Multicultural Children's Book Day

#ReadYourWorld

(Grand)parenting at a distance

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{Guest Post by Pack-n-Go Girls}

Oh, so many challenges this year. And so many moments where we feel like we’ve lost time we’ll never get back. If you’re like I am, you’ve missed in-person time with your grandkids, nieces and nephews, or maybe even your own child. Zoom has saved us from being totally unknown to each other, but we all still miss giving a real hug and holding hands as we head to the park.

Here’s some good news in the middle of all this: those virtual calls may actually be closer to the real thing than it seems. In a recent New York Times’ article, contributing opinion writer Dr. Richard Friedman shares an interesting study: Young children “were put in a mildly stressful situation — asked to perform math and verbal tasks in front of an audience — and then given a randomly assigned form of parental contact: in-person; by text, by telephone and no contact at all.

“Researchers asked the children afterward how they felt, and then measured their levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as the level of the prosocial hormone oxytocin. Strikingly, texting with a parent provided no more comfort than having no contact at all. But telephone communication was just as effective as being able to touch and see a parent.”

While in-person time can never be replaced, here’s a cool idea for interacting virtually: spend time reading together. Even better? Choose books from MCBD’s own multicultural book lists or Pack-n-Go Girls list. Most if not all are on Amazon or can be ordered through your local bookstore. Many are at your local library.

For younger kids, picture books just get better and better. For older kids, look for chapter books (of course, the Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure books are a great place to start!). Take turns reading pages or chapters together. If you’re on a budget (and aren’t we all?), arrange for both you and the kids you love to get the library books through everyone’s own library system.

Yes, it would definitely be better to be together, tucked under a toasty throw in front of the fireplace as you discover a new book. But it’s nice to know you don’t have to give up this favorite thing together just because you’re at a distance.

For more virtual connecting ideas, check out this Pack-n-Go Girls blog.

About Pack-N-Go Girls

Pack n Go Girls

Dreaming of true-blue friends, mysterious adventures, and faraway places? Pack-n-Go Girls take you there!

2017 Literary Classics Winner – Best Series – Young Reader
2017 Moonbeam Children’s Book Winner – Best Chapter Book Series
2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Winner – Best Chapter Book Series
Readers tour haunted castles in Austria, catch thieves in Mexico, save dolphins and turtles in Brazil, search for lost golden temples in Thailand, and chase aliens in Australia. AND at the same time, they’re inspired to embrace adventure, be curious, value what unites us, and celebrate the differences that make us unique. Kids discover the diversity of cultures and the richness each one contributes to the world.
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, Pack-n-Go Girls specializes in creating innovative stories for girls that deliver positive messages around independence, adventure, and global awareness.
PNGG’s newest offering is Mystery of the Rusty Key, the second book in the Australian adventures. Here’s a bit about both books:
Image of Mystery of the Min Min Lights https://app.box.com/s/6bnmjmilq1ud4c54mo96kyh987j769zv 
Mystery of the Min Min Lights – Australia 1
Journey into the dusty, windswept Australian outback, land of bounding kangaroos and dazzling sunsets. Wendy Lee arrives from California. She’s lucky to meet Chloe and Jacko Taylor, who invite Wendy to their sheep station. It sounds like fun except that someone is stealing the sheep. And the thief just might be something as crazy as a UFO.
Image of Mystery of the Rusty Key https://app.box.com/s/vj89d47wnyvbm0okmd6j2btrnx8mnaep
 
Mystery of the Rusty Key – Australia 2
Wendy, Chloe, and Jacko travel to Sydney and dive straight into another mystery where they must unravel four spooky clues: an ancient letter, a rusty key, a missing box, and a curse. The kids race against time to solve the mystery before the clock strikes midnight.
Learn more about the Pack-n-Go Girls® books and related products HERE.
Follow the Pack-n-Go Girls® on Twitter:@packngogirls , Instagram, Pinterest, and on Facebook: facebook.com/packngogirls

 

From Father to Author to Founder-A Non-profit Leader Shares his Story

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{guest post from Myron Campbell-Founder of the Differences Foundation}

Since I became an author, I seem to get the same questions and statements thrown my way…the main one being, “How did you become an author?” Or “What you are doing for the kids that not too many African American males are doing.”

I get these two the most, however, there are more. As I mention every time I speak to a group of people I never saw myself as an author. When I created my children’s book series The Adventures of Melvin Walker it happened by mistake. Honestly, it was the man upstairs plans for this to happen. These were stories I told my children at night before bed. We would pick up every night right where we left off the day before.

One night my wife says, “you should put your recorder on and record yourself.” I was a little hesitate at doing that. I didn’t want to sound crazy. So, I took her advice and recorded myself. Fifteen minutes later what I recorded ended up being the first 3 pages of my first book Melvin Goes To The Ballpark.

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A Special MCCBD Donation: Oklahoma Messages Project

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MCCBD’s mission is, and will always be, to get diversity children’s books into the hands of young readers. It is especially important for kids to be able to “see themselves” in the pages of a book, but family reading time is also a critical piece of this literacy puzzle.

MCCBD has had the honor of working with several important non-profits who share a similar vision and one such organization is the Oklahoma Messages Project. Thanks to the outreach of OK Messages Project Director, Cheri Fuller, MCCBD donated a big box of multicultural books for children and their incarcerated parents to create memories with.
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