For a few minutes of quiet reading enjoyment, try the picture book, Smitten With Kittens by the married team of Florence Minor and Wendell Minor.
Built around a gentle rhyming text,
Who isn’t smitten
with a kitten’s sweet mew
and all the cute things
that kittens do?
and delightful graphite on paper and digital illustrations of kittens playing and napping, this picture book also includes 10 “Fun Facts” about taking care of and enjoying kittens in the back matter.
Smitten with Kittens would make lovely bedtime reading as well as a useful guide to have on hand before adopting a new kitten. Curl up with a copy today!
Related:
There’s a peek inside and a free coloring sheet to download at Charlesbridge.
Disclosure: An e-ARC was supplied for review purposes by the publisher, Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.
Sofía is a Latina mermaid, one of the Five Enchanted Mermaids. She adores the color red, has a dolphin as a best friend, and loves to tell the truth!
Once we are introduced to Sofía, she acts as the narrator for the rest of the book, which is about helping children learn the importance of honesty.
Over the following pages, different situations unfold where children (the delightful illustrations depict human children, not mermaids) are tempted to lie. Sofía the mermaid points out two outcomes, happy and unhappy — or in Spanish, felicese infelices – that are possible results of each of the situations. The young readers learn that no matter what the motivation, lying is not the best choice.
Conoce a las sirenas: Hola, soy Sofía is ideal for educators who want to start a discussion about the importance of telling the truth.
Note: There are two editions of this book, one written entirely in English and the other in Spanish. As part of the Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 festivities, author Lois Petren gifted us an electronic copy of the Spanish edition of the book.
Related Activity:
Sofía loves the color red. Look in the illustrations and/or gather objects or toys that are red (rojo). Discuss the Spanish words for them.
Examples:
On the book cover Sofía has a rosa roja (red rose) in her hair and a red fan (abanico rojo) in her hand.
Pájaro rojoCorazón rojo
Extension: Explore objects of other colors and pair them with the Spanish names.
Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you go to Amazon by clicking the linked title or book cover and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Proceeds will be used to help defray the costs of developing and maintaining this website.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!
Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party! Be sure and follow MCBD and Make A Way Media on Twitter!
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter!
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
We just couldn’t contain our excitement for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (see details below the review), so today we are featuring a lovely, timely picture book Sugar in Milk* by Thrity Umrigar and illustrated by Khoa Le.
Living with her uncle and aunt in a new country, a young immigrant girl is lonely. She joins her aunt in a walk through a local park. Knowing her niece misses her previous home and is struggling, the girl’s aunt tells her a story about another group of people who also had to move to a new place, but long ago. The story helps the girl accept her new circumstances.
In her story — a folktale from India — a group of refugees were forced from their home and traveled to a different country. They wanted to stay, but the local king didn’t want them. Because the two groups did not speak the same language, the king filled a glass with milk, his way of saying that the country was full up with people and no more would fit. The leader of the refugees had another idea. He added a pinch of sugar to the glass of milk. He showed his people could become part of the greater whole. The king relented and welcomed the newcomers.
Having heard this tale long ago from a friend, I had thought it would make a wonderful children’s book. Thrity Umrigar and Khoa Le made it an award-winning reality:
An ALSC Notable Children’s Book of 2021
A Kirkus Best Books of 2020
A School Library Journal Best Books of 2020
Winner of the 2021 Ohioana Book Award
Sugar in Milk is a timeless story that will help children who are moving to a new place to adjust, regardless of the circumstances. It is also a makes a memorable case for acceptance in a clever way. Highly recommended!
Related Activity:
Make a sweet Indian drink to celebrate the book.
Sweet Lassi (Traditional)
1 1/4 cup plain yogurt
½ cup water
½ cup ice cubes
3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar
A pinch of salt
Blend all the ingredients in a blender at high speed till frothy. Optional: add 2-3 Tbsp. fruit prior to blending. Pour into a glass and add a dollop of fresh yogurt on top (optional).
Disclosures: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you go to Amazon by clicking the linked title or book cover and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Proceeds will be used to help defray the costs of developing and maintaining this website. The book was provided by my local library.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!
Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party! Be sure and follow MCBD and Make A Way Media on Twitter!
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter!
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
