimore, reading the diary and beginning to think about family in a new way.

Elissa is also the author of the awesome Nerd Camp series that has garnered rave reviews from School Library Journal and The Horn Book.

About The Length of String

Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she’s black and almost everyone she knows is white. Then her mom’s grandmother–Imani’s great-grandma Anna–passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It’s Anna’s diary from 1941, the year she was twelve and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn, New York. Anna’s diary records her journey to America and her new life with an adoptive family of her own. And as Imani reads the diary, she begins to see her family, and her place in it, in a whole new way. Engrossing, heartfelt, and captivating from start to finish, The Length of a String combines contemporary and historical fiction in one moving story that shows family is far more than genetics. (for ages 10-14)

When we asked Elissa what her inspiration for THE LENGTH OF A STRING was, she had the most interesting story to share!

“The inspiration for The Length of a String came from three different places,” she recalled. “Growing up, one of my closest friends had been adopted from Mexico. She and her sister, who was adopted from within the U.S., were raised Jewish, like me. Thinking about their experience—especially what it might be like to look different from everyone else at Hebrew school—gave me the idea for Imani.”

Elissa then shared that the second idea came from an episode of “The Diane Rehm Show” on NPR in which many people were calling in and sharing their stories about being children of Holocaust survivors. One caller revealed that her grandparents had saved up money to send their children to America, but they could only afford to send two. When they got to the boat, the smuggler said, “Sorry, the price just doubled.” Now they could only afford to send one.

“I heard that and immediately began thinking about the story of the young girl who had to go to America by herself. It gave me the idea for Imani’s great-grandmother, Anna,” she added.

The third piece of this wonderful book came from Elissa’s own family history. “When I started writing the books, I was fortunate to still have four living grandparents, three of whom grew up in New York City in the 1930s and 40s. I sat down with them and recorded them talking about their childhoods and, with my Grandpa Marty, his career as a furrier. I was excited about the opportunity to incorporate their memories and stories into a book. But I’d never written anything historical before, and I was intimidated by the research involved. I decided to try combining my contemporary, adopted-character idea with my historical idea as a way to ease myself into this book. Once I started writing, I realized that the two stories were meant to go together all along”

I (Becky) have just started digging into this book and I can assure you, I’m hooked. Putting this book down to get some work done is going to be a challenge! When I asked Elissa what she wanted teachers, librarians, and parents to know about The Length of String, she had this to say;

“Though a good portion of the book takes place during World War II, this is not your typical Holocaust story. Also, the ending is really good!” she shared. “The Length of a String is different from my other books—it’s for slightly older readers, it contains a historical story in addition to a contemporary one, and the subject matter is more serious, though it still contains a good amount of my trademark humor.”

Elissa’s website is also bursting with amazing teacher resources and curriculum for all of her books. Learn more at ebweissman.com. You can also connect with Elissa on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Author

Elissa Brent Weissman is an award-winning author of novels for young readers. Best known for the popular Nerd Camp series, she and her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, NPR’s “Here and Now,” and more. Named one of CBS Baltimore’s Best Authors in Maryland, Elissa lives in Baltimore City, where she teaches creative writing to children, college students, and adults. Learn more at ebweissman.com.

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Why there is still work to be done in the world of #DiverseKidlit

July 10, 2018 by Valarie Budayr

Friends, we still have so much work to do!

Here’s some information from the CCBC about diversity in kidlit. In their analysis of picture books published in 2017:

Of the approximately 3,700 books received at the CCBC in 2017, most from U.S. publishers, here’s the breakdown:

340 had significant African or African American content/characters.
- 100 of these were by Black authors and/or illustrators. (29.41% #OwnVoices)
72 had significant American Indian/First Nations content/characters.
- 38 of these were by American Indian/First Nations authors and/or illustrators. (52.78% #OwnVoices)
310 had significant Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific American content/characters.
- 122 of these were by authors and/or illustrators of Asian/Pacific heritage. (39.35% #OwnVoices)
216 had significant Latinx content/characters.
- 73 of these were by Latinx authors and/or illustrators. (33.8% #OwnVoices)

(The numbers will change slightly as they continue to receive a stray title or two. Check their website for up-to-date statistics, including the numbers for books from U.S. publishers only, and more on what and how they count.)

* A character in a picture book was 4 times more likely to be a dinosaur than an American Indian child.
* A character in a picture book was 2 times more likely to be a rabbit than an Asian/Pacific or Asian/Pacific American child.
* A female character in a picture book was highly likely to be wearing pink and/or a bow, even if she is a hippopotamus, an ostrich, or a dinosaur.
* A child with a disability appeared in only 21 picture books, and only 2 of those were main characters. Most others appeared in background illustrations.

That’s less than one-third of one percent of picture books published in 2017 and received by the CCBC that had the main character with a disability. No wonder I have trouble finding books I want to review!

#OwnVoices Controversy

Resources for Diverse Booklists and Authors:

KitLit411 has an excellent list of resources and publishers that focus on diverse books for kids.

View out MCBD 2018 Author Sponsors and Medallion Level Sponsors to discover even more titles and diverse book publishers.

Thanks for being part of this movement to change these statistics.

ONE MORE THING

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Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day (An Adoption Day Story)

July 5, 2018 by Rebecca Flansburg

Sometimes the idea for a great diverse picture book for kids comes from the more genuine and authentic sources. That is exactly the case with Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day by Carolyn Wilhelm.

The idea for this book occurred to Carolyn when she saw her-2-year-old grandson watch his Auntie Betsy from South Korea, and seem to wonder how she fit in the otherwise white family.

Who knows what he was thinking, but it appeared to be he was noticing Auntie’s eyes and skin color. Carolyn decided this book could help him and other young children with older, adopted relatives, understand their families.

“This book is the story of one family’s airplane day party as seen through the eyes of the youngest nephew of the aunt who was adopted by a white family from Korea over 30 years ago,” Carolyn recalled. “Some people call such events gotcha day or adoption day celebrations. The twist is that the child is not the adopted person in the story.”

Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day: An Adoption Day Story by Carolyn Wilhelm and illustrator Pieter Els.

Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day is a multigenre fiction story based on a nonfiction annual event, the adoption day celebration sometimes called “airplane day” or “gotcha day.” This is the story of how an adult aunt adopted from South Korea fits in an otherwise white family in Minnesota in the United States. It is meant for the young family relatives to help them understand how a family could have racial diversity. Celebrations such as airplane day and gotcha day are a good way to help family members with such memories.

This sweet picture book is a great way to share the beauty and celebration of adoption while letting a student, friend or family member who has been involved with an international adoption see their story in the pages of a book. This book is also great for any parent or educators trying to help a young child to understand more about the wider world.

Why Teachers, Librarians, and Parents will love this Book

“If your classroom or story time group has children who live in multi-race families (perhaps because they are adopted), they wish to see and hear about themselves in stories,” Carolyn noted. “Although book publishers have more multicultural inclusion in recent years, it is still important for teachers and librarians to make a point to be sure and find books reflective of their students for read-aloud time.”

1 Adoption Story-3 Ways to Read it

Another wonderful benefit of Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day is that it comes in three different reading formats; paperback, Kindle Paperwhite, eBook, and Kindle Fire interactive eBook. This book will appeal to kids in the Pre-K through Grade 2 age group.

About The Author

Carolyn Wilhelm-Author and CEO of Wise Owl Factory

Carolyn has been a long-time supporter of MCBD and we appreciate her more than words can say. Her love of kids, books, and education are expressed in everything she does and she is one smart lady!

Carolyn Wilhelm has been writing mostly free lessons for teachers online since 1988. When blogging became popular about 2011, she began her own website and blog to share elementary education resources. She has had lessons published by the National Council of Teachers of English on their ReadWriteThink.org website. Prior to 2011, she used to have her free-lance lessons published by Good Apple and other teacher publications. She taught school for 28 years and found her students enjoyed the stories she wrote. Finally, she has begun writing and self-publishing children’s books.

When asked who her writing inspiration was in life, Carolyn had this to say; “My daughter is my biggest influencer as she is from South Korea and read books about mostly white children when she was growing up. This did not hinder her love of reading. She is an advocate of Multicultural Children’s Book Day and encourages my involvement each year. My husband has patiently proofread countless drafts and has been a writing mentor and supporter.”

Carolyn is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which has published four of her lessons on ReadWriteThink.org. Her educational resources are for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers as well as Teacher’s Notebook. Previous publications include a story in an anthology Mom for the Holidays: Stories of Love, Laughter & Tantrums at Christmas & Hanukkah by Nolan and Demas.

She lives in Minnesota and enjoys time with her grandchildren, creating lessons, reading, and being involved in local community center activities. She loves taking time out in nature to observe her favorite bird, owls. She is Red Cross certified in pediatric through adult first aid and CPR.

Connect with Carolyn and Wise Owl Factory on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. Grab your copy of on Amazon.

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The Magical Mindful Day | A story about mindfulness and caring for the earth

May 28, 2018 by Valarie Budayr

Guest Post By Deborah Salazar Shapiro

The breeze was blowing in. I could smell and admire the vastness of the beautiful blue ocean. It was 2011. Next to me on the ferry, along with my husband-to-be, was a happy group of fellow travelers also on their way to the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Africa.

That moment of joy quickly turned into sadness as I witnessed people throwing plastic and other objects into the sea. I sensed that the sea had no choice but to embrace the objects in her unknowing but compassionate arms. In that moment, I recalled a story I had once written about the ocean and the carelessness of humans, but I hadn’t been sure at the time what to do to make the story come alive.

That experience on the ferry sat in my heart for many years, and the story sat in a drawer, untouched. Then, soon after giving birth to my second child, Arianna, the memory bubbled up. During a nursing session, I was contemplating the books in her bookcase. I found nothing that spoke to what I had witnessed on that ferry journey to the island.

Feeling boundless love for my daughter and thinking about her future, I reflected on my deep desire to share the teachings of mindfulness, interconnection, and caring for the earth. That day, I set the intention to take the simple story that I had written so long ago and finally turn it into a book, The Magical Mindful Day.

Photograph: Catherine Hatfield

The inspiration for the book was born out my love for nature and animals. I also wanted to sprinkle a little bit of my culture, which I show when Gaby, the main character, eats a green (or unripe) mango, a favorite variety of the fruit for Salvadorians. Important for me too was to reflect the respect Gaby has for her mother. Respect is one of the most important cultural values shared by Latin Americans.

The Magical Mindful Day comes from my feelings of deep love, appreciation, and hope for a more compassionate and kinder future for all living beings. I believe that through mindfulness and heart-based practices, we can move one step closer to making this world a better place. I am thrilled to have taken the leap into the children’s writing arena and to have received the support of teachers and mentors who also are working to spread the word about the power of mindfulness.

Photograph: Catherine Hatfield

Deborah Salazar Shapiro, MSW, is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, author, and artist who was born and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador. She has been working with children and families for over 15 years. Deborah holds an MSW from the University of Southern California and a masters-level degree in psychology from the University Dr. Jose Matias Delgado in San Salvador. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two daughters, and a wise cat named Thay. For more information, please visit www.DeborahSalazarShapiro.com

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Tips for Teaching Tolerance to Your Tots

April 11, 2018 by Valarie Budayr

Guest post by author and coach, Kevin Christofora

There are some values that are always important to instill in your children, but occasionally, certain ones become even more pertinent than others. One that seems particularly essential these days is tolerance. All over the world, there’s an upswing in people fearing and blaming people who are different from them for various issues, and it’s a disturbing trend. Teaching our children tolerance is the best way to combat this, and establish a reality where the difference isn’t stigmatized, but rather celebrated. Here are some tips for teaching tolerance.

tips for teaching

Highlight similarities

It can be like second nature to notice the differences between ourselves and others. As a result, it is essential to put focus the lens on what makes those people just like us. Our shared humanity is the most obvious answer, but for kids, all it can take is a shared favorite animal or TV show to get them engaged with another child— and from there, things like friendship and understanding can grow.

Make it fun

Learning about other cultures shouldn’t be a chore. While museums certainly have their place, if their experience of other cultures is always through such institutions, they’ll probably get a little bored. So, look for opportunities to make this education fun and exciting. Parades and outdoor fairs for specific ethnic or religious holidays can be a great way to do this, as can children’s film festivals that have international offerings. Engaging with these activities with a focus on learning, respect, and celebration can be a wonderful way to teach children the beauty of other cultures.

Work it into the everyday

Teaching tolerance can also happen in everyday activities, as well. Maybe the family dinner once a week comes from a culture you’ve been learning about, or certain bedtime stories have themes like acceptance. As an author, I try to help parents with this. My The Hometown All Stars series is about a team of little league players from all different backgrounds, so that readers learn about diversity along with life lessons and healthy habits. The most recent one, Amira Can Catch, focuses on a new teammate who happens to be a Syrian refugee.

Acknowledge differences, and celebrate them

Highlighting the things we share with others is important to find common ground; understanding what we don’t share is an amazing way to gain respect for those differences. We don’t have to believe the same things or come from the same place as others to love them and honor their experiences. The more we teach children to see another’s differences as beautiful, the more well-rounded and compassionate they’ll be.

Teaching tolerance to children doesn’t have to be droll. It can be a fun, lively, and engaging experience. You’ll enable them to learn so much about the world and other cultures, while also creating wonderful memories. Finally, you’ll be setting your children up to be adults who respect others, work to find common ground with those who are different and find joy in the unknown.

Kevin Christofora is the author of a new book, Amira Can Catch. This diverse kidlit book shares the story of Amira, a Syrian refugee who is new in school, as a way to teach children about diversity, tolerance, and inclusion to readers of all ages. Christofora, a father, and little league coach hopes his books will inspire children to play outside more often. A devotee of America’s pastime, he aims to teach young people about baseball and the habits of a healthy lifestyle in the form of a fun and an educational bedtime story. He has appeared on ABC News, ESPN Radio, 660 News Radio, Santa Fe -KVSF 101.5, and WDST-FM Woodstock, and has had articles featured in _About Families Online_, _KidzEdge_, _Mom Blog Society_, and several other publications. For more information, please visit http://thehometownallstars.com/

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