Tag: grandparents

Posted in picture books

MCBD24 continues: What the Bread Says

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

What the Bread Says: Baking with Love, History, and Papan, by Vanessa Garcia/Illustrated by Tim Palin, (Oct. 2022, Cardinal Rule Press), $17.95, ISBN: 9781735345185

Ages 5-7

Every Saturday, Vanessa’s mom heads to yoga after dropping Vanessa off at her grandfather’s. The two “meditate another way”: they bake all sorts of breads together, and Papan – a combination of “papa” and “pan”, the Spanish word for bread – provides history lessons for each loaf.  Papan tells Vanessa about the baguettes he ate in France and the breads he ate in Cuba, when he and his brother left France during World War II; he talks about leaving Cuba to come to America. As the two weave the strands of a challah together, he talks about the symbols for each strand of the bread, and Vanessa ponders the patience that goes into making bread. A warm story of family and history, What the Bread Says is a good intergenerational story with points for discussion. Download a free readers guide and coloring pages at Cardinal Press’s website.

 

 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2024 (1/25/24) is in its 11th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission and history HERE.

Read Your World celebrates Multicultural Children’s Book Day and is honored to be Supported by these Medallion and Ruby Sponsors!

FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)

🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media

🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight, Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages, Lerner Publishing Group, Children’s Book Council

🏅 Gold Sponsors:  Barefoot Books, Astra Books for Young Readers

🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Lee and Low Books, Cardinal Rule Press

🏅 Bronze Sponsors: CK Malone, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Anita Crawford Clark, Star Bright Books, Blue Dot Kids Press, Brunella Costagliola, Red Fin, Fabled Films 

Ruby Sponsor: Crayola 

Poster Artist:  Rebecca Burgess 

Classroom Kit Poster: Barefoot Books 

MCBD 2024 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!

Authors: Gwen Jackson, Josh Funk, Eugenia Chu, Sivan Hong, Marta Magellan, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Angela H. Dale, Maritza M Mejia, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Charnaie Gordon,  Alva Sachs, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Lisa Chong, Diana Huang, Martha Seif Simpson, DARIA (WORLD MUSIC WITH DARIA) Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, Gea Meijering, Stephanie M. Wildman, Tracey Kyle, Afsaneh Moradian, Kim C. Lee, Rochelle Melander, Beth Ruffin, Shifa Saltagi Safadi, Alina Chau, Michael Genhart, Sally J. Pla, Ajuan Mance, Kimberly Marcus, Lindsey Rowe Parker

MCBD 2024 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts!

MCBD 2023 is Honored to be Supported by our Partner Organizations! 

Check out MCBD’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!

📌 FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

📌 Register for the MCBD Read Your World Virtual Party

Join us on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 9 pm EST celebrating more than 10 years of  Multicultural Children’s Book Day Read Your World Virtual Party! Register here. 

This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.

We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **

Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 25, 2024, at our virtual party!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

It’s a Small World after all…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Now more than ever, kids need – we ALL need – books with diverse points of view, and books that introduce readers to different cultures. Here are a couple I’ve enjoyed.

Sari-Sari Summers, by Lynnor Bontigao, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536226140

Ages 4-7

Nora loves visiting her Lola – her grandmother – in the Philippines, where she also helps at her Lola’s sari-sari store. The store has everything, from candy to hair clips, mung beans to toys, and Nora cleans, organizes, and helps measure out dry goods for Lola’s customers. When a heat wave hits and Lola’s customer base dries up, Nora comes up with a creative idea: use the ripe mangoes in the tree outside the sari-sari store to make ice candy! Together, grandmother and granddaughter save their business in the yummiest of ways. Sari-Sari Summers is a warm intergenerational tale that introduces readers to Filipino culture with a great relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. Omniscient narration keeps the story’s pace while word balloons add new vocabulary and context to the tale. Digital illustrations show bright, warm colors; the endpapers show gold mangoes over a Lola’s green tablecloth. Nora delights in her job at the store, pictured smiling at the shelves of products and displaying childlike determination as she measures beans into a customer’s bag, one eye squinted closed and her arms tightly drawn in to prevent spills. Back matter includes a recipe for a tasty ice candy recipe that readers can make with their grownups. Delightful and upbeat, this is a great addition to storytime collections. Download Teacher Tips from publisher Candlewick’s webpage.

Education.com has a Philippines flag coloring page to hand out as an extension activity. Raise Curious Kids has a whole Philippines preschool unit with facts, crafts, and videos.

 

 

Rivka’s Presents, by Laurie Wallmark/Illustrated by Adelina Lirius, (July 2023, Random House Studio), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593482070

Ages 4-8

Rivka is a young Jewish girl living in the Lower East Side in 1918, the year of the Great Flu. Although Rivka wants to go to school, her father is ill and her mother must work; Rivka has to stay home and watch her baby sister, Miriam. To pass the time, Rivka turns to her neighbors to help her learn: from the grocer, to read and write; from the tailor, mathematics; from elderly Ms. Langholtz, who is studying for citizenship, Rivka learns about America. She trades chores for knowledge, and when her father is feeling better, Rivka’s family and neighbors have a celebration in store. A moving story about an immigrant community and how everyone watched out for each other, Rivka’s Presents touches on the impact that the Great Flu of 1918 had on an immigrant community, while providing a slice of life look into day-to-day life in the Lower East Side. Mixed media provides color spreads of tenements and pushcarts; of families living in one room and of small businesses who knew their neighbors by name. After every lesson, a spread shows Rivka, framed by her window, practicing what she’s learned, embracing the joy that learning inspires. While in color, illustrations appear to have a sepia overlay, giving a vintage feel to the artwork. Endpapers show a colorful mix of flowers, packages, letters, and numbers. Back matter includes an author note on 1918 and the Lower East Side and a glossary of English and Yiddish words that show up in the story. A wonderful look into a difficult time, Rivka’s Presents is an excellent addition to collections. Author Laurie Wallmark and Illustrator Adelina Lirius created a teachers guide, available at Wallmark’s website.

To talk to kids about tenement life and the Lower East Side, the best place to go to is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. They’re one of my favorite museums. The National Archives has great resources about life on the Lower East Side, as does the Jewish Women’s Archive.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Memo and the Unexpected Gift delights!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Memo and the Unexpected Gift, by Funda Özlem Şeran & Ezgi Keleş/Illustrated by Ezgi Keleş, Translated by Amy Marie Spangler, (Sept. 2023, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781662512926

Ages 3-7

A lonely young boy named Memo lives with his grandmother and adopts an unlikely pet in this adorable story, translated from the original Turkish and available in the U.S. Memo loves his grandmother and tries to help her around the house, but she can’t see very well and gets tired very quickly, so Memo’s alone a lot of the time: until he finds a small kitten outside his house on a rainy night. He quietly moves the kitten into their home – Grandma can’t see it, right? – and cares for it, and the kitten grows strong and healthy. And BIG. In fact, Memo realizes, he hasn’t adopted a cat: he’s found a lion! As much as Memo loves his new friend, he also knows that a little cottage in a small town is nowhere to live for a lion, so he makes a decision that will bring unexpected, sweet surprises. Adorably narrated, with gentle and colorful illustration that show slice-of-life moments that become increasingly more humorous, this is a story that will win giggles and “awwwwww”s aplenty during readalouds. An unexpected hit for collections.

 

Funda Özlem Şeran is a Turkish author. Born in Istanbul in 1984, Funda received both her BA and MA degrees in political science and international relations from Marmara University. Her published works include horror anthologies, adult urban-fantasy novels, sci-fi novellas, and various children’s books. Her short stories have won several national awards, and she is published in Italian and Dutch anthologies. Follow her on Instagram: @fundaozlemseran

Ezgi Keleş is a Turkish author and illustrator. She was born in Istanbul in 1984. Ezgi graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and has worked as an art director at several advertising agencies. Now she writes and illustrates children’s books and magazines. She is a mom to one child and one cat. See more of her art on Instagram @ezgikeles.

Amy Marie Spangler is cofounder of the AnatoliaLit Agency in Turkey and the commercial and literary translator of numerous books and short stories. From 2007 until 2015, she headed the fiction-translation group of the Cunda International Workshop for Translators of Turkish Literature, and she has taught in the translation-studies departments at Boğaziçi University and Istanbul Okan University.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A time capsule for generations: The Red Tin Box

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Red Tin Box, by Matthew Burgess/Illustrated by Evan Turk, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452179735

Ages 3-5

A young girl named Maude secures her treasures in a red tin box and buries it by a dogwood tree. Years pass, and Maude, now a grandmother, takes her granddaughter, Eve, to the same spot. This moving intergenerational story delights in the sharing and preservation of memories. Maude and Eva’s relationship celebrates the love between grandparent and grandchild and the excitement of uncovering a treasure, while celebrating the bittersweet memories that our childhood treasures can bring. It is a moving moment when Eva witnesses her grandmother’s emotional recollection; when Maude passes the red tin box on to Eva, there’s a wonderful sense of continuity and responsibility. Gouache illustration in pinks, reds, and violets exude warmth and feeling. An outstanding storytime choice and a perfect way to start discussions with grandparents and elders. Maude and Eva are brown-skinned. Maude raises her family with her brown-skinned, female partner.

The Red Tin Box has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Blog Tour: My GrandMom by Gee-eun Lee

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A child spends days with her grandmother while her parents work in this warm and affectionate story by award-winning Korean author Gee-eun Lee, translated by Sophie Bowman.

My GrandMom, by Gee-eun Lee / Translated by Sophie Bowman,
(Nov. 2022, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781662508257

Ages 4-7

Inspired by the author’s memories of spending time with her own Halmoni – the name she called her grandmother – My GrandMother begins with a child begging her mother not to go to work; Grandma quickly comes to the rescue by deflecting little Gee-eun. Together, the two spend a day making noodles, telling stories, and running in a Family Sports Day race before heading home to make dinner for the family to enjoy together. The warmth of the narrative wraps around readers like a hug from a beloved grandparent, with Halmoni’s loving memories running through the story; from the “teeny tiny house that’s warm and cozy” in her belly, where Gee-eun’s mom used to live, to her memories of dancing and racing as a child. There are wonderful observations from a child’s point of view, too, like the moment when Gee-eun and Halmoni enjoy a snack together before dinner: “No matter how you may be feeling, curry buns are always delicious, especially when shared with Grandma”. Lee has shared a piece of her life with us and enriches us for it; the loving relationship between grandmother and grandchild shines through in all its wonder and devotion. A wonderful story with colored pencil and paint illustration that has the look and feel of a child’s recollections of a day well spent. An excellent first purchase.

 

“A touching tale that exudes love and warmth.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“A touching celebration of grandparent-and-grandchild connection that will warm many hearts.” ―Booklist

Gee-eun Lee is an award-winning Korean author/illustrator. She recently won the prestigious BolognaRagazzi Award in the comics category for her book, The Story of How the Korean Shaved Ice Dessert Was Born, and is also a top winner of the Korean Young Illustrator Award. She studied design and illustration in Korea and the UK. Her first picture book, Paper Dad, was made into a children’s musical in Korea. My GrandMom is the second book she both wrote and illustrated and is based on her own grandmother.

Instagram: @studio_geeeun

Sophie Bowman is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, studying Korean literature. She was awarded the ICF Literature Translation Fellowship at Ewha Womans University. In 2015, she won the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award grand prize for poetry with her translations of Jin Eun-young and co-translated Kim Bo-Young’s I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories. She recently translated the picture book Magic Candies by Heena Baek, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Follow her on Twitter @SophieOrbital.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

I’ll Go and Come Back stretches love around the world

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ll Go and Come Back, by Rajani LaRocca/Illustrated by Sara Palacios, (March 2022, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536207170

Ages 3-7

A young girl named Jyoti visits her family in India, where she experiences some culture shock: it’s so different from home! But she and her grandmother, her Sita Pati, spend time together making sand art, going to the market, and playing games. When she leaves, she doesn’t say goodbye; in India, they say “Poitu varen”: “I’ll go and come back”. When Sita Pati visits Jyoti, she experiences a similar culture shock, but Jyoti is there to play, create, and shop with her. Told in a repeat narrative from Indian and American experiences, I’ll Go and Come Back reminds me of Margaret Chiu Greanias’s Amah Faraway, which I also loved. I enjoy the reverse narrative, where each character swaps roles to become the caregiver and guide to a new culture. Rajani LaRocca creates warmth between Jyoti and Sita Pati, brought to life by Sara Palacios’s gouache and acrylic artwork. Sita Pati and Jyoti holds hands and lean toward each other when they’re together, and readers get a peek into Indian culture, with touchstones like food, public spaces, and clothing. Endpapers look like colorful sari prints. I’ll Go and Come Back is a sweet grandparent-grandchild story that celebrates culture and familial relationships.

I’ll Go and Come Back has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade

An animal whodunit! Homer on the Case

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Homer on the Case, by Henry Cole, (Apr. 2022, Peachtree Publishing), $8.99, ISBN: 9781682633571

Ages 8-12

Award-winning author and illustrator Henry Cole has a new adventure for middle grade animal fiction fans. Homer on the Case is a whodunit starring a homing pigeon named Homer who’s taught himself to read! He lives with his human friend, a boy named Otto, and Otto’s grandfather, who passed his love of raising and training homing pigeons onto Otto. Over the years, Homer’s taught himself to read using the newspapers that Otto lines his cage with, and he loves reading the newspaper to find out what’s been going on. When he and his parrot friend, Lulu, witness a series of robberies committed by animals running throughout the park, they decide to investigate: after all, their humans have been affected! Once they follow the crooks to their hideout, they discover that they need some human help: Lulu can say some human words, and Homer can read… can they put their skills together to get the people to pay attention? Fun storytelling with action and humor make this an easy handsell to readers. Henry Cole has a light, fun storytelling voice and imbues his animal characters with human qualities that endear them to the humans in their stories, and the humans who read them. Black and white illustrations start off each chapter and give readers a sneak peek at what they can expect to discover in the pages ahead.

Homer on the Case was originally published in hardcover in April 2021. Peachtree Publishers has a free, downloadable discussion guide available. Henry Cole’s author website has fun games related to his books, a library of information on each of his books, and information about school visits.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

The Age-Old Question: What is Love?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

What is Love?, by Mac Barnett/Illustrated by Carson Ellis, (Dec. 2021, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452176406

Ages 3-6

A young boy asks his grandmother that question we all hear at some point: “What is love?” Grandmother can’t answer that, so the boy goes out into the world and asks everyone he comes into contact with, receiving hundreds of different answers: it’s a fish; it’s a horse; it’s the night; it’s a blade, it’s any number of things, but one thing we know for sure, there’s no one answer. The boy returns, years later, to his grandmother, and as he cuddles her, he realizes that he has his answer. A gentle story about the subjectivity of love and the journey to learn what defines it, only to discover that it’s in one’s heart all along, What is Love? is uncomplicated and profound all at once; it’s the easiest thing in the world to some, yet to explain or define it can confound others. Playful, colorful gouache artwork and the repetition of the question, “What is love?” and the oft-repeated response, “You do not understand”, makes for moments of introspection as readers consider what each of these things mean to others: the blade to a soldier; applause to an actor. Ask little ones what love feels like to them, and give them some paper and crayons.

Marc Barnett is an award-winning author, including two Caldecott Honor books. Find more about his books at his website, where you can sign up for his newsletter. Carson Ellis is an award-winning illustrator with a Caldecott Honor book to her credit. See more about of her illustration at her website.

What is Love? has starred reviews from BookPage and School Library Journal.

Posted in picture books

Blog Tour and Giveaway: My Grandma’s Photos

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The latest children’s book to hit American shores, courtesy of Amazon Crossing Kids, is the beautiful and poignant My Grandma’s Photos, originally published in Turkey in 2019.

My Grandma’s Photos, by Özge Bahar Sunar/Illustrated by Senta Urgan,
Translated by Amy Marie Spangler
(Jan. 2022, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542031158

Ages 5-8

Seen through a child’s eyes, My Grandma’s Photos is the story of an aging grandmother, a grandchild, and a group of old photos that transports Grandma from her chair back into her robust, joyful life. She takes Ali, her granddaughter, into this beautiful world with her, and Ali sees her grandmother’s life unfold before her eyes: family picnics, climbing trees, becoming a master seamstress, falling in love and marrying Ali’s grandfather. It’s beautiful and moving; at moments, it brings on the tears, but they’re cleansing, renewing. Grandma lives her life once again and Ali finally sees her grandmother’s vibrant, full life as she’s never done before.

 

Senta Urgan’s artwork captures the essential moments, using pastels and collage to create living photos that exist outside the borders to reach out and draw both Grandma and Ali into their world. The artwork is the heartbeat to this fantastic story; Urgan uses real photos and illustrates a world around them, blending them together with photos and sketches, to create a dreamlike landscape where readers can play along with the characters. An essential story to have on hand to give to readers who may have aging family members.

 

 

“A gentle book about remembering, as well as grieving, a life well lived.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“This depiction of a tender, loving relationship is touched with magic, and Ali’s participation in his grandmother’s experiences brings them both much joy.” ―Booklist

“[A] beautiful, heartfelt story about loss and love.” ―School Library Journal

One lucky winner will receive a copy of My Grandma’s Photos, courtesy of Amazon Crossing Kids (U.S. and Canada addresses). Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Amazon Crossing Kids aims to increase the diversity of children’s books in translation and encourage young reading from a range of cultural perspectives.

Özge Bahar Sunar is a former teacher turned children’s author. She has written multiple picture books, including the bestselling The Hedgehog and the Exhibit, illustrated by Ceyhun Şen, which was translated into seven languages. Sunar lives with her two children in Antalya, Turkey, where she loves to think up new stories while hiking in the wild. Find her on Instagram @ozgebaharsnr.

Senta Urgan is a graduate of Mimar Sinan University, where she studied sculpture. Since 2010 she has been illustrating books for children, including picture books and novels, and also works as a graphic designer. She is the founder of the brand Mala Hermana Handmade, where she exhibits her illustrations and ceramic art. Find her on Instagram @toporulkesindekikes.

Amy Marie Spangler is a cofounder of Istanbul-based AnatoliaLit Agency, and a commercial and literary translator with numerous books and short stories to her credit. Find her on Twitter @Amy_Spangler.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Sleepover bonding time with Grandpa: Time for Bed, Old House

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Time for Bed, Old House, by Janet Costa Bates/Illustrated by AG Ford, (Sept. 2021, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536209983

Ages 3-7

Isaac is looking forward to his sleepover at Grandpa’s house, but he’s a little nervous about being away from home. After and evening of games and snacks, Grandpa and his dog, Snuffles, teach Isaac how to put the house to bed. As they go through each room, turning off lights and pulling down shades, Isaac is initially frightened by the sounds the old house makes, but Grandpa wonderfully observes that “this old house makes sleepy sounds, just like you… you yawn. You stretch. I bet you even snore”. As they end up in Isaac’s room and settle down for the night, Isaac is content, saying good night to the house, and looking forward to the next day.

This is a wonderful and cozy story about a grandparent and grandchild. Janet Costa Bates’s quiet storytelling wraps readers up like a blanket, tucking them in with her words. AG Ford’s watercolors envelop readers in the welcoming setting, with warm golds leading Isaac and Grandpa through the house as they help ready it for the night, and cooler blues and purples to provide the cover of darkness. When Isaac goes to bed holding Bear, a smile on his face, readers won’t be able to help but smile themselves, having heard a wonderful story. Front endpapers show Snuffles heading toward Grandpa and Isaac, most likely; back endpapers show him sleeping in his dog bed. The opening spread begins the story as we see Grandpa and Isaac on Grandpa’s porch, waving goodbye to a car pulling away, presumably Isaac’s parents, with his mom waving out the window. Isaac and his family are people of color. A perfect bedtime story, grandparent story, and first sleepover story for all collections.

Time for Bed, Old House has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus and has also been named a Book of Distinction by the Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books.