#ReadYourWorld

Let's Dance - Book Review for MCBD 2020

Let’s Dance

Let’s Dance is a beautifully illustrated picture book about various dances from all over the world. This would be a perfect addition to anyone wanting to build up a multicultural library for their child.

Picture courtesy Valerie Bolling

With gorgeous illustrations by Maine Diaz and rhythmic text by author Valerie Bolling, this book is a great introduction to various dance forms. The text is sparse; just enough to hold a child’s interest. The beautifully illustrated glossary at the back is a good place for parents to brush up on their dances and have conversations with their kids about how people from various nations express themselves joyfully through dance.

Thank you to Valerie Bolling for sending me a copy of your lovely book for MCBD2020.

Picture courtesy Valerie Bolling

“Glide and slide, side to side” with the Long-Sleeve Dancers from China or “Turn and twirl” with the Kathak dancers from India. This book will surely make you want to break into some form of dancing. Dance lessons, anyone?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 (1/31/20) is in its 7th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.

Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.

MCBD 2020 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board

Super Platinum

Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings,

Platinum

Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls,

Gold

Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,

Silver

Author Charlotte Riggle, Capstone Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd & B is for Breathe,

Bronze

Author Carole P. Roman, Snowflake Stories/Jill Barletti, Vivian Kirkfield & Making Their Voices Heard. Barnes Brothers Books, TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books, Charlesbridge Publishing, Barefoot Books Talegari Tales

Author Sponsor Link Cloud

Jerry Craft, A.R. Bey and Adventures in Boogieland, Eugina Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Kenneth Braswell & Fathers Incorporated, Maritza M. Mejia & Luz del mes_Mejia, Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Josh Funk and HOW TO CODE A ROLLERCOASTER, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove, Lauren Ranalli, The Little Green Monster: Cancer Magic! By Dr. Sharon Chappell, Phe Lang and Me On The Page, Afsaneh Moradian and Jamie is Jamie, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, TUMBLE CREEK PRESS, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Gwen Jackson, Angeliki Pedersen & The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by Mia Wenjen, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher (Founders of Inner Flower Child Books), Ann Morris & Do It Again!/¡Otra Vez!, Janet Balletta and Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Ocean, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo & Bruna Bailando por el Mundo\ Dancing Around the World, Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, Sarah Jamila Stevenson, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Teresa Robeson & The Queen of Physics , Nadishka Aloysius and Roo The Little Red TukTuk, Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore & Stories by the Girlfriends Book Club, Finding My Way Books , Diana Huang & Intrepids, Five Enchanted Mermaids, Elizabeth Godley and Ribbon’s Traveling Castle, Anna Olswanger and Greenhorn, Danielle Wallace & My Big Brother Troy , Jocelyn Francisco and Little Yellow Jeepney, Mariana Llanos & Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess/La Ñusta Diminuta, Sara Arnold & The Big Buna Bash, Roddie Simmons & Race 2 Rio, DuEwa Frazier & Alice’s Musical Debut, Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series Green Kids Club, Inc.

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, Afsaneh Moradian, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Bethany Edward & Biracial Bookworms, Michelle Goetzl & Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Educators Spin on it, Shauna Hibbitts-creator of eNannylink, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joel Leonidas & Descendant of Poseidon Reads {Philippines}, Imagination Soup, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Serge Smagarinsky {Australia}, Shoumi Sen, Jennifer Brunk & Spanish Playground, Katie Meadows and Youth Lit Reviews

FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

· Free Multicultural Books for Teachers

· Our New FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit http://ow.ly/kcbZ30p3QWz

· Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators

· Free Understanding Developmental & Physical Challenges Classroom Kit

TWITTER PARTY! Register here

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

Sumo Joe - Book Review for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2020

This is a story about two siblings who go into a friendly battle in which little sister wins! Sumo Joe is a gentle big brother to little Aikido Jo most of the day, but when their living room gets transformed into a Dohyo (a ring where sumo bouts are fought), all bets are off! Who will win this epic battle between Sumo Joe and Aikido Jo? That's what this book is about.

While Joe and his friends are getting ready for Sumo, little Jo leaves to go practice Aikido (or so it seems from the gym bag she is carrying). When she is back, the boys are seriously practicing Sumo. When Jo wants to join the fray, the boys tell that they cannot let a girl enter their ‘sacred space’!

What’s a girl to do? Well, if you are as spirited as little Jo, you invite your big brother to a friendly match to show off your moves and use the tactics of Aikido to effectively win against a bigger opponent.

The story is in rhyme and the illustrations are wonderful. I knew very little about Sumo and nothing about Aikido before I read this book. However, this cute story, along with the illustrated glossary at the back, the author’s note, and the illustrations helped me get familiar with them. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to build a diverse library so your kids can learn about martial arts forms from Japan.

The author is Mia Wenjen, a huge supporter of diverse books and I am grateful to have received this book for MCBD2020. The illustrator, Nat Iwata does a great job with the illustrations and this book is a Lee and Low Books publication. Thank you, Mia, for my very own signed copy of Sumo Joe!

Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.

MCBD 2020 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board

Super Platinum

Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings,

Platinum

Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls,

Gold

Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,

Silver

Author Charlotte Riggle, Capstone Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd & B is for Breathe,

Bronze

Author Sponsor Link Cloud

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

· Free Multicultural Books for Teachers

· Our New FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit http://ow.ly/kcbZ30p3QWz

· Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators

· Free Understanding Developmental & Physical Challenges Classroom Kit

TWITTER PARTY! Register here

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

Multicultural Children's Book Day (MCBD) 2020!

This year, like every other year, I am proud to be a part of this wonderful initiative! As a co-host and author sponsor, I help support this cause for Diverse Books. As a book reviewer, I receive copies of wonderfully diverse books that I review on my website. Today I am reviewing a book sent to me by Becky Flansburg, who also happens to play a major role in bringing MCBD to life, year after year.

Sissy Goes Tiny by Rebecca Flansburg and BA Norrgard

Sissy is a regular eight-year-old and her life is perfect. She loves her big house, her big bed and all the other things that eight-year-old girls love! But one fine day, her parents have a not so pleasant surprise for her. They are going to live Tiny. Sissy is confused and a little scared. What are her parents thinking? They want to sell their house and move into a tiny space? What do they mean by having more experiences while owning fewer things?

Sissy cannot imagine giving up her big bedroom, her big bed and the view from her bedroom window. As they set out to do a ‘possessions purge’, Sissy realizes her parents are serious. Meanwhile, a few friends who have already embraced the concept of living tiny, help her repurpose her favorite possessions so her new bedroom can truly feel like her own. As they slowly part with their belongings, they realize that living with less can be quite liberating.

Soon, their old home is ready for sale and their new home pulls up, on wheels! Wow! As Sissy peeks into her new home, she realizes that many of her favorite things will always be with her, in her new tiny room. They will have new places to see and new memories to make and the best part, less stuff to worry about. Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad, after all?

This book arrived right before Thanksgiving and by extension, the biggest shopping season in America, when all you could hear was ‘Flash Sale!!!’, ‘Buy Now!!’, ‘Black Friday deals’ and other such slogans, reminding you of all the ‘stuff’ that was within your reach, at the best possible prices, if only you act NOW. But wait, here is a family that is giving up what they have, so they can downsize and live better with less. What a novel concept!

Fact: Tiny Houses are an actual thing, and many have embraced this lifestyle of living with less. Authors Rebecca Flansburg and BA Norrgard have brought this to life in ‘Sissy Goes Tiny’ and while I don’t think I can ever embrace the concept all the way, this is a great reminder to us all that we don’t need “stuff” to make us happy. The authors have done a great job of explaining things from a child’s POV and the illustrations by Penny Weber are vivid and realistic. A great book to read to kids and have them understand the concept of being happy with less. After reading this book, we did a smaller version of a ‘possessions purge’ and donated a lot of clothes and things we didn’t really need.

Thank you, Becky Flansburg and Audrey Press Books, for my very own copy for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020!

Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.

MCBD 2020 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board

Super Platinum

Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings,

Platinum

Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls,

Gold

Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,