The last time I went to the bookstore with my youngest niece, I noticed that all the books she pulled off the shelves featured female characters — A Computer Called Katherine;The Hike;Mina vs. the Monsoon. When I asked her about her choices, she told me that because she is a girl, it’s more interesting and “funner” to read about girls — especially girls who share her interests or introduce her to exciting new things. Her older sister agreed that it’s empowering to see yourself represented in a book or a video. As she put it, “When you see another girl doing something cool, you think ‘Oh, I can do that too!’”
As a parent, I want to share books with the girls (and boys) in my family that encourage their interests, introduce them to characters full of determination and strength, spark conversation about issues that concern them, and make them aware of broader issues that affect them. Here are a few titles featuring a variety of diverse girls that we’ve put on our shelves to help encourage our young readers to investigate the world, find their voice, take action and follow their dreams.
As most parents or soon to be parents will soon find out, nothing gets your child out of their rooms or play as when Mommy or Daddy has a zoom call.
I can say from even before covid quarantine, all I had to do was put a phone to my ear or computer in front of my face and my children were suddenly there. It didn’t matter if they were fed, bathed, changed, or sleepy. Mommy had a video call and that meant the plethora of questions were in full swing.
Well here is an article of what books for children are out there to entertain your little one while you are on a Zoom call. Does it work?
Every child — every person — reads at a different level, at a different rate, and with differing interests. But for parents who are helping their young readers develop an interest in books, sometimes the easiest place to start is digging into the best children’s books by age. What your first grader might like to read may differ than what another parent’s first grader prefers, but exploring children’s books by age offers a way to share developmentally appropriate titles and helps the youngest readers explore what it is that interests them.
Find below a guide to children’s books by age. We’ll go from birth through 8th grade, offering a selection of titles per age, along with links to lengthier booklists for those age groups.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHILDREN’S BOOKS BY AGE, FROM BIRTH TO AGE 14
Choncho the Pig and I would like to wish everyone a Happy International Children’s Book Day! Reading my favorite children’s books was a highlight in my childhood, a bigger highlight was to read children’s books to my children and to finally become an author to my own children’s book was the topping on the cake.
Reading to a child especially in the early years is so important. It helps to create memories and wonderful bondng moments. It helps them to escape in their imagination. It helps to build creativity. It helps them to see the importance of reading a book.
In these days where COVID-19 has kept many children home and away from the needed socialization from their families who live outside their homes, school classroom, attending religious activities or venues or even friends at a park. Reading a book can give children the needed escape from the isolation.
As stated by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, “Children’s lives and routines have been turned upside down in just a few short weeks. Even when the outside world is out of bounds for now, reading can remind children and young people that the transportive power of books is unlimited.”
So pick up a book and read to the special child in your life or buy them a book you know they will love. It will be a memory the will cherish as will you.
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 2 April 2020 – Much-loved children’s authors are joining an initiative to read extracts of their books to millions of children and young people currently living in isolation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the World is a collaboration between theInternational Publishers Association (IPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. It kicks off today, on International Children’s Book Day, at 15.00 GMT/17.00 CET with Italian author Elisabetta Dami, creator of the popular character Geronimo Stilton.
“These are uncharted waters for us all, and the psycho-social effects of prolonged isolation and social distancing are yet to be seen and understood,” said IPA President Hugo Setzer. “All of us should take particular care of our mental health at the moment, and especially that of young minds. The IPA wanted to do something positive to bring children and their favourite writers closer, to stimulate their interest in books and to create a carefree moment for families to share during this difficult period of confinement.”
“Children’s lives and routines have been turned upside down in just a few short weeks,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Even when the outside world is out of bounds for now, reading can remind children and young people that the transportive power of books is unlimited.”
“WHO is committed to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic on all fronts, especially when it comes to protecting young people,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We understand the fear and anxieties many feel and know how the joy of reading can stimulate young minds, ease tensions and provide hope.”
Elisabetta Dami will read on her personal Instagram account in English from 15.00-15.30 GMT 17.00-17.30 CET. Dami, whose books have sold more than 180 million copies around the world and are published in 50 different languages, will also respond to comments and questions via the platform.
Her first in a prolific career, “A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You,” was a phenomenon. And her illustrations capturing childhood became a cottage industry.
Parents rightly pay attention to their kids’ relationships with peers, teachers, siblings and other important figures in their lives. But another meaningful bond is children’s connection with animals.
Fostering compassion for animals can teach children empathy, emotional management, social responsibility and more. Even if you don’t have any pets in your home, you can promote this connection through media, especially books.
We’ve rounded up 27 children’s books that instill compassion for animals.
In the world of children’s books, villagers can protect their water from a black snake, dark skin is as beautiful as the night sky, and a little girl’s two puffs of hair can make her feel like she’s floating above the clouds. by Associated Press Mar. 20 2021 @ 5:36pm
CHICAGO — In the world of children’s books, villagers can protect their water from a black snake, dark skin is as beautiful as the night sky, and a little girl’s two puffs of hair can make her feel like she’s floating above the clouds.
Kids are seeing more of these possibilities in the books they read as authors make a bigger push to reflect the diversity around them. Racial diversity in children’s books has been picking up since 2014, reversing a 25-year plateau, according to Kathleen T. Horning, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center.
But despite the gains, progress has been slow. Children’s books written by authors of color in 2020 increased by 3% to 26.8% compared with 2019. Children’s books written about racially diverse characters or subjects, however, grew by only 1% to 30%, according to preliminary data provided to The Associated Press by the CCBC, which has been tracking statistics on children’s book representation since 1985.
Meanwhile, books about Latino characters saw a slight decrease in 2020, from 6.3% to 6.2%, while the number of books both by and about Native people stayed flat, Horning said. Books both by and about Black and Asian people saw small but steady increases.
Horning notes that it can take years for a children’s book to be written, illustrated and published, so whatever progress was made in 2020 may not be apparent until 2022 or 2023.
Still, Horning would like to see more people of color writing about their own communities.
“We want people to feel empowered to tell their own stories,” she said.
Ellen Oh, CEO of the grassroots advocacy nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, said one barrier to achieving diversity in children’s books is the myth within the publishing industry that books about people of color don’t sell.
“Because of this myth, publishing never gives these books a chance,” Oh said.
In reality, books written by and about people of color have made it on the New York Times’ bestsellers’ list, including “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry, “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o and “We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom.
When George Floyd was killed in police custody last year, kindergarten teacher Brittany Smith in New Jersey wanted to help students and teachers make sense of what happened so she made a reading list of antiracist books for children.
Soon after, the list went viral on Twitter and many of the books sold out at major bookstores. Teachers and school districts incorporated them into curriculums and libraries.
Smith said finding books with diversity for her students requires extra digging and sometimes she feels limited in her choices. She hopes 2020 changed that.
“Last year showed us there is a need and want for these books,” she said. “I just hope this doesn’t stop.”
Keeping it going will largely fall on the shoulders of the publishing industry, which itself is lacking in diversity. That includes publicists, marketing teams, agents, editors and booksellers, as well as the teachers and librarians who get the books into children’s hands. A 2019 diversity baseline survey by Lee & Low Books, an independent children’s book publisher centering diversity, found that 76% of the publishing industry was white. Diversity was most lacking on the editorial side, where 85% of employees were white.
Several grassroots efforts are trying to get around those barriers. For instance, We Need Diverse Books offers grants for marginalized writers and illustrators, markets books, organizes book awards and mentorship programs, distributes children’s books to schools, and has scholarship and internship programs to help young people of color enter the publishing industry. Most recently, it partnered with Penguin Random House to launch the Black Creatives Fund to support Black writers and illustrators in 2021.
Oh also recommends supporting independent publishers centering diversity and hiring cultural sensitivity readers to ensure adequate representation. Another option is for mainstream publishers to create imprints focused on diversity. For example, HarperCollins recently launched Heartdrum, a Native American-focused imprint.
Such efforts, both within mainstream publishing houses and through grassroots organizing, is vital, said Nina Crews, illustrator of “A Girl Like Me.”
“When you see yourself reflected in the pages of a book, you’re part of the conversation, part of the story. You’re not ignored. It gives you a sense of ownership to the world that you’re in,” Crews said. “Every child deserves that.”
The consequences of children not seeing themselves in the characters they read about can be profound.
Angela Joy, author of the 2020 book “Black Is a Rainbow Color,” said that as people of color become conditioned to only see white people as deserving of being in books, they may start to internalize that, further discouraging them from feeling comfortable representing their own communities. When her own daughter writes, Joy said she pictures white people rather than characters who look like her.
“It breaks my heart,” she said. “I want my child to see that she is worthy of being in the stories she reads and writes.”
What is one habit authors can practice daily to promote their book? Tellwell marketing consultant Angela Gascon breaks it down on our blog. Get to know her and hear her marketing advice to authors.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Q: Tell us about your role at Tellwell.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A: I am a book marketing consultant with Tellwell! This means that I help authors build awareness for their book and credibility for themselves as an author through a variety of activities. This could include a consultation and strategy, where I would instruct authors on ways to promote themselves effectively, or I could actively promote the book on their behalf through services such as media outreach, creating an author website and social platforms, or promotional materials! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Q: What book marketing advice do you have for authors?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A: My top book marketing advice for authors would be to create a solid social media presence. We’re in the digital age, and it’s only going to get more advanced, so by creating an online presence as soon as possible, it’s going to be much easier to gain awareness, credibility, and a following. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Q: What is one habit you encourage authors to practice daily to promote their book? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A: I encourage authors to explore their social media platforms daily. Whether or not they are posting on the platform, I think it’s a great habit to get into because it showcases what other authors are doing, while also allowing authors to build a relationship directly with their readers by interacting through comments on the author’s posts or their followers’ posts.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Read the rest of Angela’s advice to authors here:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ https://blog.tellwell.ca/…/%E2%A0%80%E2%A0%80%E2%A0%80… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #bookmarketing#marketingtips#tellwellpublishing#selfpublishing#bookpublishing#indieauthor#ampublishing
