I’m extra excited to announce our newest Multicultural Children’s Book Day Classroom Kit on Activism and Activists! You can get it here. There’s something more … I illustrated the poster this year! Now, I didn’t set out to illustrate anything! I had been working on my drawing skills, taking figure and portrait classes recently. I…
Category: Diverse Books for Kids
Diversity books for kids including authors and characters of color and diversity themes.
Racism in Children’s Books: Asian Slant Eyes
“Chink!” “Jap!” “Where are you from?” “Do you eat dog?” “Why don’t you go back to where you came from?” “Do you know Kung-Fu?” From the racist to the innocuous, issues of culture, ethnicity, and discrimination are prevalent themes for Asian minorities in the United States. The Asian desire to be “American” and fit into mainstream society in the U.S. can be challenging as…
A Unit to Teach Kids About Microaggressions
I think I have been asked “Where am I from?” a lot since I was a child. It was a question that always felt a little uncomfortable, even if the person expressed a genuine curiosity. If I deflected from the implied question and answered that I was from California, or Southern California, or Seal Beach…
Meet Asian Pacific American Hero Niki Nakayama
I first discovered Niki Nakayama through the NetFlix show Chef’s Table which my oldest child gushed about and insisted that I watch. I love food documentaries in general, but Chef’s Table is my favorite because it shows how adversity plays a huge role in each person’s story. Niki Nakayama’s story is no different. She had…
Anti-Asian Racism in Joey Pigza series by Jack Gantos
Selma Yalazi-Dawani sent this to me via Facebook. She is a curriculum developer in education. Her 10-year-old was reading a book series that was introduced to him by his school. He was enraged to find anti-Asian racism in a book published in 2015. The book? The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos. Here…
Meet Asian Pacific American Hero Prabal Gurung
Fashion designer Prabal Gurung is known for his elegant designs that graced former First Lady Michelle Obama, and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Stars who wore Prabal Gurung on the red carpet include Demi Moore, Rachel Weisz, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Anne Hathaway. Helen Mirren, Diane Kruger, Olivia Munn, and Oprah Winfrey. But to…
Meet Asian Pacific American Hero I. M. Pei
There is such a refined elegance to I. M. Pei is only matched by his warm personality. It’s a combination that allowed him to move in the upper echelons of society in any country. In a way, he reminds me of my own father. Both immigrated from China in pursuit of their education. Though they…