multicultural families: 10 Articles

October is Global Diversity Awareness Month.  Magination Press celebrates diversity in all its forms. It’s important for all children to see themselves reflected in books. Here are some of our recent publications that will engage young readers and can spark conversations about the world around them. Race and Ethnicity The Heart of Mi Familia by Carrie Lara, which was named a National Council on Social Studies/Children’s Book Council Notable book, follows a young girl as she works with her abuela and her grandma to create a wonderful birthday present for her brother. The gift celebrates her multicultural family and honors both sides and generations of her family. This follow-up to the award winning Marvelous Maravilliso: Me and My Beautiful Family is a must-read for all families. Lulu the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney, PhD, which one named one of Bank Street Colleges Best Children’s Books of the Year and a National Council on Social Studies/Children’s Book Council Notable book,explores the experience of a mixed-race child as she is repeatedly asked inconsiderate questions and how her brother helps her craft a powerful response.  Accordionly: Abuelo and Opa Make Music by Michael Genhart, PhD describes how a child brings his bicultural family together through music.  LBGTQ+ and Identity Papa, Daddy, & Riley by Seamus Kirst, which one named one of Bank Street Colleges Best Children’s Books of the Year and a National Council on Social Studies/Children’s Book Council Notable book, follows a little girl as explores what makes a family. After encountering questions about her family structure, Riley and her dads identify what every family is made of:  love. Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, and They by Sarah and Ian Hoffman chronicles how Jacob’s class finds itself unexpectedly struggling with identity, and what it means to be “he”, “she”, or “they” as they prepare for a school play.  Jacob’s School Play is an engaging way to introduce young readers to non-binary people and the pronoun options available to us all. Jacob’s School Play is a follow-up to Jacob’s Room to Choose, a book about gender expression. My Maddy by Gayle Pitman presents a child’s description of her gender-nonconforming parent. Publishers Weekly says the book “highlights the joy of in-between things—hazel eyes, sporks, sunrises, motorcycles ('It's not a car or a bicycle. It’s kind of both, and it’s something all its own') —gently illuminating the idea that people, too, can exist beyond categorization.”   Differently Abled Kids Brilliant Bea by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich explores the experience of a girl with dyslexia and how her teacher helps her find a way to showcase her strengths. Yes I Can!: A Girl and Her Wheelchair by Kendra J. Barrett, DPT, Jacqueline B. Toner, PhD, and Claire A. B. Freeland, PhD reflects the experience of a child who uses a wheelchair and how she can do almost everything the other kids can, even if sometimes she has to do it a little differently. Home and Family Issues Home by Tonya Lippert depicts the