It’s Multicultural Children’s Book Day!! Every year, the books get more diverse, more joyful, more fun to read and explore. The book I received this year is from one of my favorite newer publishers, Barefoot Books. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, this is a publisher that seeks out the diversity and the equity in everything they publish. I’m thrilled to talk up Amazing Places – read on!
Amazing Places, by Miralda Colombo/Illustrated by Beatrice Cerocchi,
(Sept. 2020, Barefoot Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781646860678
Ages 8-12
Get ready to stamp your virtual passport with this fabulous tour through 15 of the world’s most incredible monuments! Amazing Places takes you around the world to visit breathtaking cities carved in sandstone (Petra, Jordan) and marvels of modern architecture (Sydney Opera House, Australia). See where gladiators battled (Colosseum, Italy) and visit giant, mysterious Moai statues that hold vigil across Easter Island. Loaded with facts and colorful illustrations, this is a treat for armchair travelers anywhere. Give this book to your kiddos who love Atlas Obscura, and A World of Cities by James Brown. Have printable passports ready for your kids; let them create their own passport stamps to color in their books. I really like this passport bundle from Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs, and this passport template from Ashley McKenzie, both available at Teachers Pay Teachers. Fun tip: mention to your Disney-loving Kiddos that Neuschwanstein Castle, featured in this book, inspired the castles in both Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
For fun activity extensions, check out Education.com and TeachersPayTeachers for activities about each of these sites – there are coloring sheets and activities all over the Internet, too! I think I may have to craft a folder full of activities to pair with this book… you know how I love my Program-In-A-Book, especially these days. Make a whole armchair travel program by diving into one or two sites a week, and find travel videos and books to read together. Find a country-related craft for each stop on the tour, too: create mandalas when you visit India, make a yarn painting to bring back from Mexico, make paper birds’ nests and snakes to commemorate your trip to Brazil. Learn something new with each turn of the page.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 (1/29/21) is in its 8th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.
Eight years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Prgamaticmom) and Valarie Budayr’s (Audreypress.com)
Platinum Sponsors: Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages, Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
Gold Sponsors: Barefoot Books, Candlewick Press, Capstone, Hoopoe Books, KidLitTV, Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.
Silver Sponsors: Charlotte Riggle, Connecticut Association of School Librarians, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Pack-N-Go Girls
Bronze Sponsors: Agatha Rodi and AMELIE is IMPRESSED!, Barnes Brothers Books, Create and Educate Solutions, LLC, Dreambuilt Books, Dyesha and Triesha McCants/McCants Squared, Redfin Real Estate, Snowflake Stories, Star Bright Books, TimTimTom Bilingual Personalized Books, Author Vivian Kirkfield, Wisdom Tales Press, My Well Read Child
MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!
Poster Artist: Nat Iwata
Authors: Author Afsaneh Moradian, Author Alva Sachs & Three Wishes Publishing Company, Author Angeliki Stamatopoulou-Pedersen, Author Anna Olswanger, Author Casey Bell , Author Claudine Norden, Author Debbie Dadey, Author Diana Huang & Intrepids, Author Eugenia Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Green Kids Club, Author Gwen Jackson, Author Janet Balletta, Author Josh Funk, Author Julia Inserro, Karter Johnson & Popcorn and Books, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, Author Keila Dawson, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove, Author Mia Wenjen, Michael Genhart, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Natalie Murray, Natalie McDonald-Perkins, Author Natasha Yim, Author Phe Lang and Me On The Page Publishing, Sandra Elaine Scott, Author Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher, Tales of the Five Enchanted Mermaids, Author Theresa Mackiewicz, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Author Toshia Stelivan, Valerie Williams-Sanchez & The Cocoa Kids Collection Books©, Author Vanessa Womack, MBA, Author Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series
MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts!
MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by these Media Partners!
Check out MCBD’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day
Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents
Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit
FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit
FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit
FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit
FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit
FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit
FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program
TWITTER PARTY! Register here!
Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party!
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter!
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
Mom Read It 
Thank you for your great review and for your support of Multicultural Children’s Book Day. I hope that you can join us tonight at 9pm EST for our Twitter Party!