Make A Way Media

Why I’m Honored to be a Super-Platinum Sponsor for Multicultural Children’s Book Day

  • Posted January 21, 2020
  • 6 Minute Read Time
The world is kind of crazy… if you haven’t noticed.
Being a part of Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) is a constant reminder that not everyone who I do not know is a jerk. There are people on the planet who are different from me but love some of the same things and care about some of the same messages. Like the importance of diverse books. And they care about diverse books because diverse books send messages to all of us about the beauty of being a human being and getting to know someone else’s story. It teaches us and reminds us that we can work together and be more compassionate, more kind, and more engaged with one another if only by hearing their story.
Diverse books do for kids what Multicultural Children’s Book Day does for me.
It shows me that the world is not so scary. There are more people like me out there. I just have not met them all yet.

For the second year, I am incredibly honored to be a Super Platinum Sponsor of this epic online and offline event committed to raising awareness for the importance of diversity in children’s literature.

Multicultural Children's Book Day

About Multicultural Children’s Book Day

After being frustrated by a lack of diverse and multicultural children’s books available to their own families, reading and play advocates Valarie Budayr from Audrey Press Books and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom decided to take matters into their own hands. The book-loving moms then teamed up to create a much-needed national event and on January 27th, 2012 the first-ever Multicultural Children’s Book Day was celebrated.

Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day platform, the mission from Day One has been to not only raise awareness around kid’s books that celebrate diversity but to also get more of these types of books into classrooms and libraries.

The upcoming MCBD2020 celebration will occur on and offline on January 31, 2020, and includes a popular Twitter Party that I am co-hosting and sponsoring!
Multicultural Children's Book Day 2020 Twitter Party
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 Twitter Party

Why Multicultural Children’s Book Day Feeds my Soul

I don’t want to be political, but obviously, we have some issues no matter what “side” you are on.
We are, as a whole, less kind and less compassionate than we have been in a long time. We went from this huge awareness of anti-bullying and anti-harassment to daily stories of name-calling and mudslinging.
It has had an impact on us all.
We have these social media systems that we are all on because it is kind of a necessary evil. Never before has it been so easy to attack people or pass our judgment on in real-time. I remember a celebrity who posted a picture of her child on social media and within minutes there were thousands of comments about what a piece of poop mom she was. All based on one picture that she thought was adorable. But the rest of us let her have it when we were all at home sitting in our own mess.
Who are we? Do we really want to be this way? Whenever I read a book of any kind I have more empathy for the characters and their stories. The best books make me reflect long after I’ve put that book down on my own life and who I want to be and the answer is always: better.
I just want to be better. Social media, and TV, and politics do not tend to leave us feeling that way. Books do.

Ways to Get Involved with Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020

Here are a few ways you can participate in Multicultural Children’s Book Day:

1. {Teachers} Multicultural Children’s Book Day FREE Book for Your Classroom Campaign-If you know of a classroom or library that would like a free hardcover, library-approved, diverse children’s book, have them sign up HERE.

  1. {Parents/Librarians/Teachers/KidLit Lovers} Free Book to Review. MCBD offers a free diverse children’s book to parents, grandparents, and educators that are willing to write a review and this year we are not limiting reviewers to just bloggers. Just share your review on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or your blog. Get sign-up details here.
  2. {Everyone} Be an MCBD2020 Sponsor: Sponsorship is not only a great way to support this event; it is an excellent way to get an author’s name and books in front of thousands of readers. Sponsorship levels range from Platinum to Author Level and a Friends of MCBD option is also available for those who would like to support the initiative with a monetary donation. MCBD Sponsors not only keep the MCBD machine humming, it enables us to support underserved readers, libraries, and schools all year long.
  3. {Everyone} Multicultural Children’s Book Day Free Resources, Booklists, and Extension Activities for Teachers and Parents. Enjoy this vast resource list of diverse children’s books categorized by culture, religion, sexual orientation, special needs, or ethnicity.
  4. Connect with MCBD on social media and share, share, share! Their official hashtag is #ReadYourWorld

– Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MulticulturalChildrensBookDay

– Twitter https://twitter.com/MCChildsBookDay

-Instagram https://www.instagram.com/readyourworldmcbd/

-Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pragmaticmom/multicultural-books-for-kids/

As the next MCBD event approaches on January 31, 2020, I encourage everyone to follow along via the MCBD website and social media to win even more books, hear from authors and learn the importance of “windows and mirrors” in today’s children’s literature.

Participants and supporters can also stay in the loop with the festivities via the event’s hashtag #ReadYourWorld on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media. Oh! And don’t forget to be on the lookout for the crazy-fun and wildly popular Twitter Party on 1/31/20! Details to follow.

Their FREE Downloadable Class Kit project has been wildly successful as well:

Free Classroom Empathy Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/mcbd2018s-free-classroom-empathy-kit-is-here-empathy-immigration/

Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/

Free Classroom Kit–Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate | Understanding Poverty in America: 

Free Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit:

Have questions on How You Can Get Involved In Multicultural Children’s Book Day? Connect with the Project Manager at Becky (at) MulticulturalChildrensBookDay (dot) com.

 

 

About Deedee Cummings

As a therapist, attorney, author, and CEO of Make A Way Media, Deedee Cummings has a passion for making the world a better place. All 16 of Cummings’ diverse picture, poetry, and workbooks for kids reflect her professional knowledge and love of life. Colorful and vibrant, her children’s books are not only fun for kids and adults to read, they also work to teach coping skills, reinforce the universal message of love, encourage mindfulness, and facilitate inclusion for all. Cummings has spent more than two decades working within the family therapy and support field and much of her writing shares her experiences of working with kids in therapeutic foster care. As a result, her catalogs of published books for kids are filled with positive, hopeful messages. Using therapeutic techniques in her stories to teach coping skills, Cummings also strives to lessen the stigma that some people feel when it comes to receiving mental health assistance.
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