Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Read Your World: 11 Multicultural Children's Books to Diversify Your Shelves (+ Giveaway!)

Celebrate Multicultural Children's Book Day on January 27th

You know you're a children's book nut when you couldn't be more excited that it's almost Multicultural Children's Book Day! I'm celebrating with a giveaway and recommendations of some of my favorite multicultural books, both from my Barefoot Books business and other publishers as well. 


As Pragmatic Mom, one of the founders of Multicultural Children's Book Day explains, while 37% of the U.S. population are people of color, only 10% of children's books contain multicultural content. Diverse books are important for so many different reasons. All children deserve to see people like them and hear stories like theirs, yet many families of color have difficulty finding books that reflect their own culture. Diversity is important for white children as well, so that they can be enriched by other cultures and learn that their ways of understanding the world are not the only ones that exist. 




Eleven Of My Favorite Diverse Children's Books

Baby Talk (ages 0 - 2)

It can be surprisingly difficult to find diverse board books. Baby Talk features families of many different ethnicities interacting with and expressing love for their babies. The high contrast black and white photographs are also ideal for infant's brain development. 







Toddlers, preschoolers, and new readers are so eager to find out what the world is all about, and what the things in it are called. My Big Barefoot Book of Wonderful Words is one of my three year old's favorite books, because there is always something new for him to find. The family featured in the book is multi-racial, and their interests and journeys through town bring them into encounters with people of all races and religions. 




I like including books in our collection that not only have all kinds of cultural diversity, but include many different types of families. In Stella Brings the Family, Stella is unsure what to do when her teacher announces they are having a Mother's Day celebration and everyone can invite a special guest. Stella has a wonderful family who loves her, especially her Daddy and Papa, but she doesn't have a Mom. Who should she bring to the celebration? Every time we read this book, it provides my son and I with good conversation material about how there are many different kinds of families.


The Wheels on the Bus (ages 3 - 7)

There are certainly lots of versions of this classic song out there, but I love the Barefoot Books take because it's set on a chicken bus in Guatemala. Not only do children get a peek into village life in Central America, but they also see all that women are capable of. When the bus breaks down, it's a grandma and the mamis who fix a flat tire. The book includes a singalong CD (including an animated version that can be played on the computer), and endnotes about Guatemala.



 Shopping With Dad (ages 3 - 7)

This light-hearted, funny book follows a slightly frustrated father and his curious, active daughter on a trip to the grocery store. It's a great story for talking with children about what to do when accidents happen and how we can clean up the messes we make. If you're looking for a book that shows a multi-racial family, that's an added plus!





Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah (ages 4 - 9)

This deeply moving true story tells how Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah came to cycle 300 miles across Ghana with only one strong leg.  Not only does this book help children explore another culture; it also spreads Emmanuel's message that disability does not mean inability.






Lola's Fandango (ages 4 - 9)

Lola's older sister seems so much more glamorous and talented. But Lola's discovery of her mother's flamenco dancing shoes leads her to realize what her own special gift is. Through dancing lessons with her father, she sees that she has the duende (spirit) to dance in front of all their family and friends as a surprise gift for her mother's birthday.





Mama Panya's Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya (ages 4 - 9)

Adika is so excited that his mother is making pancakes that he invites everyone they see to dinner. How will Mama Panya feed so many people with the modest amount of food that she has? A beautiful tale of what makes for community, the book also contains endnotes on Kenyan life and a spicy pancake recipe.





¡Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. (English and Spanish Edition) (Ages 4 - 8)

Long before I was a children's book blogger, I was a worker rights organizer. That's when I discovered this gem of a book, which follows Carlitos and his immigrant mother as she goes on strike with other janitors in her city. This is an ideal book to spark a conversation about fairness and speaking up for what is right.


The Name Jar (Ages 4 - 8)

This story follows Unhei, an immigrant child who has just moved to the U.S. from Korea. After she's teased about her Korean name on the first day of school, she becomes anxious about fitting in. Unhei decides that she should choose a new name, and her friends offer her many suggestions that they place in her name jar. Eventually after a friend shows intense interest in Korean characters, and her mother talks about how her name was chosen, Unhei decides to keep her own name.



Dara's Clever Trap (ages 6 +)

If you're concerned about your children having limited ideas about what princesses look like or what they can accomplish, this folk tale from Cambodia is a worthy read. Dara is an architect and engineer who must use her cunning and skill to save her husband from a wicked plot.






Diverse Children's Book Giveaway In Honor of Multicultural Children's Book Day


Giveaway: Win your choice of one of the Barefoot Books featured in this post (Baby Talk, My Big Barefoot Book of Wonderful Words, The Wheels on the Bus, Shopping With Dad, Lola's Fandango, Dara's Clever Trap, or Mama Panya's Pancakes.) One person (must be located within the United States) who leaves a comment will be selected at random to receive one book selected from the books previously listed.
To enter: Comment on this post by telling us why multicultural books are important to you and your family.
Contest ends Tuesday, February 2, 2016. This giveaway is now closed.

Want to know about future giveaways, Barefoot Books sales, literacy tips, craft ideas, and more? Sign up for my twice a month e-enews!

This post includes affiliate links at no cost to you. By purchasing books through my Barefoot Books website and my Amazon affiliate link, you help me to continue to offer literacy resources on this blog. Thank you!

35 comments:

  1. Books are a great way of explaining the world around us to little ones. Multicultural books are important as they broaden children's experiences and portray a more realistic picture of today's communities. By introducing children to a range of cultures, they will have a better understanding of others and be able to develop friendships more easily. Love your selection of books, will have to explore some of these with my 3 little ones!

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    1. Thanks Isabelle's Mummy! I love your point about developing friendships.

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  2. When I was teaching first thru third graders, I always searched for books like these. My students were almost all children of color, and I wanted them to know that their lives were interesting.

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  4. As an early childhood educator for over 40 years, I have had the joy of watching delicious, marvelous books tell stories to children who will likely not get to experience those cultures firsthand. It has expanded their world, made them more acceptant of differences, given them other voices to hear. I applaud Barefoot Books for their exquisite collection of books that give children a feast of words and beautiful art.
    Sandra Brown Turner, Director, University of Memphis Lipman ECE and Research Zinstitute

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    1. Thanks Sandy! I always say Barefoot Books allows your child to take a trip around the world without ever leaving your lap.

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  5. Reading is a way to explore new world's but sadly, many minority children have a hard time finding books with characters that they can relate to. My daughter gets frustrated trying to find books with positive messages where the main character is a young black girl. We need diverse reading material.

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    1. Hi Diana! We do need more titles being published, and for publishers to feature the books that do exist more prominently.

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  6. I love celebrating diversity in the world around us, and it is very important to teach this love and empathy for others to my children. One way to do this is through multicultural books that use age level storytelling and colorful pictures to help them experience many different cultures, languages and traditions around the world. By learning through the exciting story line and relating to the character of the story, I believe these books help children not only experience different traditions but also make them more compassionate to unique challenges others may face.

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    1. Experiencing diversity and compassion really do go hand in hand, don't they?

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  7. The globalization of our world has and will continue to grow so much. Our children will encounter more and more varied accents, appearances and ideas from people of other cultures throughout their lives than most of us ever did as children. It makes so much sense to introduce them to the ideas of other cultures and the look and sounds of other places when they are young so that they will be accepting and even embracing of diversity whenever they meet it. There's no better way to introduce them to the idea of diversity and otherness than through reading. It's important to me for many reasons, not least of all for instilling empathy in my daughters, to raise them to be open minded and NOT FEAR differences in appearance, speech, religion, etc. Books that illustrate acceptance and compassion are wonderful tools to help me accomplish this.

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    1. Children remember stories long after they forget facts...such an important tool for developing empathy.

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  8. I've found that my African-American sons really benefit from reading books with diverse characters. It helps us celebrate their heritage and history. And since reading engages the imagination, it's so important for us that we give them a chance to imagine themselves in hero roles that are empowering, especially as we're thinking about how to equip them to deal with all the challenges they'll be facing as they grow up. But I've discovered that I have to be really deliberate and intentional about seeking out books that offer diverse images...there are books out there that do this, but a whole lot of books just present all people as white. I appreciate Barefoot Books for being a company that is committed to depicting people in ways that reflect genuine human multiculturalism! - Elizabeth C.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! Every child deserves to see people like themselves as the hero of the story.

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  9. I have lots of different friends. I was brought around a very diverse array of people, so of course I want that for my family. I really enjoy how multicultural books just reiterate this to my daughter. She gets to see it in real life, but also see it in her books. She needs to know that the entire world is multi dimensional and colorful. K. Coleman

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    1. It's great that your daughter is experiencing diversity both in her books and her friendships Kimathi!

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  10. we love books in general but multicultural books always bring on new conversations. My daughter really enjoys geography so we often look at a map to see where the story takes place. When we read My Big Barefoot Book of Wonderful Words, we had a talk about the different houses and since I couldn't answer all her questions we had to look it up. She sees that people live in different ways and always wants to do the same. We eventually built one of the houses in our living room (it might have been the dome!). I think that the more our children are presented with the opportunity to discover and learn about a new culture, the more open minded they will be. And books are a fun and easy way to start!

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    1. Love that you built one of the houses Gaelle! You do so much to encourage your children's curiosity.

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  11. Coming from a multicultural family these books are a really great tools to learn about diversity and other cultures out there. Growing up I read a lot of books about different countries and their culture because it's cheaper than buying a plane ticket to visit said country. So I shared my love of reading to my toddler and he enjoys seeing different people in his books just like different friends he has in playdate. *Rosy G.*

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    1. Books are the next best thing to being there aren't they Rosy?

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  12. The only way we can expect to encourage others to love the world is to engage their imaginations through reading and show them the world.

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    1. Why show our children only a tiny fraction of the world right?

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  13. The only way we can expect to encourage others to love the world is to engage their imaginations through reading and show them the world.

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  14. I think it's a great way to introduce the different cultures and ways natbelinsky@verizon.net

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    1. So true! Books can be the first way that we learn about the world.

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  15. My daughter is Filipino and Caucasian, and I can't wait for her to develop a love of books and reading. I believe literature, especially books about different cultures, will help develop her identity and sense of self-esteem. I am so excited about the variety of children's multicultural literature available today!

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    1. Yes! When children can see themselves as heroes of the story, it builds their confidence.

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  16. To help my son learn more about diversity and unity.

    dlatany at gmail dot com

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  17. These are AMAZING choices! The colors, the characters, the stories- I love what you've chosen! :)

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    1. Thanks! That's means a lot coming from the author of an incredible blog like yours!

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  18. What a great diversity book list and giveaway! Thanks so much for your support of Multicultural Children's Book Day! Mia from PragmaticMom

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    1. Thank you Mia! Appreciate all your amazing work to make this day what it is!

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  19. I have been fortunate enough to be able to do some traveling and being introduced to a new culture is an amazing and eye opening experience. I want my child to grow up understanding diversity and being able to embrace the differences of other cultures. As he grows I hope to be able to travel the world with him but until then books are a great start.

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  20. Multicultural books are important to us because my children are biracial and they never get to see stories about kids that are just like them.

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