#ReadYourWorld vs #WeNeedDiverseBooks

#ReadYourWorld vs #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Posted on by Pragmatic Mom

Valarie and I are gearing up for Multicultural Children’s Book Day on January 27th, 2017, so I thought this might be a good time to explain what I perceive to be the differences between two different but similar groups: Multicultural Children’s Book Day and We Need Diverse Books.

In a business analogy, one is a scrappy start-up. The other is a well-funded corporate entity, though, both organizations, in fact, are non-profits.

Let’s start at the beginning (a very good place to start)…

When Did It All Begin?

Multicultural Children's Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day was conceived in August of 2013. Valarie saw that I was re-focusing my efforts on promoting diversity books in response to Lee and Low’s report that the number of children’s books of a diverse nature has not changed over the last fourteen years, and asked me if I wanted to join her in starting a holiday to promote.  Our first event was Multicultural Children’s Book Day on January 27th, 2014 where we raised about $3k. We used this money for a part-time admin and to set up a non-profit and a website. Our revenues have doubled every year, allowing us to give away more books.

We Need Diverse Books

We Need Diverse Books was started in April 2014 by young adult author Ellen Oh. They ran a successful Indigogo campaign that raised $333k in 2014. Their event is a forthcoming Diversity Children’s and YA Book Tradeshow Conference.

Who Are The Founders?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day Founders

There is probably a reason why Valarie and I gravitate toward the word “multicultural.” Valarie was born and raised in Sweden and speaks five languages including Arabic. Her husband is a Lebanese surgeon. Her children speak Arabic at home and live a multicultural life. For example, her son spent the summer fasting in celebration of Ramadan and then working on the island where Thor is purported to be buried as a camp counselor for Viking Camp. That’s where Swedish kids learn to live like Vikings … blacksmithing, sword fighting, and all! And, of course, her son worked the camp speaking fluent Swedish.

I’m half Chinese and half Japanese American. My father immigrated from mainland China before the Cultural Revolution to study at UCLA. My mother was born in San Francisco’s Japantown and was forced to relocate during WWII. My husband was born in Korea, so my kids are Chinese/Japanese/Korean American “mixed plates.” (My husband played golf for the University of Hawaii, hence the pidgin reference.) I grew up in Southern California and now live outside of Boston.

Both Valarie and I have entrepreneurial backgrounds. Valarie is the founder of Audrey Press, a publishing company founded from a passionate desire to inspire children, families, and communities to experience, discover, and create a world together through the power of books.

Valarie and I work on a volunteer basis for Multicultural Children’s Book Day. We have a part-time paid project manager, Becky of FranticMommy who is our “chief elf.”

We Need Diverse Books Founder

Ellen Oh is a Korean American young adult and middle-grade author who grew up in New York City. She attended law school at Georgetown and practiced law before changing careers as a writer.

 

How Is Their Focus Different?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day is a celebration of diversity in existing children’s books. We highlight multicultural books in order to get them more attention and help educators and parents find the exact, specific books they need. Much of the content that is created by our group of education bloggers focuses on literacy, book extension ideas, and combating racism by exposing young children to diverse books. Thus, our focus is getting books into the hands of children who need them most. We do this through programs in which we give thousands of books away to teachers and parents. In fact, after we pay for admin costs, the money we raise is mostly used for postage and handling to give away books.

We Need Diverse Books seeks to change children’s book publishing by getting more diverse books published and marketed to consumers. Their programs include author mentorships, diversity book awards, and promoting diversity books in the classroom through their partnership with Scholastic Books. They have also given away hundreds of diverse children’s books.

 

Who is Their Core Constituency?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Education and children’s book bloggers make up the core constituency of Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Over a dozen support the organization as co-hosts, lending their vast social media networks and blog audiences to the cause. Last year, an additional 180 bloggers participated by reviewing and blogging on a diversity book in celebration of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

In all, there were more than 3.6 BILLION social media share impressions last year during the week of the event in 2017 that reached parents interested in education, particularly moms. We use the hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

 

We Need Diverse Books

We Need Diverse Books management team is organized into an Executive Team, Team Members, Liaisons, Friends, and an Advisory Committee that is predominately young adult and children’s book authors. Their hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign garnered over 100k tweets during their three-day fundraising period. Their hashtags include #WNDB and #DiverseBooks.

 

What Resources Do They Provide?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day has an extensive index of children’s book resources by our blogging community of diverse books and activities for kids.

Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents

This is a List of Lists so you can find the books you need. Every blue title is a link to more book lists on that topic. Let us know if you are having trouble finding anything (pragmaticmomblog gmail) and we will try to help.

Our Diverse World Book Lists for Kids (this is a general book list)

It’s also broken out by country/geographic area:

Diversity in Children’s Books Presented as Every Day (this is a book list)

 

Books on World Religions for Kids (this is a book list)

It’s also broken out by holiday and/or religion.

Seeing Yourself in Children’s Books

Diversity Books By Genre

General Diversity Book Lists (this is a book list)

 

We Need Diverse Books has a flowchart of books that they recommend, many of which are written by their management team members.

 

Who Should I Support?

Each organization is fighting the same fight which is to say ultimately getting diverse books into the hands of children. Support us both!

p.s. Our Battle Scars in the Fight Against Racism

I think each of the founders of both groups has battled racism in a profound way. Valarie lives in Tennessee and when she encounters racism from the pulpit, she tackles it head-on. Not only does she confront the minister who preaches hate, but she also organizes service work for both groups (the attacked and the attackers) to do together to build a bridge of understanding. They refer to her as a Valkyrie where she lives.

When my local high school put on an anti-Asian racist musical, I used blogging and social media for a solid month to draw awareness to this issue, resulting in a front-page article in The Boston Globe, with four subsequent follow-up articles, and a slew of blog posts including support from Angry Asian Man.

Ellen Oh battled the ugliest of bullies, the social media troll.

Ellen Oh ‏@ElloEllenOh Apr 25

Yes, this is my new Twitter handle. The old one was deleted due to online harassment. But I won’t let that happen again.

#ReadYourWorld vs #WeNeedDiverseBooks

 

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.

 

My books:

We Sing From the Heart picture book cover reveal of The Slants Simon Tam

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Cover Reveal: Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

  • Junior Library Guild Gold selection
  • Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
  • Starred review from School Library Journal
  • Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
  • 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
  • Green Earth Book Award longlist
  • Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

 Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

cover for Sumo JoeChanging the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes by Mia WenjenAmazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide

How To Coach Girls by Mia Wenjen and Alison FoleyAsian Pacific American Heroes

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16 thoughts on “#ReadYourWorld vs #WeNeedDiverseBooks”

    1. Thanks Gayle. It’s interesting how we both have similar goals but different objectives and therefore different activities and ways to accomplish our goals. But we are trying to affect change in the same area and I think the more, the merrier!

      Reply

  7. All essential work.
    Another important distinction about #WeNeedDiverseBooks is that although the catalyst event was an all-white authors panel at a conference, the organization focuses on a broad definition of diversity, including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, class and other identities.

    Reply

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