Modern-Day K Series
Here’s the scoop on the Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess 5-Book Series,
the chapter books called Modern-Day K, and the Broadway production!
Book One in this amazing FIVE-BOOK series is… Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess
Grab your copy from the Make A Way Media Bookstore or on Amazon in paperback form or an ebook!
Make A Way Media publishes diverse books for children. Children of color have an easier time finding a story with an animal as the protagonist as opposed to a book with a lead character who looks like them or reflects their experiences.
Deedee Cummings, CEO of Make A Way Media, strives to write and publish diverse picture books for kids that cultivate curiosity, a sense of purpose, and social justice for the next generation. Since her first book published in 2014, Cummings has been on a mission to help young dreamers and doers see themselves in the pages of the books they read.
Determined to address the extreme lack of diversity in children’s picture books with vibrant books that feed and inspire young minds, she has teamed up with illustrator Charlene Mosley to create a series of five diverse picture books called Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess.
ALSO, look for the next series in the Kayla stories- MODERN-DAY K- new chapter books coming in 2022 and 2023!
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– Dishes, Dancing, and Dreams (BOOK 2) HERE.
Available on Amazon and Kindle.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– Tough as Tulle (BOOK 3) HERE.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– These Shoes Are Made For Dancing (BOOK 4) HERE.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– A Little Magic (BOOK 5) HERE.
Order ALL FIVE Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess Books in one convenient bundle HERE.
With hundreds of Kickstarter backers and her adult daughter’s blessing (successful Broadway actress Kayla Pecchioni), Cummings released the first of a five-book series, Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess, in April of 2021. At the heart of this series is a feisty little Brown girl who loves musical theatre and never lets anything get in the way of her dreams. The series touches on important and timely topics like family dynamics, challenging gender stereotypes, acceptance, social justice, and inclusion.
Support the Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess HERE!
Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess is a heartwarming story about family, role models, dreams, and discovering a determination for growth. This five-part diverse picture book series shines the spotlight on a little brown girl who loves musical theatre and never lets anything get in the way of her dreams. It seems that everyone else has an idea for who she should be, but in the end, she discovers that she is the one who gets to decide.
The story also reveals the very special family dynamic that Kayla shares with her mom- a hard-working woman who struggles with the guilt of not being as available for her young daughter as she would like. But as the story progresses, Kayla and her mom realize the impact of valuing the time they have together as well as the importance of seeing each other acknowledge (and pursue) their individual dreams.
As an author of over a dozen diverse picture books for kids, I often hear the comment, “it’s so nice that you write books for Black children.” I write books for ALL children. Books of a multicultural and diverse nature are not just for multicultural and diverse readers; they are for ALL readers.
~Deedee Cummings
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess (BOOK ONE) HERE.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– Dishes, Dancing, and Dreams (BOOK 2) HERE.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– Tough as Tulle (BOOK 3) HERE.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– These Shoes Are Made For Dancing (BOOK 4) HERE.
Order Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess– A Little Magic (BOOK 5) HERE.
The picture book series follows Princess Kayla’s story and the pursuit of a dream of a career in musical theatre. Along the way, Kayla will form beautiful friendships, learn from her mother’s example, and always stay true to herself. Readers of the series will also get to witness Kayla as she matures from a grade-schooler to a college grad and watch her dream of being on stage come to fruition.
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“The more we continue to support the initiatives that get diverse books on shelves, the less it will stop seeming like a radical idea,” Cummings added. “It will become the norm to go to any library or bookstore and see books that feature characters of all colors and backgrounds. We have seen the impact a children’s series can have on young readers, long after they have turned the last page.”
Cummings’ ambitious goal not only has a mission of offering an #OWNVOICES perspective of the modern princess tale, but the five-book series of Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess will also support the It Pays to Read program: a reading and employment program for at-risk youth that focuses on teaching a love of reading, the importance of literacy, behavioral health goals, independent living skills, and the power of mentoring.
“Unfortunately, the aspirations and goals of young Black and Brown girls get overshadowed by naysayers and well-meaning adults,” Cummings noted. “One of my many goals with this series is to help all kids understand that they have a chance to freely dream of being royalty, world leaders, authors, and heroes despite race, education, or socioeconomic status. My hope is that girls and boys of all ages and colors will read the Kayla series and understand that, even when it seems that everyone else has an idea for who or what they should be when they grow up, ultimately, they are the ones who get to decide.”
