Multicultural Rhyming Picture Books That Inspire Us -- A Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent digital copies of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Multicultural Children's Book Day was on Friday. You can check out the amazing link party sharing all the reviews of the sponsored books as well as other multicultural children's books from throughout the year. Today I get to share with you three more books from Crystel Patterson, a Bronze Sponsor of Multicultural Children's Book Day. Each of these books are rhyming picture books and are a series called Inspired to Be and are all written by Crystel Patterson and illustrated by Briana Young. The first book we will share is One Flip, Two Flip, Three Flip, Four and was inspired by Gabby Douglas. 

Multicultural Children's Book Day BIG Link Party #readyourworld

 

Today is the day!! It is Multicultural Children's Book Day! What does this mean? Well, if you have been reading my posts all month you will know I shared five multicultural books this month in preparation for today. Many other people, bloggers, influencers, etc. have done the same thing on their blogs and social media. Today we all gather and share all of the reviews (as well as other multicultural book reviews) in a big link party (scroll down to join). 

2022 is the Year of the Tiger--Tiger Fun Facts & Craft Round-Up

 

The lunar new year begins on February 1, 2022. Many countries celebrate the lunar new year and see it as one of the most important holidays of the year. I have shared about different countries and different celebrations over the years. I always enjoy checking out the Chinese horoscope that goes with it. The legend says that the Jade Emperor wanted twelve animals to be his guard. He sent an immortal to tell the animals and they raced to the Jade Emperor. The first twelve animals became his guard and are the animals of the Chinese Horoscope. This year we are on the third animal of the horoscope, the tiger. 

Hanging with My Gnomies for Valentine's Day -- Paper & Felt Gnome Tutorials with Geometry Lesson

 

Have you noticed how gnomes seem to be so popular these days? They seem to be the in thing for the past couple of years, and they have moved into different seasons. It used to be gnomes were for Christmas and maybe the fall and of course the garden. Now they seem to jump into every holiday! I was thinking about gnomes for Valentine's Day. And I was thinking about how paper gnomes would lend to geometry. Then I was thinking back to our Waldorf School days and remembered a felt gnome tutorial. I went and created different kinds of gnomes for you! The first one I made is the one on the right.

Queen Goharshad -- Brave with Beauty -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever heard of Queen Goharshad? She was queen of Khorashan back in the 1400s. Khorashan was in present day Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. She is remembered for the buildings she built including the Goharshad Mosque (in present day Iran) and for supporting the arts. Today I get to share with you a wonderful picture book based on this amazing woman and her accomplishments. The book is called Brave with Beauty: A Story of Afghanistan by Maxine Rose Schur with art by Patricia Grush, Robin Dewitt, and Golsa Yaghoobi. It is recommended for ages 7 to 9.

Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess: These Shoes Are Made for Dancing -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever had one of those bad days? You know when you think the world is against you? We all have them--even kids. Today I get to share with you a book for young readers that deals with just that! It is the fourth book in the Kayla: A Modern-Day Princess Series. The book is These Shoes Are Made for Dancing by Deedee Cummings and illustrated by Charlene Mosley. The series is recommended for ages 4 to 8. (To see my reviews of some more of Deedee Cummings' books, click here.)

Fabulous Paper Flowers for Valentines, Home Decor, Spring Celebrations, and More!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Last spring, I used a book by Emiko Yamamoto to create paper wildflowers which I used on spring cards. Today I get to share her next book that also gives tutorials and templates to make beautiful paper flowers. The book is Fabulous Paper Flowers by Emiko Yamamoto.

Dinner on Domingos -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchanged for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Does your family or did your family have a tradition of Sunday dinner? I remember when I was young, we would gather at my grandparents' house for Sunday dinner. Often it would be a steak dinner or some type of beef I believe, but that is not really a memory, but more information told to me. The memory I have is when my cousin was a baby. I remember his holding my finger with his little hands for hours. I was finally not the baby of the family anymore. The funny thing is I don't remember his younger sister as a baby, but I remember him. Today I get to share with you a story about a Sunday dinner tradition in an Ecuadorian-American family and it has a family recipe to try at the end!! (We tried it and I loved it!!) The book is Dinner on Domingos by Alexandra Katona and illustrated by Claudia Navarro. This book is recommended for ages 5 to 8 and this review is for Multicultural Children's Book Day! Join us here, we are co-hosting, on January 28th for the BIG LINKY of all the Multicultural Children's Books and the celebration. There is more information about it all below!

Speak Up, Speak Out! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm"

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you heard of Shirley Chisholm? She was an amazing Black woman who fought for the people in politics. She even campaigned to be the Democrat candidate for President. After Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated she had a tradition of giving a speech on his birthday at a college or university. She also played a role in making his birthday a holiday. (Source) So it seems appropriate to share this new book about this amazing woman's life with you today. It is Speak Up, Speak Out! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm" by Tonya Bolden. It has a forward by Stacey Abrams. This book is from National Geographic Kids and is recommended for ages 10 to 14. 

Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share another book for Multicultural Children's Book Day. It is a middle grades novel that has a main character who is the child of an Indian-American father and Jewish mother. Then at the end of fifth grade is diagnosed with dyslexia. The book is Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern. 

Finding Strength Through God in the New Year

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy New Year! How is 2022 going for you? Do you make resolutions? Or choose a word for the year? My word for 2022 is positivity. One resolution that is common is working on your spirituality and relationship with God. Today's book will help you find strength through God. It is by New York Times Bestseller Joyce Meyer and is called Strength for Each Day. 

The Book of Untold Stories -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am going to share the first of many multicultural children's book that I am reviewing for the 9th annual Multicultural Children's Book Day. On January 28, 2022, I will be co-hosting Multicultural Children's Book Day and you can visit here to see all the books reviewed and share your own reviews! Today we are sharing The Book of Untold Stories: Fourteen Prompts to Spark the Imagination by Sherri Maret and illustrated by Thomas Hilley. This book is recommended for ages 5+.

Celebrating Becoming a Teenager

 

I cannot believe it!! Hazel turned 13 last month!! Thirteen is such a big year. It is often when kids become young adults, as well as of course, they become a teenager! This year I wanted it to be extra special for Hazel. I came up with the theme of butterfly for her party. I told her it was because she is transforming into a teenager/young adult. She liked the idea of butterfly but did not like my reasoning. I began searching for 13th birthday ideas. I have a Pinterest Board for it if you want different ideas! I saw a printable that says "You have been loved for 13 Years..." I saw some on Etsy as well as some free ones, but I wanted to personalize it a bit. I had planned on having it printed as a poster and hanging it on her door for when she woke up, but that plan changed. Click on it to get a pdf so you can print it out at home.

Fantastic Felted Cats -- Fun Needle Felting for Cat Lovers

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It has been a while since I shared some needle felting. I'm a bit out of practice, but I got some new needles as well as more wool batting and more. However I am in love with these adorable needle felted cats. The book is Fantastic Felted Cats: A Guide to Making Lifelike Kitten Figures by Housetsu Sato. 

Explore Different Cultures with Food Using this Cookbook

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

With the Covid cases rising more than it has for any real travel, it is time to explore the world and cultures from home. Today's book will help you and your family do just that. It is Katie Chin's Global Family Cookbook by Katie Chin.

New Early Reader History Books about Amazing Black Women

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The holiday season is over, and we have begun 2022. I took a break for the holidays for the most part but am back. Today I am sharing two new books (well actually they are being released tomorrow (January 4, 2022). They are both Level 2 Readers from National Geographic Kids. Both are about amazing Black women who are in the news these days. We will start with a book about our Vice President. It is National Geographic Readers: Kamala Harris by Tonya K. Grant.