books
Multicultural Books for Girls Discovering the world through the pages of a book
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BY REBECCA FLANSBURG
ooks still play a huge part of all childrens’ lives and studies have shown that reading to your child as little as 20 minutes per week will result in stronger readers and an interest in books that lasts a lifetime. But just as important as having books available to our children is the ability for your child to “see themselves” in the pages of the books they read.
Despite census data that shows 37 percent of the U.S. population consists of people of color, only 10 percent of children’s books published have diversity content. This includes books that contain characters of color as well as characters that represent a minority point of view. Children’s literature is a wonderful place to share stories and information about different cultures, race, religion, language and traditions and as parents we need to share these
types of books with our kids so they can embrace new ways to connect to a diverse world. If are looking to add diversity to the family bookshelf, sites like Multiculturalchildrensbookday.com, WeNeedDiverseBooks.organd multicultural children’s book publisher LeeandLow.com are a wealth of ideas and inspiration for your young readers to enjoy. n
37%
U.S. population is people of color Board Books Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
Young Readers (ages 6-9) The Magic Poof
This padded board book is perfect for the tiniest book appreciator in the family. Author Mem Fox and illustrator Helen Oxenbury introduce us to a multicultural array of babies who are living in different parts of the world. From large cities to the country, from the ice to the hill, Fox concludes her story with the statement that each of these babies “as everyone knows, I have ten little fingers and ten little toes.” This beautifully simplistic this picture-book collaboration between Fox and Oxenbury offers up a message of diversity and tolerance to very young children. This book is also available in a bilingual edition.
Seven-year-old Ange-Marie has a secret; her hair has a mind of its own! The Poof is a great ball of curly hair that sits on top of her head. His magical and mischievous nature literally pulls her and her friends into new adventures! In book one of The Magic Poof series, Ange-Marie must decide what to wear for school picture day, but The Poof also wants to look good for picture day, too! How does Ange-Marie look her best and keep her enchanted and hairy friend a secret? Inspired by his wife’s unruly hair, author Stephen Hodges created story with about special little girl whose hair represents so many children’s hair with their own special curl.
By Mem Fox, Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
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Summer 2015 | her voice
By Stephen Hodges, Illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry.
SOURCES: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/ scholastic-parents-raise-reader/changeyour-familys-life-20-minutes-eachweek?cid=PAR/smd/20150223/facebook/ rrblogchangefamily20minutes//PAR/ content/9am&linkId=12503096 www.fireandiceya.com/authors/dgdriver/ crysea.html http://www.themagicpoof.com/ http://packngogirls.com/ http://weneeddiversebooks.org/ http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com multicultural-reading-resources/ diversity-book-lists-for-kids/ https://www.leeandlow.com/