January 28th is Multicultural Children’s Book Day!
We love a day that celebrates kids’ books—especially one that highlights stories with diverse characters and creators because every child deserves to see themselves in a book.
Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees by Jen Sookfong Lee
From war zones to politics, there are many reasons why people have always searched for a place to call home. In Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees we discover how human migration has shaped our world. We explore its origins and the current issues facing immigrants and refugees today, and we hear the first-hand stories of people who have moved across the globe looking for safety, security and happiness.
Grandmother School by Rina Singh
Based on a true story, this brilliantly illustrated picture book tells the story of the Aajibaichi Shala, the Grandmother School, that was opened in Phangane, India in 2016 to teach local grandmothers how to read and write.
Genie Meanie by Mahtab Narsimhan
When eight-year-old Kiara discovers that her recently deceased grandmother left her a genie, trapped in a bottle of garam-masala, she’s elated. Unfortunately, the genie has decided he’s on vacation after working for ten thousand years and is looking for someone to do his bidding.
You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith
Author Monique Gray Smith wrote You Hold Me Up to prompt a dialogue among young people, their care providers and educators about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with others. It is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens.
Once Upon an Hour by Ann Yu-Kyung Choi
Yu-Rhee, a young Korean girl, wants to know how to tell time using a clock. Her mother tells her a tale from her childhood based on the traditional Korean practice of timekeeping, where the 12 animals of the zodiac are assigned to 2-hour sections of the 24-hour clock.
Hockey Night in Kenya by Danson Mutinda and Eric Walters
Kenyan orphans, Kitoo and Nigosi, spend their days studying, playing soccer, helping their elders with chores around the orphanage and reading from the limited selection of books in their library. When the librarian gives Kitoo a copy of Sports Around the World, he becomes fascinated by an image of the Canadian national men’s ice hockey team. Then one day the fates align when Kitoo finds a pair of beat up old roller blades. He teaches himself to skate and dreams of one day playing hockey like the men in his book. But you can’t play ice hockey in Kenya, can you?
Mooncakes by Loretta Seto
As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba tell ancient tales of a magical tree that can never be cut down, the Jade Rabbit who came to live on the moon and one brave woman’s journey to eternal life. With a gentle focus on the importance of family, Mooncakes is both a perfect book for parent and child to read together and an ideal choice for schools and libraries.
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