Multicultural Children’s Book Day Today! (Book Review)

Kiely was born a star!  Her many talents include dancing, singing, and dramatics. Her parents (aka paparazzi) capture every cute moment whether Kiely wants them to or not. I can definitely relate to that aspect of having my first little ones (twins) and wanting to capture everything (and then posting it for family and friends to enjoy).

Many parents will see their child in Kiely, the protagonist in I Am Famous by Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie. Having two littles myself and even thinking back to when my sister was little, I recognize the spirit of Kiely in them. Even my mom while reading the book, kept saying “this is you!”

Kiely’s big break comes when she performs at her grandpa’s birthday party. She finds the perfect outfit to “hit the red carpet”. In front of her live audience she performs her grandpa’s favorite song, but OH! “What were the words again?” Well, the show must go on, so now to dancing. Oops! Kiely has another embarrassing moment. Will it stop her from performing ever again? You have to read the book to find out.

This is a super cute book with the message that no matter what, family--I mean fans, will love you. Make sure to check out the sequel, I Used to Be Famous! especially if you have a child who feels like a "has been" with a new sibling.

My Wee Ones Review Global Babies by Maya Ajmera

E and N here! Our ima (Hebrew for mom) said we could tell you what books we love on her blog, so that other people know what books to get babies (0-3yo). We give smiles to books we like.

😊😊😊

We give 3 smiles (out of 2 smiles) to the board book, Global Babies by Maya Ajmera.  We love books with photos of baby faces and this one even makes us gurgle with delight.

The book tells us that no matter what, every baby is special and loved.  The pictures show babies from all over the world!  We love seeing babies of many beautiful colors.

Our ima even bought another book from the collection (Global Fund for Children Books), Global Baby Bedtime by Maya Ajmera.  She is going to get us more from this collection as we grow.

Author Study: Angela Dominguez

It's National Hispanic Heritage Month!

Even though I am not in a school anymore, I still love recommending/finding books for people!  My mom is a 1st grade teacher and she came to me over the summer to ask what are some good multicultural/diverse authors her students could do book/author studies on. She wants her students to see themselves in the books.  One of the first authors to pop into my mind was Angela Dominguez. 

She is a newer Latina author on the scene, but she has been making waves already. Her book, Maria Had a Little Llama/Maria Tenia Una Llamita, which I reviewed in the post linked, is a Pura Belpre Honor book and was featured on KidLit TV.

There are several other books written by Angela Dominguez I would like to share with you so that you may have the chance to share this author with your students. One of her other picture book titles is Sing, Don't Cry. The story is inspired by the refrain in the Mexican song, "Cieleto lindo" [roughly translated as "lovely sweet one"], to which she combines with her abuelo's positive outlook on life.

"When you are misunderstood, and when people are unkind, remember--sing, don't cry, even if it is only in your soul."

It is a very sweet portrait of a grandfather's relationship with his grandkids and not overwhelming in text, so young students can enjoy the story, too.

Other titles from Dominguez that are excellent for this author study:

How Do You Say? / Cómo Se Dice? - Two giraffes meander through the forest looking for food. They come to the same tree where they begin to eat and while one exclaims about the food in English, the other exclaims about the food in Spanish. The two form a bond while finding ways to communicate with each other even though there is a language barrier. I feel this is a pretty timely book for right now.

Knit Together - A mother and daughter combine their talents of drawing and knitting to create a special memory of their time on the beach together.





Dominguez could also be used as a study in illustration/reading the pictures in a book with the above titles and the following: Mango, Abuela, and Me by May Medina and Marta! Big and Small by Jen Medina.