Hey Artists!
Did you know that January 26th is the 10th Anniversary of Multicultural Children’s Book Day? It’s a day to bring attention to all the amazing children’s books celebrating diversity. This book review + craft was inspired by the book, “A Special Little Girl”, by Derrick Washington.
About Derrick Washington
Derrick Jakolby Washington is an innovative, insightful and ambitious nonprofit executive with over 12 years of local government, higher education and nonprofit leadership. He has a particular passion for working with diverse populations.
A Special Little Girl
What a precious book of love for this special little girl! This book is an excellent example of how a family can unite to make someone feel supported and valued. The book is colorful, with whimsical and expressive drawings of the girl and each family member. I read this book with my 6-year-old and 11-year-old daughters. My youngest thought the book was sweet because of how much her family praised the little girl. My oldest also liked the book but didn’t gather from the wording that the girls’ struggle had to do specifically with Autism. I have family members on the spectrum and would have liked to see more context about what Autism is so kids that don’t know could understand this little girl’s struggle. All in all, this book is a message of love and support, no matter our differences.
Click the video below to see Derrick Washington talk about his niece, the inspiration for this book.
*I received a copy of A Special Little Girl book free in exchange for offering an honest review.
Autism Awareness - Puzzle Cube
Now it’s craft time! After reading A Special Little Girl, I wanted to create a craft that brought support, love, and awareness to Autism in a creative way. The result was this super fun and even magical Autism Awareness Puzzle Cube! Click the button below to download this FREE craft and make your own.
Craft Supplies
- Autism Awareness Puzzle Cube Craft Printable
- Copy paper
- Colored Pencils
- Scissors
- Elmer's Glue
- Tape
Gather your materials. Click on the purple button above to print out the Autism Awareness Puzzle Cube craft sheets in the images below. Copy paper is fine for this craft. You will need four copies of the page with the cubes.
Take your colored pencils and color away!
Cut out each image and set them aside for now (not all images appear in the picture below)
Next, cut out the cube shapes and tape them together. You should have eight cubes in total. Watch the video below to see how to put the cubes together.
Now we have to tape these cubes together. It's pretty detailed, so follow along with the video below for step-by-step instructions.
Next, cut your colored pictures into smaller squares (follow the dotted lines). Then you will glue the picture sets onto your cube. Look at the slideshow below for reference.
Great job! Show off your craft and your thoughts about what it means to you!
Share your creations with Ao and Tauri on social media!
About MCBD
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2023 (1/26/22) is in its 10th 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.
Ten 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 2023 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr’s (Audreypress.com)
🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages
🏅 Gold Sponsors: Interlink Books, Publisher Spotlight
🏅 Silver Sponsors: Cardinal Rule Press, Lee & Low, Barefoot Books, Kimberly Gordon Biddle
🏅 Bronze Sponsors: Vivian Kirkfield, Patrice McLaurin , Quarto Group, Carole P. Roman, Star Bright Books, Redfin.com, Redfin Canada, Bay Equity Home Loans, Rent.com, Title Forward, Brunella Costagliola Bronze Sponsor
Poster Artist: Lisa Wee
Classroom Kit Poster: Led Bradshaw
MCBD 2023 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!
Authors: Sivan Hong, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Josh Funk , Stephanie M. Wildman, Gwen Jackson, Diana Huang, Afsaneh Moradian, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Eugenia Chu, Jacqueline Jules, Alejandra Domenzain, Gaia Cornwall, Ruth Spiro, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Kiyanda and Benjamin Young/Twin Powers Books, Kimberly Lee , Tameka Fryer Brown, Talia Aikens-Nuñez, Marcia Argueta Mickelson, Kerry O’Malley Cerra, Jennie Liu, Heather Murphy Capps, Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney, John Coy, Irene Latham and Charles Waters, Maritza M Mejia, Lois Petren, J.C. Kato and J.C.², CultureGroove, Lindsey Rowe Parker, Red Comet Press, Shifa Saltagi Safadi, Nancy Tupper Ling, Deborah Acio, Asha Hagood, Priya Kumari, Chris Singleton, Padma Venkatraman, Teresa Robeson, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Martha Seif Simpson, Rochelle Melander, Alva Sachs, Moni Ritchie Hadley, Gea Meijering, Frances Díaz Evans, Michael Genhart, Angela H. Dale, Courtney Kelly, Queenbe Monyei, Jamia Wilson, Charnaie Gordon, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Debbie Zapata, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman, Natasha Yim, Tracy T. Agnelli, Kitty Feld, Anna Maria DiDio, Ko Kim, Shachi Kaushik, Shanequa Waison-Rattray, Susan S. El Yazgi, Shirim Shamsi
MCBD 2023 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts!
MCBD 2023 is Honored to be Supported by these Media Partners!
Check out MCBD’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
📌 FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day
- MCBD 2023 Poster
- Mental Health Support for Stressful Times Classroom Kit
- Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents
- Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit
- Gallery of Our Free Posters
- FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program
📌 Register for the MCBD Read Your World Virtual Party
Join us on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 9 pm EST for the 10th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Read Your World Virtual Party!
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 26, 2023, at our virtual party!