Mr Grizley's Class Series - Bryan Patrick Avery

January 28, 2022 by Jade Hughes in MCBD, Multicultural Children's, Book Day, Children's Books, KidLit, Book Reviews

#ReadYourWorld

I can’t tell you how important it is for me for my children to feel like they identify with characters in a book, that they SEE themselves in a character, whether it be via the words or the illustrations, or both together. When I handed the four books in the Mr Grizley’s Class series to my daughters, the first things I heard them say were “Cecelia looks like me!!” and “Emily looks like me!!!!”.

This series, written by Bryan Patrick Avery, illustrated by Arief Putra, and published by Capstone, was given to me in return for an honest review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day. You can find out more information on this awesome celebration of multicultural children’s books right below my review.

My kids are now 7, 6, and 4, and while my 7 and 6 year olds both read pretty well, they still love me to read to them. The books in Mr Grizley’s Class series are perfect for both quiet reading time and story time together. At the end of each book there is a fun activity to do alone or with others, a glossary with some of the harder words, and questions to help kids discuss what they have just read, and find ways to talk about how the story relates to their own lives. These questions are great conversation starters as the books bring up important themes of inclusivity, friendship, helping others, anxiety, working together as a team and so on.

Each book starts with a class photo page, with Mr Grizley and all of his students. Mr Grizley’s class is as diverse as my children’s classes, and reflects real life - even the names are researched correctly. And it doesn’t stop there, Bryan Patrick Avery has also made sure to include disability inclusion. Mr Grizley’s class represents the real world that our children live in, and this is just so important - any child between the ages 4-8 will be able to recognize something about themselves in these books.

Mr Grizley is a patient and kind teacher who lovingly guides his students, helping them to learn, accept, grow, and discover every day. In Shaw’s Solo, Shaw’s friends help him find ways to combat his anxiety. In Mordecai’s Magic, new boy Mordecai shows how his unique talent can bring a whole school together. In Emily’s Big Shot, Emily learns with the help of her friends that if she relaxes and practices she can play a sport that she thought she couldn’t. And finally, in Cecelia’s Fundraiser, Cecelia and her classmates work together to figure out how they can save the school fundraiser.

I can’t recommend these books enough - they are sweet, educational, fun, and every single child will relate to something in them. I would love to see more of Mr Grizley and his class and see what else they can teach us!

(We had loads of fun doing the activities at the back of each book - some great bonding ideas for families and classrooms in there!).

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th 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 books into the hands of young readers and educators.

MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission & History HERE.

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Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children's Book Day Twitter Party! Be sure and follow MCBD and Make A Way Media on Twitter!

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!

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The Farmer's Wife - Idries Shah

January 28, 2021 by Jade Hughes in Picture Books, Children's Books, Book Reviews, MCBD2021

#ReadYourWorld

My kids love a good cumulative story! In the vein of There Was An Old Lady Who… books, The Farmer’s Wife by Idries Shah builds on each line to create a chain of events involving a farmer’s wife, an apple, a bird, a cat, a dog, a bee, a beekeeper, a rope, a fire, water, and a cow. It makes for a great read aloud book, especially if the reader makes the effort to emphasize the farmer’s wife’s demands. We had a good laugh the first time we read this together! The illustrations by Rose Mary Santiago are absolutely gorgeous and evocative, and gave us loads to talk about.

We were generously gifted a bilingual English-Spanish copy of this book by Hoopoe Books for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading it to my kids in both languages, and the translations are great. Bilingual books are really important for multilingual families - for us it means that both parents can participate in storytime AND the kids get the benefit of hearing a story in two of their languages.

This was my first foray into Idries Shah’s work, and I can’t wait to read more. There is no better way to introduce different stories from different places to our children than through books. The Farmer’s Wife is a traditional Sufi tale, and teaches children about creative problem solving and perseverance in a fun way. I love how Hoopoe Books have a mission to publish books from different areas of the world that allow our children to learn to think in creative ways: I think any parent or teacher would appreciate this! I’m looking forward to discovering more stories like this one.

Also!! The most exciting thing that I discovered is that The Farmer’s Wife AND a bunch of other Hoopoe books are available in many bilingual versions, and not just in English/other language combinations. Dari, Pashto, Urdu, or Arabic, combined with English, German, or French anyone? French only? Yes please! It’s quite hard for us to find children’s books in French only, so this is a huge plus for me!! (All of the books are beautifully illustrated too).

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 (1/29/21) is in its 8^th 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.

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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.

Besos de sol, abrazos de luna - Susan Schaefer Bernardo

January 28, 2021 by Jade Hughes in Book Reviews, Children's Books, MCBD2021, Picture Books

#ReadYourWorld

Even before Covid we didn’t see our extended family very often. My children were born here in the US, but I was born in the UK, and grew up in France, and their father was born and raised in Mexico. Most of our extended families reside in Europe and Mexico, and trips abroad are not really financially feasible for most of us. So we have to come up with ways to ensure that our children maintain ties to our families, and to the cultures that we grew up in. Language and traditions are important parts of maintaining those ties, but so are ways to make our huge world seem smaller, which is exactly what Sun Kisses Moon Hugs does!

Written by Susan Schaefer Bernardo and illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher, Sun Kisses Moon Hugs/ Besos de sol, abrazos de luna is an English/Spanish bilingual picture book showing our children that however far apart we may be, our love for each other will never waver. Whenever we feel sad or lonely we can look up at the moon and know that those that we love are looking at the same moon. Whenever we feel upset or afraid we can look at the sun, and feel her warm rays surrounding us, and we can send those rays all over the world to those we love.

I loved this book, and so did my kids. It’s a great bedtime story book, especially for kids who have separation anxiety, and who have trouble falling asleep by themselves.

The illustrations are beautiful and feature a diverse collection of children, which is super important for us as a family, and important for all readers in general. Every child should be able to identify themselves in a book. I seriously just love the message in this book: we all live together in this world, and share our love via the sun that always shines above us no matter where we are, and via the moon that never fails to glow over us at night all at night.The authors have made some awesome activities available on their website that can be done in accompaniment with the book, and have also provided a special discount code for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 - use MCBD20 at checkout when you purchase this, or any other of their books.

I was generously gifted this book in exchange for an honest review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021. For more information on this awesome event, please see below!

MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!

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Camila the Star - Alicia Salazar

January 28, 2021 by Jade Hughes in Book Reviews, Children's Books, Picture Books, MCBD2021

#ReadYourWorld

Two of my kids are currently in those stages of learning to read/moving into reading short chapter books and we were so excited to read about Camila’s adventures! My kids are Mexican-British-American and we speak three languages at home (although our main constant is English). So they have been brought up with a mix of languages and traditions, and it is really important for us that they are able to find themselves represented in the books they read and the shows they watch. The Camila the Star series by Alicia Salazar basically fits that bill perfectly for us!

Camila is a Mexican American 7 year old who loves to set challenges for herself, and with the help of family she makes her way to becoming a star in many different ways. We were generously gifted Camila the Baking Star and Camila the Record-Breaking Star by Capstone Books in exchange for an honest review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day and these books are now on regular rotation during storytime (and I keep finding them under one of my daughter’s pillows, which means she has been reading them after lights out!)

There are many things that I really, really loved in this series! Camila is a feisty, funny, smart, and headstrong little girl who doesn’t give up. She has great ideas, and doesn’t hesitate to enlist family members for help and advice. And while the books are written in English, Spanish words are peppered through-out the narrative, and I honestly felt like the author lived with us and heard how we all talk. I think this is something that multilingual families all do, and it was so natural for us all to read the books. (There is a little dictionary at the beginning of each book with the English translation for each Spanish word). There is also this one moment in one of the books that you find out that Camila’s dad is actually her stepfather, and this struck a (happy) chord with me for personal reasons - all families are different and all families should feel represented. All of these reasons are why it’s so important to publish and read #OwnVoices authors: kids will see themselves, and kids will learn about other families, it’s a complete win for everyone.

The illustrations by Thais Damaião fit the stories perfectly: Camila has these awesome facial expressions that really convey her personality AND the images are super representative of a Mexican American family. (And Camila looks like one of my daughters so that is also an added plus).

I would recommend this series for kids in K to Grade 2, maybe even earlier than K if they enjoy story time as there are enough images to keep their attention, and the stories aren’t too long.

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The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm - LeVar Burton, Susan Schaefer Bernardo

January 16, 2021 by Jade Hughes in Book Reviews, Children's Books, Picture Books

2020 was a tough year for our kids. Mine haven’t been able to go back to school in person since March 2020, and we still don’t have any idea of when in-person schooling will start again. They have had to adapt to a new normal where they can’t go play with friends in a playground, have playdates, or go places where we would normally go.

The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm is the perfect book to read to kids at this time. But it is the perfect book to read at any time really. Many children go through traumatic times in life that can lead to anxiety and depression, amidst other issues, and being able to talk about trauma is one step towards healing, and this is exactly what this book is all about.

Written by LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo, and illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher, The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm is a story within a story. Mica the mouse is scared of storms because one destroyed her home the year before. So her father tells her the story of the rhino who decided to swallow the storm that was destroying his home and the land around him. By swallowing the storm the rhino saved his world, but in order to survive the trauma of the storm raging inside him he needs to rely on the help from others around him, and then learn to let all of the feelings he has bottled up inside out.

One of my children has had severe anxiety from an early age, and this is the type of book that helps normalize feelings of anxiety and pain, shows that it is a good thing to release our emotions, and also to ask for help when we need it. I love how there are two stories in the book, and how well they fit together. Little Rhinoceros’ story is told in rhyme, and when you read it aloud the rhythm and the words really convey the severity of the storm and the Little Rhinoceros’ journey back into the light. The illustrations complement the words perfectly, and my kids really enjoyed pointing out all of the animals and mimicking the giant storm. It led to a great discussion about feelings and storms that sometimes brew in our heads.

At the end of the book there is a helpful list of questions to help open up a discussion with children about our feelings, about traumatic events, and on how we can manage our emotions. Highly recommended read!!

Kamala and Maya's Big Idea - Meena Harris

January 03, 2021 by Jade Hughes in Book Reviews, Children's Books, Picture Books

This is such an uplifting, sweet, and inspiring book. I have two daughters who are very close to each other in age, and we have been stuck at home for the most part since March 2020, in an apartment without a back yard. So they loved reading about two sisters who had the great idea of building a community garden and playground outside their own apartment building!

Based on a true story from her mother and aunt’s childhood, Meena Harris tells us about how Kamala and Maya organized their community into building a community garden and playground. Instead of taking no for an answer they think outside the box, and find solutions to each problem that arises, thanks to ideas from different people in the community. Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea teaches kids that it’s OK to have big dreams, and also that it’s OK to stumble on them, because once they get up and shake it off, they may find their footing again in a different light. It also teaches them that it is perfectly OK to ask for help, and that as a community we can all work together to make things better than they are. Kamala Harris is already an inspirational figure, and it’s great to see that in her childhood she was already inspiring others. It was the perfect opportunity for me to explain who Kamala Harris is to my girls in a way that they understood, and they could also one day do something like her (if they wanted to).

After I read this story to my girls the first time, and tucked them up in bed for the night, I found them reading through it again, snuggled up in the top bunk together. I wasn’t surprised when they started asking me how one builds a slide…

Bunheads - Misty Copeland

December 29, 2020 by Jade Hughes in Children's Books, Book Reviews, Kidlit

This is such a lovely book! Written by the amazingly talented prima ballerina Misty Copeland, and beautifully illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey, Bunheads is the fictionalized story of Misty’s start as a ballerina. The story depicts Misty’s first lessons, how she falls in love with the story of Coppélia, auditions for the part of Swanhilda, and becomes fast friends with another talented ballerina in her class. It’s a sweet story where kids learn about ballet, about the story of the ballet Coppélia, about friendship, and about believing that their dreams can become reality if they believe in them.

I read this to my 6 and 5 year olds and they loved it. There are a few ballet terms that appear in the book, which I didn’t have a problem with as I speak French and am somewhat familiar with the terms, but if you aren’t I suggest checking out the pronunciation before reading aloud. I’m looking forward to discovering more of Misty’s work with my children now!

The Artist Who Loved Cats - Susan S. Bernardo & Courtenay Fletcher

December 20, 2020 by Jade Hughes in Children's Books, kidlit, Book Reviews

Oh my gosh, reading this book to my kids was like reading a piece of my heart to them! Montmartre, Le Chat Noir, cats, French literature and arts, Paris, are all my home (literally and figuratively), and we have Théophile Steinlen prints all around our apartment. We also have a black and white cat called Joey Ramone who is adored by our children (and despite his reluctance to be adored by children does actually appreciate it from time to time). So yes, The Artist Who Loved Cats is the perfect book for our family, and I’m really going to cherish it.

Written by Susan Bernardo with gorgeous illustrations by Courtenay Fletcher, The Artist Who Loved Cats is the story of Theophile Steinlen, the artist who created the now infamous Le Chat Noir image that most people will recognize (see book cover photo above). But it isn’t just Steinlen’s tale, it is also a tale of creating, of finding oneself, of art in general, of believing in oneself, and also of taking something and transforming it into something new. It’s a beautiful, inspiring tale of the artists who made Montmartre into what we see today, telling children that they can do whatever they want to do in life, as long as they try. I love that the premise for the story is set in an antiques store! Such a perfect way to teach kids to see beauty in both old and new, forgotten and celebrated.

The first time I set foot in Le Chat Noir was in 1999 when I travelled up to Paris from my home town of Grenoble at the age of 19, convinced I would find the spirits of all of my favorite 19th century bohemian writers and artists dancing through the shadows. My best friend Maud and I trampled our way through Pigalle and Montmartre every day for a week, and used Le Chat Noir as our base. I went back many a time over the years before leaving France for the US, and while it saddens me to think that it doesn’t exist anymore (a boutique hotel has replaced the last location of the bar on Boulevard de Clichy), my memories will always be there. There is so much magic still left in Paris, even if places are long gone.

The writing in this book is really lovely, with lilting rhymes, and French phrases here and there, and the illustrations fit perfectly with the words and the atmosphere of the book. My kids had fun counting the cats, and asking questions about the location and people. They squealed in delight when they recognized a few names at the end of the book (Lautrec and Satie for example), from the multiple times they have seen the movie Moulin Rouge. Story time is pretty sacred in our house, and I love reading a book that starts a conversation, and that also starts the thread of a dream that can one day become reality. This is a beautiful, beautiful book!!

Check out Inner Flower Child Books for more wonderful books by Susan Bernardo and Courtenay Fletcher!

Me with my best friend back in 1999 at Le Chat Noir

Stewie BOOM! and Princess Penelope: Handprints, Snowflakes and Play-Dates

April 16, 2018 by Jade Hughes in Book Reviews, Children's Books

It’s Autism Awareness Month (April) so what better time to read and review a children’s book that teaches us exactly how to be more aware and inclusive of neuro-diversity?

Stewie Boom! and Princess Penelope learn to always take the time to include everyone in their activities, and to also make friends with people they wouldn’t normally be drawn to. Penelope plays with Eric at school and enjoys herself, and then learns through her mother that he is on the spectrum. They then prepare for a play date with Eric so that he will not get overwhelmed during their time together, and can all enjoy themselves. The story ends with a successful play date and a new friend for the Boom! kids.

My kids were immediately drawn to the book as soon as I opened the envelope it arrived in so we pretty much read it straight away. Both my 2 and 4 year olds loved it so much that I had to stop at the third consecutive reading! Needless to say it has become our go-to bedtime story this week. What I personally really loved about this book was the following:

Excellent advice for kids to include everyone, even those who seem “different”. I have a child who suffers from severe anxiety and some of her coping skills may be a little strange, and I always worry about her feeling excluded at school.
Great tips on how children AND adults can understand how certain things may affect people on the spectrum differently, like loud noises for example. Talking about it normalizes it which is super important.
The illustrations are not only beautiful, they are diverse and inclusive. As a multi-racial family this is really important to us, but it’s important in general. All kids should be able to see themselves represented. Representation really matters.
The emotion portrayed by Eric’s mother when she comes to pick him up and sees how much he has enjoyed himself - I can totally relate to that.
With averages of 1 kid in 68 being on the spectrum this type of story should be the norm in all homes in my opinion. We should all be continuously working on being inclusive, diverse, and understanding.
I loved all of the resources that come with the book: so much important and accessible information for parents!!

I’m going to get the other Stewie Boom! books for my kids as we loved this one so much.

Sewing the Rainbow - Gayle E. Pitman

February 20, 2018 by Jade Hughes in Book Reviews, Children's Books, Kidlit, Picture Books

I love how this story teaches us about Gilbert Baker and his legacy, but is also unapologetically direct about the importance of letting kids be themselves even if their personalities don’t fit into some kind of society approved gender-specific boxes. Personalities are meant to shine, not be squashed and molded into a form that we think is appropriate. Written by Gayle E. Pitman, and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown, Sewing the Rainbow tells us the story of Gilbert Baker: of growing up in the early 1950’s in Kansas, being drafted into the army, and of discovering the freedom of being able to be oneself without limits. And it also tells the story that we are who we are and we should never feel ashamed of that.

Taken from the true story of icon Gilbert Baker, Sewing the Rainbow teaches us how he discovered a whole new world when he was stationed in San Francisco in the early 1970’s, which led him to go back to his early childhood dreams of sewing and creating beautiful colorful designs, dreams that were ripped apart at an early age by his father. In 1978 he designed the first rainbow flag, a symbol for the diversity of the LGBT community. This flag is still today a universal symbol.

The book comes with a great Reader Note for parents (and older children), which explains Gilbert Baker’s background in depth, as well as his important role in the gay liberation movement. As a family we are always on the look-out for books that don’t conform to a stereotypical white, middle-class, cis public’s viewpoint, as well as diverse literature to ensure that our kids not only feel represented, but that they understand that it’s normal to be different and to love and embrace difference. Sewing the Rainbow fits perfectly into the type of books that I love to read to our kids, and one that I hope will make it into the hands of all kinds of families, schools, and libraries.

And the illustrations are gorgeous, bright and colorful, perfect for the story. My kids loved showing me how well they knew the colors of the rainbow, and I really enjoyed explaining what each color represents in the flag.

(I also love that the author teaches in Sacramento where we currently live, and the illustrator is British, where I am originally from. It made me smile!).

Sewing the Rainbow will be released through the American Psychological Association/Magination Press on June 4th.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!