Blog Archives
Medieval Mashup
Medieval Mashup by Charlene McIver is about a boy named Leigh who wants nothing more than to win the school’s Medieval costume contest. Leigh is in a wheelchair and wants to prove that despite his disability, he can be cool, brave, and strong. His friends Cosmo and Tara try to help Leigh come up with ideas, but he doesn’t like any of them. Leigh gets angry with his friends for suggesting silly or impractical ideas for his wheelchair. Eventually, Leigh gets tired of their ideas and rolls outside for a few minutes to collect himself. After taking a break, Leigh realizes he needs to rethink and lets his friends help him come up with a fun costume that is funny and strong.
I love how Cosmo and Tara accept Leigh the way that he is and encourage him to embrace being himself. He is naturally silly, so he should not try and hide that part of himself or change just to fit in with the “cool” kids.
His friends accept his disability and do not treat him as less of a friend because of it. Instead, they try and include him in all their fun ideas, and when he mentions that he can’t do something because of his wheelchair, they problem-solve to come up with a solution that will work. The message to children that they can be creative and find solutions is excellent in a world where many people look for a quick answer.
This well-written picture book is illustrated by Caroline Keys, and is filled with images of inclusion, realistic situations, and expressive characters. As this children’s book focuses on emotions, seeing the characters’ faces so clearly helps young readers understand the feelings that Leigh and his friends are going through.
Medieval Mashup is a heartwarming picture book about inclusion, friendship, and confidence. The children in the story are relatable to young readers and will help them develop their own confidence and see what real friendship looks like.
Pages: 34 | ISBN : 0648417883
Billy Be Kind: Making A New Friend
Billy Be Kind: Making A New Friend is about a shy girl named Lucy-Lou that wants to make friends at the playground. Each day she plays alone or sits on the bench by herself. One day while Lucy-Lou plays alone on the swings, a mouse named Billy asks for a ride on the swing with her. Together they play, and Lucy-Lou smiles for the first time at the playground. She and Billy become friends. Billy teaches Lucy-Lou how to make new friends so she won’t be alone at the park anymore, and she too can make other shy kids smile.
Author Kim Adams and illustrator Ayesha W. have created a heartwarming picture book that teaches children how to make new friends. The story reads easily with some rhymes, and the illustrations are bright and bold. The book explains that making friends happens in four simple steps: Say hello, Smile, Share, Play nicely and take turns. The simple language is perfect for preschoolers to understand, and when accompanied by vivid illustrations, children will actively engage with this beautiful story.
One thing that stands out in this delightful children’s book is all the diversity that is pictured. For example, children from various ethnic backgrounds and different abilities are pictured playing at the park. This is a great message to show children that you can still make friends and play together no matter what you look like. The message of diversity and inclusion is presented through the pictures and is a great way to open conversations with children about accepting everyone for who they are, no matter how different from you they are.
Billy Be Kind: Making A New Friend is a captivating picture book for preschoolers and kindergarten students. Teachers and parents can use this book to teach kids about making friends and including everyone when playing. It is a wonderful book that would be a great addition to a library.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B09PZH8MFJ
Oh, No …Hacked Again!
Oh, No… Hacked Again! A Story About Online Safety by Zinet Kemal is based on her own children’s experiences with internet safety. Seeing her children go through this experience, led her to write a book so other families can avoid some of the dangers of the internet.
This informative children’s book is written from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl. It is broken out into five chapters, the story begins, the panic, the take over, doing the right thing, and the lesson. I really liked how the author broke the story down in this way. There is a lot of important information in this book and if it was not broken out I feel some children would get overwhelmed or lost. Breaking things out into chapters like this allows for an adult to read to or with the child and pause to discuss what happened and how they feel or relate to the story.
Elham loves to play online games and has had the unfortunate experience of being too trusting of people she meets online. Twice she had her game account hacked, she lost everything she had worked for. Kids today that play Minecraft and Roblox will be able to relate to how much work goes into collecting everything and making the perfect avatar. They are also constantly bombarded by the ads to earn free currency and all too often those scams look real. This book explains how, if it sounds too good to be true it is, and if you are unsure always ask an adult.
At the end of this important story is a page of lessons learned from the book, the number one lesson, never ever share your password with anyone, no matter how much they claim to be your best friend and are going to help you. It goes over other internet safety rules that parents can walk their children through and discuss. There is also a page on internet vocabulary so when discussing these topics they can look up words they may not have heard before.
Oh, No… Hacked Again! A Story About Online Safety is a practical children’s book to introduce the idea of computer safety to young elementary kids through middle grades. The message is told in a language that is easy to understand and the artwork fits well with the story.
Pages: 30 | ASIN : B09M85Y31J
The Importance Of Representation
Proud in Her Hijab follows a young Muslim girl that is teased at school over her hijab and shows how she deals with the feelings it causes. What was the inspiration for your story?
I am a mom of four amazing children – 2 girls and 2 boys. The inspirations are also my kids, their years of questions they bring from school as they get asked about their hair type, braid styles, and my girls’ hijab. There aren’t many books about hijab and we already have most of them that are out there so during the pandemic we decided to write our story with characters and names that look like our family. I can’t stress enough the importance of representation and how my girls feel empowered seeing and walking to this book in their respective classrooms. The main message is to uplift and empower girls who choose to wear hijab and be proud of their identities. Also to create awareness for readers about the importance of appreciating diversity and inclusion and embedding appreciation for other’s faith and cultural differences.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Mia Hay?
Mia Hay is the formatter and designer of the book. She is awesome and very professional. I didn’t have a good experience working with the illustrator being unprofessional and not delivering on time. However, Mia stepped in to finish and finalize the missing pieces and designed the book. She is also my 2nd book’s designer and we are very aligned working together. I wanted to thank her.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Besides the two important lessons mentioned above. The book outlines the main themes of the book at the back. Such as
Be proud of who you are, your beliefs and embrace your identities.
Respect and be kind to everyone including to those who are different from you.
Be brave and stand up for yourself.
Don’t shy away from sharing what you go through. It’s ok to share you feelings to your family and friends.
Get to know someone before judging them.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Yes. I just released my 2nd children’s book titled “Oh, No …Hacked Again!” It’s a story teaching children the importance of online safety and sparking interest for young readers to pursue the field of STEM esp. cybersecurity as a future career option.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
“Is she bald?”
“Is her hair dirty?”
There is a fine line between curiosity and ridicule.
Iman must find courage to face the school children.
Proud in Her Hijab is a story that empowers and uplifts girls who choose to wear a hijab while encouraging friendship and respect.
If you are looking for a hijab story of inspiration & courage for your children and loved ones, look no further.
This book is for you!
“A relatable tale of pride and identity that is paired neatly with colorful and expressive illustrations. The summary of themes at the end of the book is a good review for younger readers, and offers a chance for conversation and discussion for parents reading with a child. Kemal has crafted a heartwarming and practical book that elevates kindness, patience, understanding, and cultural sensitivity, which is an essential message for any faith.” Self-Publishing Review
The Wings of Adversity
The Wings of Adversity by Vanessa Caraveo is a collection of poems with the general theme of learning from one’s adversities and hurdles that life throws at you. It is an inspiring and powerful work that pushes you to break the shackles designed to hold you down and use them as a boost instead to propel yourself into greatness.
This inspirational collection of poetry is divided into three different sections: “Illness and Disability”, “Cultural Adversity”, “Heroes of Adversity”, “Empowerment through adversity”. Each section focuses on specific themes while following the book’s broader theme. Each poem is unique and follows varied rhyming schemes and structures. This is visible while reading the poems and in the visual layout with center/left alignment, the spacing between the sentences, and the length of the sentences. The visual appearance is just as important as the words in these poems.
The collection covers a wide variety of topics and experiences to ensure that people can find something for themselves, something that speaks uniquely to them. Some of the themes are heavy and moving, while others are motivating and inspirational. It tries to cover the diverse experiences that people from various backgrounds face in the world. Rather than trying to fit it all into one mold, the collection celebrates this uniqueness and tries to cover and honor this diversity.
The best part about this book is that it ends every poem positively. It doesn’t shun out the negatives; instead, it embraces them. It tries to overcome adversity not by avoiding it but by embracing it and coming out of it flying.
The Wings of Adversity is an uplifting collection of poetry for the worn-out souls battered by life’s challenges. If you are looking for something inspirational and motivational, this is the book for you. Readers can keep this book at hand and come back to it again and again or even share it with others in need of a few words of inspiration.
Pages: 115 | ASIN : B08PG286QQ
Proud in Her Hijab
Iman is teased at lunch one day by her classmates that do not understand what the hijab is and what it means. She goes home really upset and tells her family what happened. Iman’s mother, sister, and brother validate her feelings and help her see how she is not odd and has no reason to be ashamed of her hijab. They have a long conversation about each of their differences and how they each feel about their different hairstyles. Her mother reminds her that doing hair together is part of their family bonding and traditions.
Proud in Her Hijab: A Story of Family Strength, Empowerment, and Identity is a heartwarming picture book that will not only educate but help young girls feel confident in their choices. While this story focuses on a young Muslim girl wearing her hijab, the message does apply to all children because everyone is unique.
Author Zinet Kemal has written a beautiful children’s book in a way that is conversational, easy to understand, and relatable to children in elementary school. Kemal delicately approaches a difficult topic. Rather than just brushing it off after the family talks, Iman confronts her classmates to educate them and let them know their behavior is hurtful. Iman learns to take pride in her identity and speak up for herself, this is a great message to pass on to young children, especially girls.
This colorful picture book is illustrated by Mia Hay. The illustrations are bold and bright, and the characters are brought to life through these striking images. The combination of the fantastic illustrations and Kemal’s description of the hijab will draw in young readers and encourage them to learn more.
Proud in Her Hijab: A Story of Family Strength, Empowerment, and Identity is a well-conceived and educational picture book for young readers. This is an excellent resource for teachers and parents to teach about diversity and inclusion, different cultures, and kindness.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B099NX1GTV
Bullying is a Global Problem
Lilbeebye Stings Bully follows a young girl as she uses her secret powers to change the heart of bullies into kind and caring people. What was the inspiration for your story?
I know that bullying is a global problem in today’s world. Especially in the black community, many of those kids come from broken homes. And was never taught how to love one another; what was related to me in my book is that I always tried to bring peace.
What is the one thing you hope children take away from reading this book?
I hope kids can learn from my book the importance of respect, apologies, and loving each other.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book Lilbeebye Goes To A New School will be outs soon. It’s about lilbeebye having an issue with bullies as she tries to meet new friends.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
The Trouble With Belonging
The Trouble with Belonging by Magdalena Stanhof is the heartfelt, riveting story of Kehuan, who spent most of his childhood struggling with identity, moving, and traveling around the world, becoming familiar with this ethnicity and family history. As Kehuan adjusts to a new life abroad, he experiences isolation, struggles to fit in and find his bearings. With no family roots, close friends, or a sense of belonging, he quickly learns to become independent, adjusting to a path of solitude from a young age.
The author narrates the story with an even pace that’s both exciting and engaging so that the reader essentially travels alongside Kehuan to explore life with him. Kehuan learns quickly that he’s an outsider and finds a connection with Niki, a free-spirited girl who shares his passion for life and discovery. Kehuan struggles with his lack of social skills and feeling withdrawn. Together, Niki and Kehuan find a space where they can explore their authentic, creative side while at the same time learning to survive a childhood riddled with emotional trauma, abuse, and tragedy.
This fascinating coming-of-age story is rich with solid character development, self-reflection, and learning how to survive in a place without feeling a sense of belonging. As Kehuan grows into his new life with Niki, he quickly learns that his struggles of feeling alone persist amid many difficult situations and incidents.
The Trouble with Belonging by Magdalena Stanhof is an evocative book exploring compelling themes of human nature and the need for connection. It’s a vivid and raw story of the realities of growing up as an outcast and learning to navigate life with a sense of purpose and belonging. Readers will be captivated by its down-to-earth and engaging story of turbulent teenage love, loss, and identity.
Pages: 762 | ASIN : B09KQ9T8WM
LITERARY TITAN 