Read Your World 2024 is this Thursday and I’m excited to share my book reviews.
Please add your diverse children’s and YA book reviews on the Big Giant Linky on my blog and the Read Your World website starting tomorrow.
Please also join us for our Virtual Party on Thursday, January 25th at 9 pm EST where we will be giving away more than 12 Book Bundles. Register here.
5 Wonderful Diverse Picture Books to Celebrate Multicultural Children’s Book Day!
Night Market Rescue by Charlotte Cheng, illustrated by Amber Ren
GoGo, a stray dog, wanders the night markets in Taipei where he finds a little girl who is lost. He helps her find her family and, in return, GoGo finds with forever family. This story combines the vibrant and delicious night market scene in Taiwan, with a rescue dog. What’s not to love? [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Interested in learning more about Taiwan? I have a book list about Taiwan and Taiwan-American picture book creators.
The Moon Tonight: Our Moon’s Journey Around Earth by Jung Chang-hoon, illustrated by Jang Ho
My kids studied the phases of the moon in fourth grade, including observing the moon for a week and writing down what they saw. This book supports anyone studying the phases of the moon and wants to understand what they are observing each night. It pulls all the information from a study unit into an easy-to-understand picture book. The author is an astronomer from South Korea who writes for kids. [nonfiction picture book, ages 5 and up]
Interested in books about the moon and stars, or learning about astronauts? I have a book list of Moon-Themed Books for Kids, Children’s Books About Seeing Stars, Books for Kids Who Admire Astronauts, and Space-Themed Books for Kids. I also have activities to study the phases of the moon.
The Runaway Dosa by Suma Subramaniam, illustrated by Parvati Pillai
The Gingerbread Man is richly retold with Hindu mythology centered around a runaway dosa. Dosas are crispy crepes made of lentil and rice batter. My favorite dosa is filled with spiced potatoes and peas but this particular dosa is a flat pancake. Unlike The Gingerbread Man, the children chase the dosa, ending up in a magical land where they meet mythological creatures from Indian folklore. I especially liked learning the stories of each animal presented in the book. A recipe for making dosas is included in the backmatter which makes a perfect ending and answers the question of why the dosa would be so hotly pursued. Hint: dosas are delicious! [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Interested in Indian folktales? I have a book list of 7 Amazing Indian Folktales.
¿Quiénes Somos?: Who Are We? by Anneke Forzani, illustrated by Maria Russo
This is a lovely and inclusive picture book with a message of acceptance and understanding of those around us. Pair this with All Are Welcome for a multilingual welcoming message to all students. Language Lizard, the publisher, offers this bilingual story in a plethora of languages including Farsi, Pashto, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Haitian, Karen, Portuguese, Tigrinya, Dutch, Sino Tibetan, Swahili, Hindi, Kinyarwanda, Gujarati, Telugu, Arabic, Tagalog, Nepali, Chinese, Somali, Bengali, Amharic, Tamil, Greek, and Italian. This is a must-have in all classroom libraries. Gift this to a teacher to support students who are learning English as a second language. [bilingual Spanish picture book, ages 1 and up]
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My books:
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
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
