Spread the word!

My kids are growing up in a middle-class white family in a small (predominantly white) town.

The school system wouldn’t work well for them, so we are able to homeschool.

If we weren’t proactive, my kids could have very little exposure to any cultures outside our own.

That’s why I am so excited to hear about and partner with Multicultural Children’s Book Day!

Celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day with Wild One

*Note, I was given a copy of the book Wild One to read with my family and review for Multicultural Day. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Celebrating Multicultural Day with Wild One

See, I always try to incorporate literature, movies, and stories with diverse characters for my kiddos.

I wrote a whole post about why my boys read “girl” books.

So I was so excited to dive into the book Wild One with Cap’n M!

But first, why does diversity really matter in literature?

Celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day with Wild One

Why Diversity is Important in Literature

When we read, we escape into a brand new world. One where we can be anything.

So why is it that so often we escape to be a character exactly like we are?

Boys read about boys, girls read about girls, etc.

When kids read books with diverse characters, they receive tons of benefits.

  • They learn about new cultures.
  • They develop better understanding of other’s perspectives.
  • They develop more empathy for people who are different from them.

 

Beyond that, it’s important for kids to have the ability to see themselves in books.

If you only hear stories that feature white kids (and mostly white boys) you might wonder where the kids like you are.

Where do people like you “fit” in the world, if so many of the books you read simply act like you don’t exist?

Celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day with Wild One

 

Reading the Book Wild One

So we were super excited when the book Wild One by Jane Whittingham and illustrated by Noel Tuazon came in the mail.

See, Cap’n M is 4. He’s my wild one.

Hair down past his shoulders, looking like a mane, he runs around the house.

“MOM MOM MOM! WE GOT A NEW BOOK!”

“Yes, Cap’n M, we did get a new book!”

“MOM MOM MOM! Maybe we could READ IT LIKE A TIGER”

How in the world does a tiger read?

Apparently by running around the room, clawing at everything, and growling.

Who knew?

Celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day with Wild One

Well, I managed to get my little tiger to snuggle in and check out Wild One with me, and it quickly became one of his favorite books.

A few days later I caught him curled up on the couch “reading” it himself.

“MOM! She slides down the slide just like me!!”

His excitement was contagious.

He is my wild one.

I love that this book showed him how he had so much in common with someone who, on the surface, could seem so different from him.

You can get a copy of Wild One on Amazon here.

Celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day with Wild One

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day is in its 5th 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 home 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 2018 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board! View our 2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors here, and our Author Sponsors here.

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!

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/27/18 at 9:00 pm.

Join the conversation and win one of 12-5 book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party!

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers here

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

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