The Power of Storytelling & 5 Book GIVEAWAY: #ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2022

 

Multicultural Children’s Book and The Children’s Book Council are thrilled to team up to present the 2022 #ReadYourWorld Book Jam. Please welcome Donna Barba Higuera with her list of the Power of Storytelling.

El Cucuy is Scared, Too! by Donna Barba Higuera, illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

Ramón is a little boy who can’t sleep. He is nervous about his first day at a new school. And El Cucuy is the monster who lives in Ramón’s cactus pot. He can’t sleep, either. It turns out that El Cucuy is scared, too!
This gentle, perceptive story explores the worries that can accompany moving to a new place and beginning a new journey—and reveals how comfort, bravery, and strength can be found through even the most unexpected of friendships. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

We are giving away 5 copies of El Cucuy is Scared, Too!. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

The Power of Storytelling

I’ve chosen books that incorporate folklore, mythology, or family tales from the author’s culture and best enriched the power of storytelling.

 

The Star Festival by Moni Ritchie Hadley, illustrated by Mizuho Fujisawa

This enchanting book draws a parallel between the Japanese legend of love separated amongst the stars to a young Keiko who loses her grandmother at the Star Festival and reunites with her in this beautiful retelling. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Everything Sad Is Untrue by  Daniel Nayeri

In this epic tale unlike anything I’ve ever read, we are introduced to Khousrou as he travels from Iran to Oklahoma, and masterfully weaves his family’s tales and Persian folklore into his own immigration journey. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book and A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book by Yuyi Morales

Not just counting and alphabet books, these vibrant tales do double duty using Mexican culture and folklore as Señor Calavera’s tale teaches counting and the alphabet in Spanish and English with flare and unparalleled illustrations. [picture book, ages 5 and up]

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

This captivating tale is told in alternating points of view of a Lipan Apache girl and a Cottonmouth person, allowing readers to escape to a world bordering the human realm, where animal people must navigate tricksters, complicated friendships, and nature to help one another. [young adult, ages 12 and up]

When You Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller

A heartfelt book where Korean folklore, storytelling, and magical realism assist Lily on her complicated journey as she navigates an increasingly complicated life and familial relationships. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

In this magical quest tale, the oral tradition of storytelling is a gift to the reader as well as the character, Minli, as her father’s fantastical Chinese folklore accompanies her as she seeks to change her family’s fortune. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

 

5 Book Giveaway of El Cucuy is Scared, Too!

We are giving away 5 copies of El Cucuy is Scared, Too!. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Donna Barba Higuera grew up dodging dust devils in the oilfields of central California. She was a daydreamer, constantly blending life experiences and folklore into stories. Now she weaves them into picture books and novels. Higuera currently lives among the spiraling mists of the Pacific Northwest with her husband, four children, three dogs, two frogs, and hundreds of wild birds who flock to her backyard birdfeeders every day. El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! is her debut picture book. She is also the author of the middle-grade novel Lupe Wong Won’t Dance. To learn more, please visit her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

 

Join us Friday, January 28th at 9 pm EST for our #ReadYourWorld Twitter party. We will be giving away book bundles of 9 books each every five minutes!