As the calendar flips to December, and MCBD2021 is less than 60 days away, all of us at Multicultural Children’s Book Day (#ReadYourWorld) continue to be amazed by the love, passion, and dedication of everyone who has supported us for the last eight years.
The MCBD Team has spent much time lately looking back on these last 96 months and we still are in awe of the continued outpouring of love, support, and participation surrounding this grass-roots, non-profit, initiative.
And as we plan and implement Magic #8, the four main elements that drive this non-profit forward remain the same: Literacy, Empathy, Discovery, and Action.
BUT, this year we’d like to add a fifth piece of this epic puzzle: ACTIVISM.
If we drill it down to FOUR main things Multicultural Children’s Book Day strives for, it comes down to Literacy, Empathy, Discovery, and Action.
- Literacy: We believe that if children can see themselves in books, particularly at that crucial period of time when they are learning to read independently, they will be more motivated to read.
- Empathy: On the opposite note, children are the most open to new ideas. Kids need to learn about others who are not like them and books provide that window into different experiences and minority points of view.
- Discovery: The biggest hurdle for teachers and parents, we found, is finding those great multicultural and diverse books and sharing the less-know (yet amazing) those titles.
- Action: We are committed to doing more than creating conversations that showcase books, literacy, reading, and creating visibility for multicultural books and authors…we are also taking action. Our holiday is about bridging that knowledge gap by creating and offering free resources to find that perfect diversity children’s book, we also give FREE diverse children’s books to teachers and parents, and building a literacy initiative that is active 365 days a year.
In light of what is happening on a global level in 2020, it’s no secret that everyone is learning very quickly what is important in life and how much we all have to be grateful for.
COVID-19 has swept through our world with no regard to age, gender, race, geography, or socioeconomic status, and has brought virtually everyone to their knees. The loss, struggle, and sacrifice have been very real for people across the globe. But through it all, the human spirit remains stronger than ever.
Then, a new awakening came on the heels of the tragic death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
During the months that followed, the world discovered new heroes, new voices, new activists, and new champions demanded change. The word “activism” has meant many things in the past, not all of them positive. But as we all struggle to find a New Normal, activists and activism has taken on a new meaning to reflect our new circumstances.
The emphasis of these two words now lies in teaching compassion and tolerance of those who are “different” while also guiding others towards what is right and fair and true.
Every year the MCBD Team creates a new Classroom Kit that is free to download. These kits are filled with diverse books lists, companion activities, and resources.
This year, our theme for our Classroom Kit is Activism and Activists: We Can All Be Champions of Change.
This classroom resource, like our other Kits, is completely free to download. Learn more about the Activism and Activists: We Can All Be Champions of Change kit and the booklists, resources, and activities inside, go HERE.
More About Multicultural Children’s Book Day
Multicultural Children’s Book Day‘s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.
To date, MCBD has donated over 8,000+ diverse children and Ya books to deserving readers, organizations, and schools via our free resources and fundraising. Go here to learn more about our mission, free books for classrooms initiative, and our free diverse book resources for parents, teachers, and librarians.
Keep calm and Read ON!
Rebecca “Becky” Flansburg is an author, freelance writer, and project manager for the non-profit online children’s literacy initiative, Multicultural Children’s Book Day/ #ReadYourWorld. Join the celebration! Our 8th annual celebration will take place on January 29, 2021. For more information, visit Multicultural Children’s Book Day on the web.
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