Why do some people cover their hair? It’s probably a question most kids ask when they see a hijab or head wrap- and maybe some adults too! As a teacher and a mom trying to raise my kids to have respect for people of all faiths, I welcome their curiosity. The custom of covering your head or hair is shared in cultures from around the world! Although they may look different, head coverings are a way to be respectful and show their love of God.
The stunning book Hats of Faith, by Medeia Cohan and illustrated by Sarah Walsh, features 9 different commonly seen head coverings including the Turban, Hijab, Rata Hat, Patka, Tichel, Chunni, Topi, Kippah and Head Wrap. It is a wonderful conversation starter, and kids begin to notice the beautiful diversity in our communities:
In true global education, kids begin to understand that there are many different ways of doing things and solving problems. No way is superior or inferior, there are just varying perspectives. I love the message that we are united in a common custom, instead of “othered.” In Hats of Faith, readers get to see people from world religions using common head coverings: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Rastafarian. Written for kids 1-6, I think this little book could be used even with older kids as a starting point to learning about world religions and customs. What a beautiful thing, to be able to recognize and appreciate cultural differences! Check out the gorgeous illustrations from Hats of Faith:
If you head over to www.hatsoffaith.com, you can download 3 different coloring sheets featuring images from the Hats of Faith for free (see the middle image above!). It’s a neat way that early childhood educators and parents can reinforce the book after reading. Customers can also purchase donation copies of the book for half price to be donated to a library, school or children’s hospital.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/18) is in its 5th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.
Current Sponsors: MCBD 2018 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board.
2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors
HONORARY: Children’s Book Council, Junior Library Guild
PLATINUM:Scholastic Book Clubs
GOLD:Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Loving Lion Books, Second Story Press, Star Bright Books, Worldwide Buddies
SILVER:Capstone Publishing, Author Charlotte Riggle, Child’s Play USA, KidLit TV, Pack-n-Go Girls, Plum Street Press
BRONZE: Barefoot Books, Carole P. Roman, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dr. Crystal Bowe, Gokul! World, Green Kids Club, Gwen Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Juan J. Guerra, Language Lizard, Lee & Low Books, RhymeTime Storybooks, Sanya Whittaker Gragg, TimTimTom Books, WaterBrook & Multnomah, Wisdom Tales Press
2018 Author Sponsors
Honorary Author Sponsors: Author/Illustrator Aram Kim and Author/Illustrator Juana Medina
Author Janet Balletta, Author Susan Bernardo, Author Carmen Bernier-Grand, Author Tasheba Berry-McLaren and Space2Launch, Bollywood Groove Books, Author Anne Broyles, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Eugenia Chu, Author Lesa Cline-Ransome, Author Medeia Cohan and Shade 7 Publishing, Desi Babies, Author Dani Dixon and Tumble Creek Press, Author Judy Dodge Cummings, Author D.G. Driver, Author Nicole Fenner and Sister Girl Publishing, Debbi Michiko Florence, Author Josh Funk, Author Maria Gianferrari, Author Daphnie Glenn, Globe Smart Kids, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Author Quentin Holmes, Author Esther Iverem, Jennifer Joseph: Alphabet Oddities, Author Kizzie Jones, Author Faith L Justice , Author P.J. LaRue and MysticPrincesses.com, Author Karen Leggett Abouraya, Author Sylvia Liu, Author Sherri Maret, Author Melissa Martin Ph.D., Author Lesli Mitchell, Pinky Mukhi and We Are One, Author Miranda Paul, Author Carlotta Penn, Real Dads Read, Greg Ransom, Author Sandra L. Richards, RealMVPKids Author Andrea Scott, Alva Sachs and Three Wishes Publishing, Shelly Bean the Sports Queen, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Gayle H. Swift Author Elsa Takaoka, Author Christine Taylor-Butler, Nicholette Thomas and MFL Publishing Author Andrea Y. Wang, Author Jane Whittingham Author Natasha Yim
We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.
TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/27/18 at 9:00pm.
Join the conversation and win one of 12-5 book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party! http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/twitter-party-great-conversations-fun-prizes-chance-readyourworld-1-27-18/
Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
Thanks so much for your support of Multicultural Children’s Book Day from the very beginning Becky. It is much appreciated! I love this book and your review of it!
I’m really excited about this book. What an excellent way of focusing on commonality instead of differences! Thank you for a wonderful review!