Multicultural Children's Book Day 2019: Alabama Oh
Multicultural Chiildren’s Book Day was held on January 25 this year! We posted our review of Alabama Oh by Andi Cann and illustrated by Micaela Stefano on Jan 25. Here’s our review of all three of the Alabama Oh books. For more information about MCBD and for other fabulous books that were reviewed this year, please scroll down or check out the review link here.
Alabama Oh:
In Alabama Oh, we are introduced to Alabama Oh, a free spirit and creative girl who appreciates the beauty around her. One of my favorite things about my Bookworm girls is that they embrace themselves for who they are. Alabama Oh is exactly that type of girl….except the people around her try to change her. Instead of giving in, Alabama shows her teacher that she views her world in a different way than her peers.
Alabama Oh is an excellent book about knowing one’s self, embracing our differences, and always stopping to smell the dandelions. That’s right, dandelions, because Alabama has a love for all sorts of flowers, most especially the flowers that she views as “explorers, riding the wind to a new adventure.”
Mini Me and Little Lion encompass the hashtag ‘#BeYou” so much in their every day lives, most notable recently in Little Lion’s eclectic clothing choices. Little Lion has gone through several phases this school year, including wearing her Lafayette costume on the first day of school, wearing her Hufflepuff robe for weeks on end, switching to resurrecting her Naida (Lego elf) cloak for weeks on end, and most recently borrowing her sister’s black cloak (originally made for Snape) in homage to Elphaba from Wicked.
I’m always delighted to read a book with a character who knows who she is, and isn’t afraid to be herself.
Added bonus: Cann has a wonderful list of artists at the back that the reader can discover after reading the book.
Alabama Oh and the New Boy:
In Alabama Oh and the New Boy, I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed in Alabama—whereas in the first book, she’s a very mature girl with an excellent outlook, in this second book, she has a tantrum of epic proportions. Just like our kids in real life. She gets a little too sure of herself, and then she realizes that she can recognize other people’s talents as well.
Added bonus: Pierre’s art work was inspired by Ansel Adams. At the end of the book, Cann lists other artists who specialize in black and white photography or artwork.
Alabama Oh and the Art Festival:
Alabama Oh and the Art Festival is Little Lion’s favorite of the three books, and I can see why. Together, Alabama and Pierre show perseverance and kindness as they work together to stage an art festival and include one of its biggest opponents. Who knew that they’d be gifted with another form of art? Sculpture!
Added bonus: Mr. Fubberjubbit’s artwork is reminiscent of Alexander Calder, and Cann lists many other sculptors that readers can discover after reading the book.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.
MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board!
*View our 2019 Medallion Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-
*View our 2019 MCBD Author Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-2eN
Medallion Level Sponsors
Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.
Super Platinum: Make A Way Media
GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV, Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press,
SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls,
BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift, T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield,
MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board
Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini,
Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Lori DeMonia, Claudia Schwam, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC
We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.
Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts
A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup,Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground
TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. GO HERE for more details.
FREE RESOURCES From MCBD
Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta
Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
