Baby Says by John Steptoe

It's pretty clear if you've read my blog for long that multicultural books are a passion of mine. I'm not alone in this, fortunately - there are tons of great resources out there for folks who are looking to add some diversity to their library list. A while back I wrote about "50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know", a list compiled by the incredible group at the CCBC of University of Wisconsin-Madison. We're trying to work through the list with Sprout, which has been a fun project thus far. Especially great is fact that we're discovering some older titles that we might never have run across in another way.

Our most recent choice is a nearly wordless selection from classic author/illustrator John Steptoe - Baby Says. We ran across this title at the library and I remembered it from the list, so of course it was coming home with us. Sprout is a little old for this title, but he enjoyed it anyway, mostly because we're at that stage where he loves reliving any experience connected to babyhood. ("Was I like that, too, Mama?")

The story here is very simple - a baby is trying everything to get his big brother's attention. He uses the usual tricks in a baby's arsenal, throwing toys and knocking over brother's block towers, and of course it works just as planned, because brother has to stop everything and pay attention to the little one. Sprout laughed over the baby's naughtiness, probably because he himself is an only child and hasn't ever had to put up with such foolishness (though he's feeling this a little closer to home, now that he's one of the older kids in his preschool class!).

All in all this is a perfect story for very young children, as a means of introducing narrative and anticipating what's going to happen next in the story. Even babies will be able to recognize the mischievous look in this little one's eyes, as he schemes over how to attract brother's gaze away from the building blocks that he's currently playing with. And slightly older kids will feel the brother's frustration, as he tries to keep the baby from disrupting his project. With a few phrases that repeat over and over, Steptoe's spare story would also be good for new readers, to help build confidence and fluency.

Naturally for us, the best feature is the fact that the character's ethnicity is completely incidental to the story. I'm always on the lookout for books like this, and it's especially nice to find one for the youngest set of readers. Unfortunately this is an older title and not readily available, but it's worth a look at the library or used bookstore, if you want to add this terrific selection to your collection.

Keep checking back as we read our way through the CCBC list - this is a great way to add diversity to your reading list!

Baby Says by John Steptoe, published by Lothrop, Lee and Shepard

Ages 0-3

Source: Library

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Check out our Pinterest board to see all the titles from the list we've read so far!

Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani

Have you seen this infographic yet?

First Book, a remarkable organization dedicated to promoting childhood literacy, included this graphic in their recent blog post "Lack of Diversity in Kids' Books and How to Fix It". (You should go read the post, if you haven't already, and consider supporting this group in their efforts.) The stats are alarming, and they're real - based on data from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, which each year tracks the number of books published in the US that are by and about people of color. The most frightening thing about these statistics is that they've gone relatively unchanged in the timeframe that CCBC has been tracking this information (check out the statistics on the CCBC blog).

First let me admit a little bias here. I think the CCBC is an incredible group and I admire so much of what they've done. To be honest, my secret desire is to work there as a librarian someday (a girl can dream, right?). And as you already know if you've been reading this blog long, I feel strongly about the significance of multicultural literature for ALL children. So it may seem as though I'm just reiterating what has already been said, but it's obvious to me that these numbers don't lie. 

And the repercussions of these kinds of statistics -- say what you will about the causes, everything from a lack of manuscripts to "multicultural books don't sell" -- are huge for our society. There's a ripple effect here, and it starts with kids who don't see themselves reflected in the literature available to them or taught in their schools, who then begin to think books don't apply to them. And it continues to kids who see themselves reflected too much, who then begin to think their culture is normative and all other is just that, other. Further, it extends to all areas of our society. Where we see indifference and intolerance, prejudice and exclusionism, condescension and dismissal, we can be sure that there's a cultural disconnect that runs pretty deep. Think how different that might be if all kids learned at a young age to embrace difference and celebrate diversity!

To that end, I've made a conscious reading goal with Sprout. This is something I haven't really done up to now, largely because I like to follow his lead with our reading time and present a wide range of choices for us to share. But I also want to make sure that I'm giving him selections that are fully rounded, so I've decided to work through a list compiled by the CCBC, 50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know. I've referred to the list before, and have already reviewed several of the selections on the blog. But going forward, as Sprout grows, we'll be working our way through the list, and I'll share a bit about each title as we read it together. (Look for the full list, linked to reviews, on Pinterest.)

First up was a book inspired by the author's affinity for playing dress-up as a child. In Mama's Saris, Pooja Makhijani writes about a little girl who longs to wear a beautiful sari like her mother. It's her seventh birthday, and our heroine feels she's ready for one of these incredible garments of her very own. She asks Mama, but the answer is not quite yet. So instead our girl helps her mother pick out a sari, and the journey through Mama's suitcase is full of gorgeous fabrics and delightful smells, and memories. And at the end, Mama relents and our heroine gets to wear a breathtaking blue sari for her special day.

This is a lovely story of family togetherness and the special bond between mother and daughter. As the two relive important moments in their lives together, readers find themselves in the moment, thanks not only to Makhijani's emotive text but also the thoughtful illustrations by Elena Gomez. Sprout loves not only the use of shifting perspectives, but also the incorporation of colors and patterns that blend with to produce some stunning spreads. Best of all, Mama's Saris includes Hindi words, with a glossary at the front that defines them, and a great insight into Indian culture. This is a terrific one for moms and daughters to share, but it's also a perfect choice for classrooms and libraries as well.

Stay tuned as we work our way through the 50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know. It's not going to happen in a day (more like years, really!) but we're looking forward to experiencing all of these books together, and sharing our thoughts. And we'd love to hear what titles from the list your family has enjoyed!

Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani, published by Little, Brown and Company

Ages 4-7

Source: Library

Sample: "I jump onto my mother's bed and sit down. I watch her reach under the bed and pull out a leather suitcase. Inside are her sairs -- the yellow satin one she wore for Uma Didi's baby shower, the peach-colored one that is as fine as a spider's web, and my favorite, her red wedding sari, which I have only seen once because it is carefully wrapped in an old bedsheet."

Recommended

Bonus: interview with author Pooja Makhijani by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Book Review - Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin

On my weekly trips to the library with Sprout, one of the first sections we hit is the easy reader shelves. These books -- a step above picture books, a step below full-on chapter books -- are great for reading readiness. Many of them are broken up into small chapters, short stories really; Frog and Toad is a good example. The vocabulary used is generally pretty basic, particularly for the first readers, and when I read them with Sprout I make sure to run my finger along the text to help connect the dots between printed and spoken words. He loves the character titles, and we usually bring home at least one or two of the Thomas books (here's the current favorite, which I suspect I'm going to have to break down and buy because he loves it SO MUCH).

But, the thing about easy readers is that it can be tough to find multicultural titles. This is definitely a segment of kidlit that is screaming for diversity -- for every Little Bill title there's a dozen Barbies or Caillous. Authors take note: let's have some culture here please!

Enter Grace Lin. I've been a huge fan of Lin ever since I read her semi-autobiographical novel The Year of the Dog for my kidlit class last year. She's got a great sense of humor, which comes through in her characters, whose escapades echo Ramona Quimby in all the best ways. She writes fantastic girls -- curious, mischievous, smart and inventive girls whose world a reader will recognize as much like their own. And best of all, her characters are usually Chinese, like Lin herself, but her plots aren't always about race. Refreshingly relatable and always fun!

Ling and Ting is no exception. The title characters are twins, but no one can tell them apart. Until they get haircuts, that is -- then there is one big difference. And when you get to know the girls through the pages of this book, you'll see that though they are similar, they are NOT just alike. Which is fine with these sisters, who really like being their own unique people! Kids will love Ling and Ting for lots of reasons, not least because of their spunky personalities. Lin mixes in lovely notes of Chinese-ness -- the girls make their own (scrumptious-looking) dumplings, and talk about the relative ease of using chopsticks -- along with library books and magic tricks. Really, there's something here for everyone! And beginning readers especially will be proud of themselves for reading through this "chapter book" all on their own.

Ling and Ting may not be exactly the same in every way, but they are both completely adorable. Don't wait until your little one is learning to read before you check out these hilarious twins. Ling and Ting is destined to be an easy reader classic! 

Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company
Ages 5-8 (or younger, if you read together)
Source: Library
Sample quote: "Ling and Ting are twins. They have the same brown eyes. They have the same pink cheeks. They have the same happy smiles. People see them and they say, 'You two are exactly the same!' "
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