As a mother who looks for children’s books with multicultural themes or characters, I’ve hit the jackpot! I admit, I don’t go out of my way to research specific books. When I’m at the library, I’m attracted to books with illustrations of Asian-American children (because I’m Asian-American), but I also pick up books with African-American kids too. Of course that isn’t my first qualification when I look at the book. My first thought is always, Will this topic/story appeal to Sophia? Then it’s a bonus when the illustrations feature kids who are diverse.
When I first starting looking for books with African-American characters, half of them seem to be about slaves from the American Civil War. While I think this is a very important part of our history, I’m not ready to introduce the history of slavery to my preschooler.
Lee and Low Books is an independent publisher focusing on diversity, and their mission is meet the need for stories that all children can identify with and enjoy. Some of their books are feature historical figures, but many of them showcase the children for who they are. Most children do know automatically see themselves as black or white. We, as parents and a society, teach them about race. What an amazing concept!
I was very happy to discover that Where on Earth is My Bagel? written by Frances Park and illustrated by Grace Lin was published by Lee and Low. Grace Lin’s illustrations are very distinct and colorful! Grace Lin has also written several books. I wasn’t sure what Where on Earth is My Bagel? would be about based on the cover art. It’s a story about a Korean boy who craves a bagel from New York City, but has no idea what one is! Thus starts his adventure as he attempts to locate a bagel on the other side of the world from New York. In the end, teamwork helps solve his search. The story did not revolve around the fact that the boy is Korean. It’s a fun and silly story with a satisfying ending. Immediately after I read it, Sophia requested an encore. That’s a good review in our home. The recommended ages for this book is 4-8.
How about books featuring biracial children? The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan by Christy Hale shares the rough childhood of the Japanese-American artist and architect. As a child, he and his mother moved to Japan, where he could be closer to his Japanese father. However, his father rejected him. Even though he was ostracized in Japan, his western and eastern background gave him the foundation for his architectural ideas. This book is recommended for ages 9-12. I didn’t read this one to Sophia but I’m glad to have it in my library for when she’s older.
As a middle schooler, I would read every book about Asian-American children I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, almost all of them was about the child’s immigrant experience or how they adjusted to life in the United States. Talk about cubbyhole. Journey Home by Lawrence McKay, Jr brings those stories to full circle. A young Vietnamese-American girl is traveling to Vietnam with her mother, who was adopted by Americans when she was a baby. Her mother is returning to the country of her birth to find her birth family. I think that McKay deals with the subject matter in a very sensitive manner. This book is recommended for ages 4-8.
Lee and Low have a huge library of books that celebrate diversity. I’m excited to read more of their books to the kids! It’s important that they read books that show diversity. That way they realize it’s normal that everyone looks different, has different color hair and skin tones. The website also has a great blog, The Open Book.
I received a copy of The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan & Journey Home from the publisher for review. Where on Earth is My Bagel? was borrowed from our wonderful library after I discovered it was a Lee and Low imprint. This is not a compensated post and all opinions are my own. The links to the books are affiliate links. Thanks for clicking them!