14 Children's Books by South Asian Authors to add to your shopping list!

Launching a book in the middle of a pandemic has been quite an experience! I had to get creative and I launched 'Celebrate Onam With Me!' with a virtual book reading and dance party but more on that later.

If you are shopping for books this holiday season, be sure to add these books that were released in 2020!

Avery and the Pillow Gang

Little Avery dreams BIG dreams. So big that he needs a little help from his pillow friends to tackle his nighttime adventures. Whimsical and charming, The Pillow Gang is a book that embraces the value of kindness and sharing, regardless of how different others may seem.

Bhoomi Learns to Draw a Kolam

From Archana Narayanan, comes a book about a little girl, Bhoomi, who is captivated by her mother’s kolams - an Indian art form - and decides to learn the art from her mother.

Celebrate Onam With Me!

Written by Shoumi Sen and beautifully illustrated by Rudra Bose, this is the third book in the series, 'From The Toddler Diaries'. It is time for Onam, a 10-day harvest festival celebrated widely in the Indian state of Kerala with a lot of fun, food, and festivities! In this latest book, we travel with little Riya to "God's Own Country" and learn how and why we celebrate Onam.

Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman Chalisa was composed by Sage Tulsidas in the 16th century in Awadhi language. Hanuman is a devotee of Lord Rama and one of the well-known characters in the Hindu epic “Ramayana”. There are forty verses praising Hanuman, each line has been translated by The JaiJais for children to easily understand.

Vaaranam's Children's Books launched two books this year:

Ethirpatham (Opposites) - With over 30 flaps to lift, this delightful book helps children learn about opposites in Tamil in a fun and interactive way.

Paati Veedu (Grandma's House) - Paati Veedu is a simple story that is a reflection of the author’s own childhood memories and depicts the joy an extended family brings into a child’s life.

Lilu's Rakhi

From author/illustrator Devika Joglekar comes a book about an environmentally conscious girl, Lilu, who has decided to make homemade plastic-free Rakhi for Little Kuku. Through wonderful, vibrant illustrations and rhyming text, Lilu’s Rakhi teaches kids how to make a beautiful plastic-free Rakhi.

Sparkling Me Series

The following children's Books (Growth Mindset stories for Global Citizens) were launched this year to empower children everywhere to build diversity and inclusion for acceptance, for others and self:

How Our Skin Sparkles - Answer this question using this multi-award-winning (voted Teacher's Pick by Amazon) that uses culture, concept, and science to build confidence within and kindness for all.

Small or Tall, We Sparkle After All - A body-positive children's book that teaches every child to be kind to others and themselves using science, mythology, and concept.

Sparkles of Joy - Celebrate the joy of togetherness this holiday season with a story that spans the festivities from Diwali to Christmas creating conversations around kindness, social skills and cultural uniqueness.

My Raksha Bandhan

This colorful story from author Priya Kumari and illustrator Komal Garg explains the meaning of Raksha Bandhan, the legend behind it, and how Taaraa and Chundoo give a bigger meaning to their festive day by visiting a fire station!

Ritu Weds Chandni

Centering Ayesha’s love for her cousin as much as it showcases Ritu and Chandni’s love for each other, this warmhearted debut from Ameya Narvankar (published by Yali Books) celebrates the power of young voices to stand up against prejudice and bigotry.

Sing Along With Eli Puli

Do you LOVE English nursery rhymes? Well, this illustrated book will show you how to sing 8 of your favorite songs to the same tunes - In Tamil! Free audio included.

Ved and Friends Investigate Your Family

From author Diksha Pal Narayan and illustrator Abira Das, comes a book in which you can become Amateur Genealogists and Discover Your Family.

Have you read any of these books? Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

"The Turtle Ship" - Book Review

Lee & Low publishers sent me their book, 'The Turtle Ship', to review for MCBD2019. The Turtle Ship is the story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, his small but mighty turtle 'Gobugi', and the Turtle Ships that led Korea to victory in many wars.

Little Sun-sin entered a contest to design a battleship for the land, the prize being ten bags of copper coins and a chance to sail the ocean with the Royal Navy. The boy was small but his dreams were big! He also had very supportive parents who endured a Journey on foot for several days so their son could have a chance to present his design to the king.

At the king’s palace, everyone laughed as Sun-sin told the king that the battleship should be designed like the small, but strong and steady turtle. Soon a cat pounced on Gobugi who defended himself with ease and convinced the king that Sun-sin might be onto something big! He was declared the winner and several Turtle Ships were built based on his design. Sun-sin’s dream of traveling to different lands came true.

Many years later, the Turtle Ships continued to defend the land and Sun-sin became a decorated navy admiral.

Written by Helena Ku Rhee, illustrated (in collage) by Colleen Kong-Savage and published by Lee & Low Books, this is a story of a boy who dared to dream big! Two thumbs up!

The Turtle Ship Cover

The Turtle Ship

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What is MCBD?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators. 

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board!

*View our 2019 Medallion Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-*

View our 2019 MCBD Author Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-2eN

Medallion Level Sponsors

Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.

Super Platinum: Make A Way Media

GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV,  Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press

SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls

BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift,  T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board

Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini, Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Lori DeMonia, Claudia Schwam, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup,Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media:

MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. GO HERE for more details.

FREE RESOURCES From MCBD

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

"Always Anjali" - Book Review

This is the third year I am participating in MCBD and I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing movement. As a sponsor, co-host and a book reviewer, I am excited for this to be the best MCBD ever! This year, I was fortunate to receive a copy of  Always Anjali by Bharat Babies. This book is written by Sheetal Sheth and beautifully illustrated by Jessica Blank.

This story resonated with me because even when I lived in India, my name was considered rare (I have met just one other Shoumi in all my life) and yes, it was always mis-pronounced. I wish I had read this book while growing up. 

Always Anjali

Always Anjali is about a girl who is bright, spunky and full of life! Alas, her name is uncommon where she lives. When she and her friends want to buy personalized name plates, she is the only one who walks out of the store empty handed. No one seems to have heard the name Anjali and the kids in school make fun of her. Dejected, bullied and her spirit crushed, she wants nothing to do with her name and decides to change it. But her parents tell her that she and her name are special and they encourage her to be herself! Anjali soon realizes that it's pretty cool to be different and her creative genius makes her colorful "Anjali" number plate the most wanted one in school. 

This book is for anyone whose uniqueness has been made fun of - whether it is your name, the color of your skin or anything that makes you stand out from the rest. It's a great story for kids to learn that it is ok to be different - and in fact, it is kinda special to not be part of the herd!

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What is MCBD?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators. 

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board!

*View our 2019 Medallion Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-

*View our 2019 MCBD Author Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-2eN

Medallion Level Sponsors

Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.

Super Platinum: Make A Way Media

GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV,  Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press

SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls

BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift,  T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board

Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini, Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Lori DeMonia, Claudia Schwam, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event.

View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts:

A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup,Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media:

MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. GO HERE for more details.

FREE RESOURCES From MCBD

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

Hashtag:

Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.