It's time for the Spring Fling KidLit Contest hosted by the effervescent author, agent, and teacher Kaitlyn Sanchez and gracious librarian, teacher, and author Ciara O'Neal! Writers who accept the challenge choose a spring themed GIF and write a story with 150 words or less! 
I hope you enjoy my entry, The Authors' Tea. It was inspired by a true story from my teaching days. I hope to turn it into a picture book one day! 
tps://i.gifer.com/J0hI

The eleven lovely judges read 749 entries, chose their favorites, and my entry earned the #1 spot! I cried when I read the news and pinched myself for days after! I had the privilege to choose my prize first out of the 57 wonderful donations. I chose the Paula Cohen Martin Big Dreams Mentorship with Vivian Kirkfield. Paula Cohen Martin passed away before the publication date of her debut picture book, BIG DREAMS, SMALL FISH. Her publication date also happens to be the same date as Benjamin's birthday, which I discovered after I chose this mentorship. The coincidence gave me goosebumps and brought more tears. I watched a video of Paula opening her author copies of her new book and felt a connection with her. I hope that working with Vivian to realize my own big dreams of becoming a published author will honor Paula's memory. I am beyond grateful to be part of this beautiful, encouraging writing community. To be acknowledged in this way is very humbling. Thank you to Vivian, the judges, prize donors, and fellow writers! 

Hooray! It's Multicultural Children's Book Day on Friday, January 28th! I'm delighted to be participating as a reviewer for a second year! Capstone Publishing sent a digital copy of Jubilee: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream written by KT Johnston and illustrated by Annabella Ortiz. The book was just released and is available to order! 
**All opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

Jubilee is a narrative non-fiction story for readers ages 8-12. It's an inspiring look at Danish dressage rider, Lis Hartel, the challenges she faces after contracting polio, and her relationship with an unlikely and inexperienced horse named Jubilee. Together they work to learn a new way of riding and...SPOILER ALERT...find themselves competing and placing in the 1952 Olympics! This is a historic moment as Lis is the first woman with a disability to win an Olympic medal. This was also the first Olympic event where men and women competed against each other. The story ends celebrating the special relationship between this remarkable rider and horse. In the author's note we learn that Lis goes on to create the first therapeutic riding center in the world. 

From the subtitle I had hoped the story would include more about the therapeutic riding center, but I was happy to learn so much about this important woman and her horse named Jubilee. The book includes discussion questions and resources as does the author's website www.ktjohnston.com. I have heard that horses are challenging to draw, so I was especially impressed with the many beautiful images Annabella Ortiz created to help convey the challenges and triumphs along the way. 

I plan to learn more about the riding center created by Lis and Jubilee.  My son, who has Cornelia deLange Syndrome, has participated in therapeutic riding since he was young. Riding helped him strengthen his core muscles and was instrumental in his learning to walk independently at age 10. Here he is riding a few different horses at Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Santa Barbara. So much of what KT Johnston captured in her story was familiar to us. The relationship between a rider and horse is truly special and can lead to incredible growth for both.  I recommend Jubilee to readers of all ages! 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day:
This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen. These diverse book-loving moms saw a need to shine the spotlight on the fabulous multicultural books and authors while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness about the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read more about the mission–> HERE.
MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!SUPER PLATINUM: Make A Way Media
PLATINUM: Language Lizard
GOLD: Barefoot Books, KidLitTV, Candlewick, Capstone, Abrams Books
SILVER: Pack-n-Go Girls, Charlotte Riggle, Kimberly Gordon Biddle  
BRONZE: Carole P. Roman, Patrice McLaurin, Dyesha and Triesha McCants/McCants Squared, Redfin.com, Redfin Canada, Redfin Mortgage, Redfin/Title Forward, Create & Educate, Star Bright Books, Vivian Kirkfield, Dr. Eleanor Wint, Kind World Publishing, Snowflake Stories, Lisa Wee, SONGJU MA, Melissa Stoller, J.C. Kato and J.C.², Crystel Patterson, Audrey Press, Pragmaticmom, TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales 
MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!Charlene Mosley (official MCBD2022 Poster Creator)
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Alva Sachs, Brianna Carter, Ebony Zay Zay, Rita Bhandari, Gwen Jackson, Lois Petren/The 5 Enchanted Mermaids, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Josh Funk, Afsaneh Moradian, Eugenia Chu, Maritza Martínez Mejía, Diana Huang, Kathleen Burkinshaw, CultureGroove, Sandra Elaine Scott, Dorena Williamson, Veronica Appleton, Alejandra Domenzain, Lauren Muskovitz and Sandfish Publishing, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Kimberly Lee, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher, Nancy Tupper Ling, Winsome Hudson-Bingham, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Sivan Hong, Michael Genhart, Debbie Dadey, Elizabeth Cureton, Stephanie Wildman, Maryann Jacob, Sherri Maret, Rochelle Melander, Dia Mixon, Kiyanda and Benjamin Young, Shereen Rahming, Linda Thornburg and Katherine Archer,  Rebecca Flansburg and BA Norrgard , Maxine Schur  Natalie McDonald-Perkins
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Join us on Friday, Jan 28, 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 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 #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. You can also check out MCBD’s  Pinterest Board!

Hello Spring! Hello new picture book writing adventures! After years of teaching, reading, selling, and reviewing children's books, I decided to pursue a dream of writing them! (**Please scroll past my catching up if you're looking for my Spring Fling entry!**) In January I took a course with the fabulous Mira Reisberg at Children's Book Academy and have attended several online webinars and workshops through SCBWI, the Writing Barn, Storyteller Academy, and the Children's Book Insider. There is much more to writing a picture book than you might imagine!! I've joined the 12X12 picture book challenge with Julie Hedlund, have an active and amazing critique group and have pitched book ideas in Twitter pitch events! It's been a whirlwind with so much more to learn as I improve my craft! 

Just last month I entered a 50 Precious Words challenge hosted by Vivian Kirkfield, and now it's time to jump into another writing challenge...the Spring Fling KidLit Contest. Kaitlyn Sanchez, author and agent at Red Fox Literary, and author Ciara Oneal have challenged writers to create a story with just 150 words inspired by a spring-themed GIF. Most picture books have 300-500ish words these days, so writing a story with beginning, middle and end in 150 words is a great challenge. 

The first word that came to mind when I thought of Spring was MUD along with images of running through tall grass. I hope you enjoy the results in MUD PIE MAGIC.  Please feel free to leave a comment. 
​

Hooray! It's Multicultural Children's Book Day on Friday, January 29th! I was delighted to be gifted a copy of My Sister, Alicia May by the author, Nancy Tupper Ling. The book was beautifully illustrated by Shennen Bersani and published in 2009 by Pleasant St. Press.
**All opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

Alicia May is like any six-year-old in many ways. She also has Down Syndrome. In this book her sister, Rachel, shares an honest look into their lives and relationship. Alicia May likes bugs, counts dots on ladybugs, and talks to the animals at the zoo. She has a sharp memory and remembers how many steps lead to the library. Rachel also tells us about Alicia May's medical issues and challenges with leaving a place she loves. As a mom to two boys, one who has a genetic syndrome, I appreciated the honesty from Rachel confessing that sometimes her little sister really annoys her. 

The ending totally made me tear up, so I won't give that away. Being a sibling of someone with a disability is a unique path. How special that this book is available! Representation of children with disabilities AND their siblings is so needed, and having this be written from a sibling's perspective makes it that much more meaningful. 

When I asked Nancy Tupper Ling what inspired this story, she said her close friend did. The setting in the illustrations was inspired by the real life farmland where she walked with her friend and the sisters from her book. Her friend shared that there just weren't books featuring children like Alicia May that weren't didactic in nature. And so she set out to tell this lovely story. 

I highly recommend it! 

**For other books featuring children with disabilities, visit my Bookshop site!

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 (1/29/21) is in its 8th 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 book into the hands of young readers and educators.
Eight years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Prgamaticmom) and Valarie Budayr’s (Audreypress.com)
Platinum Sponsors: Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages, Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
Gold Sponsors: Barefoot Books, Candlewick Press, Capstone,  Hoopoe Books,  KidLitTV, Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.
Silver Sponsors: Charlotte Riggle, Connecticut Association of School Librarians, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Pack-N-Go Girls
Bronze Sponsors: Agatha Rodi and AMELIE is IMPRESSED!, Barnes Brothers Books, Create and Educate Solutions, LLC, Dreambuilt Books, Dyesha and Triesha McCants/McCants Squared, Redfin Real Estate, Snowflake Stories, Star Bright Books, TimTimTom Bilingual Personalized Books, Author Vivian Kirkfield, Wisdom Tales Press, My Well Read Child 
MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!
Poster Artist: Nat Iwata
Authors: Author Afsaneh Moradian, Author Alva Sachs & Three Wishes Publishing Company, Author Angeliki Stamatopoulou-Pedersen, Author Anna Olswanger, Author Casey Bell , Author Claudine Norden, Author Debbie Dadey, Author Diana Huang & Intrepids,  Author Eugenia Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Green Kids Club,  Author Gwen Jackson, Author Janet Balletta, Author Josh Funk, Author Julia Inserro, Karter Johnson & Popcorn and Books, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, Author Keila Dawson, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove, Author Mia Wenjen, Michael Genhart, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Natalie Murray, Natalie McDonald-Perkins, Author Natasha Yim, Author Phe Lang and Me On The Page Publishing, Sandra Elaine Scott, Author Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher,  Tales of the Five Enchanted Mermaids, Author Theresa Mackiewicz, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Author Toshia Stelivan, Valerie Williams-Sanchez & The Cocoa Kids Collection Books©, Author Vanessa Womack, MBA, Author Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series
MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts!
MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by these Media Partners!
Check out MCBD's Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!

Have you noticed that children’s books aren’t just for children? As I add books to my pop-up bookshop, I am drawn to books that are about speaking up, making a difference, and following your dreams. Wouldn’t you know that as I reimagine my  business, I have been taking courses, listening to podcasts, and reading books about these very things. We’re all just kids still figuring out how to make those dreams come true, aren’t we?

As a young girl I devoured books and wrote stories and poems. In college I became an English major (many books and much writing), and in grad school I pursued a graduate degree in Education (loved all subjects but especially all things literacy). As a classroom teacher for 12 years I became a coach and mentor working to make sure my quiet students were heard, that all students discovered their strengths and especially their voice during our writers’ workshop. Publishing my students’ stories and hosting an annual Authors’ Tea for families was my delight. It was always a magical night! After my first son was diagnosed with Cornelia deLange Syndrome, I pivoted from classroom teaching to leading writing workshops, camps, story times with my son tagging along, and selling children’s books…always celebrating the stories that connect us and the power of words to effect change.

It turns out that my son, Benjamin, has extremely limited speech due to apraxia. His brain is unable to make and deliver correct movement directions to his lips, jaw, and tongue. Thankfully he is able to say “mom” and “dad” along with “hi” and “bye”! He is able to communicate his wants and needs by using a speech app on an iPad, and that has made all the difference. And believe me, he has found his voice!

​There is so much to love about these books! As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (which should be celebrated every month IMO) and prepare to vote in our local, state, and national elections we can share history and empowering fiction with our children!
📚
Equality’s Call is about the history of voting rights in America written in rhyming text by Deborah Diesen. I love the powerful illustrations by Magdalena Mora. The preface, endnotes, and glossary will help with a deeper dive into history. My fifth grader enjoyed this as a read aloud since it included more detailed information. I’m a big fan of sharing picture books with older kids!
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Separate is Never Equal is such an informative, important book about the fight for desegregation in California by the Mendez family. Duncan Tonatiuh is a fabulous author and incredible illustrator. I look forward to checking out his other books! This story is so detailed and rich. I love that it includes a glossary and photos of the families involved in this historic moment in our nation’s history!
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Last but not least is the inspiring story of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts. Sofia and her Abuelo encounter a problem in their neighborhood that Sofia decides to change. She takes her idea all the way to city hall, not without a little trepidation. The run around she gets at city hall will sound familiar to anyone who has tried to create change at the local level. Sofia’s determination and coalition building are a great example to encourage change makers in our communities!

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Interest Level: 3 to 8 years
Author: Britney Winn Lee
Illustrator: Jacob Souva
Publisher: Beaming Books, 2019
Retail: $17.99

Are you raising or teaching a child with big feelings? The Boy with Big, Big Feelings is such a great book and is a great way to start a conversation to validate all the feelings our young ones experience! As a sensitive mom herself to two boys with sensory processing disorder (SPD) and social anxiety, I definitely recognized familiar scenes in this sweet book. It features a sensitive little boy whose feelings are so big that they show up in his body. The shadows at night, the rumble of a truck, or a change in plans lead to big emotions. The boy in the book even feels the feelings of those around him, something my now ten-year-old recently shared happens to him. One day on the playground the boy meets a friend who feels things a little extra big, too. In sharing their big hearts, they also discover that other children experience big emotions and that feelings aren’t meant to be hidden away.

Beaming Books shares six ways to help little ones with big feelings:
*Celebrate Sensitivity
*Rehearse Transitions
*Give Language
*Stay Steady
*Maintain Boundaries
*Discuss Your Feelings, too.

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The storyline in The Boy With Big, Big Feelings reminds me in many ways of one of my favorite books from Barefoot Books, The Boy Who Grew Flowers! Rink Bowagon is a shy boy who has a very unique talent of sprouting flowers all over his body whenever there is a full moon. Because he is shy and different, his horrible teacher puts him at the back of the room and his classmates ignore him. One day a new girl joins the class, and Rink's life is changed forever. I won't give the story away but will say that it melts my heart each time I read it. The new girl, Angelina Quiz not only has one leg shorter than the other but also holds a secret that deepens their friendship that much more. 

​At the time I first read this story my oldest son had been recently diagnosed with a genetic syndrome called Cornelia deLange Syndrome or CdLS. We didn't know anything about CdLS but first impressions from the research showed a life of challenges and a grim prognosis. Though our little boy was born "different" from most, we loved him unconditionally as our little Benjamin. It was worrisome to think that he would grow up in a world where people wouldn't love and care for him the way we did. Reading The Boy Who Grew Flowers brought so many tears as Rink's differences are embraced by a new friend. It melted my heart and will always be one of my favorites. When I learned that the author, Jen Wojtowicz, wrote it in recognition of her brother who has autism, it meant even more. Jen is an artist who happens to write and teaches artists who also happen to have disabilities. I am so grateful she created this beautiful, well-written story and that Steve Adams brought it to life with his dreamy illustrations. I am also incredibly grateful to have met many people over the past 14 years who embrace our joyful, unique son, Benjamin, and see him and not his disabilities first. He is Benjamin who happens to have CdLS.