SPREAD THE LOVE. IT'S INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S BOOK DAY! by Rula Sinara & Catherine Lanigan

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RULA: Our future begins with our children. Today is International Children’s Book Day and while that may not sound like it has anything to do with romance, it actually does.

The romance genre is about love and no one loves as open-heartedly as babies and young children. It’s saddens me that I have to specify ‘young children’, but unfortunately as kids grow up, they become more and more influenced by a world in which walls are put up to divide people based on our differences. They’re taught (subconsciously…or not) that sorting goes beyond the colored blocks and different shapes they arrange in pre-school…to human beings. It’s a horrible fact. But it can and should change. All of us, from human to kitten to duckling and any other baby you can think of, are born with an infinite supply of love for EVERYONE. Racism and prejudice of any kind (I’m including color, race, gender, sexual orientation and anything else that makes us beautifully diverse) is taught. That has to stop if we have any hope for a better world and future.

That hope lies in our children. In future generations. And it can all begin with children’s books. (Note: I apologize for photo quality but these pics were taken of books right off my kids' shelves.)


As readers (whether of romance or other genres) we all know that books are an inexpensive way to travel the world and experience ways of life we might otherwise never have the chance to experience. Books—whether fiction or non-fiction—teach us. THAT is why it’s so important to diversify the books and stories our children hear or read (depending on age) right from the start. Whether picture books, board books or the more complex stories/series our kids read from elementary school on up, the shelves in our kids’ bedrooms, school/public libraries and bookstores should be diverse and inclusive. There should be stories on their shelves that reflect the beauty of different cultures and sub-cultures, different countries, the many ways to make up a family and more. They should be written by authors that span the globe and they should include authors of color (all non-white races). The books our children are exposed to should be as diverse as the world we live in. Let them travel through books. Let them experience different ways of life. Let them see that we are all equal. Not everyone grows up in a diverse community. They are born with the kind of love in their hearts that doesn’t discriminate. Let’s keep it that way. 


It’s also important that our children see role models in books. The fact is that there are places (towns, communities etc…) that are rather homogeneous in this world and the kids that grow up in them may never see the rest of the world beyond what they are exposed to online. And this isn’t limited to cultures and race. This includes having role models in books for ALL kids (insert any marginalized or minority group here you can think of or any group underrepresented in books…including the authors of the books). It’s International Children’s Book Day. Let it be a reminder that books can be one way in which we bring the world together. Let children’s books be one way in which we can break down barriers. 


Let our children grow up knowing that love and respect and dignity are human rights.

CATHERINE: I concur! And a few more international books...


Amazon (Note this book comes in so many translations it's incredible. Scroll down for more versions here on Amazon)

What are some of your favorite children's books from around the world?


Love to all,

Rula & Catherine


Out now...
Amazon

Amazon (Book 10 Shores of Indian Lake)

And coming soon...
Preorder on Amazon (out June 2019) - Book 1 of Rula's new Turtleback Beach series

Preorder on Amazon (out May 2019) - Book 11 of Catherine's Shores of Indian Lake series
And Catherine's Mills & Boon version of the same book...gorgeous!



Comments

  1. So loved this post, Rula and Catherine. I’m a retired teacher-librarian who saw loud, slightly unruly teens instantly settle down when I pulled out a picture book to read to them or a first chapter of a new YA. I loved to read to my children and still buy books for their adult selves. Favourites included most of the ones you’ve attached and Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden and on and on. Your upcoming releases promise hours of pleasure!

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    1. Janice, I loved your reply. There is such a world awaiting children within the pages of books. When I lived in Quito, Ecuador for three years and knew the children of my friends there, I was so impressed that they wanted to learn English and then again, I wanted to learn Spanish. Picture books helped us both tremendously. What a special day this is for both Rula and me since she lived in Kenya for years working with children there.

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    2. Janice, that's so wonderful. I loved Anne of Green Gables. I also loved the first TV series but I'm loving the new one on Netflix, Anne with an E, even more. And what you mention about books helping kids to settle down is so true. Books are an escape from stresses kids feel growing up. They can also give them characters and situations that show they're not alone with all they experience growing up (growing pains). And books can make them laugh when they need it most!

      I do have to jump in and clarify that, though I lived in Africa for years, it was as a child and not in Kenya specifically. I did travel a lot growing up and the school I went to in North Africa had students from all over the world. It was very international and my fondest memories are from my years there. And one of my favorite places at the school? The library of course :).

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  2. A wonderful post. I have a friend who recently wrote a children's book, and when she read it aloud to another friend and me, I realized the joy of being read to is one that never goes away.

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    1. Reading to others is still a bonding and comforting pastime, no matter our age. Today, with so many caregivers out there tending to the infirm and elderly, I am learning the value of printed books that they can read out loud to the blind and near deaf. My four grandnieces, on the verge of constant hyperactivity, settle down instantaneously when the books come out. Thanks for stopping by, Liz.

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    2. So true, Liz! And congrats to your friend on her new book.

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  3. Thanks for this--my mother was a children's literature specialist-librarian, and her mission was finding and spreading the word about the wonderful stories that spoke of the beauty of diversity and the richness of various cultures. And preserving the planet as well. She'd be cheering your post!

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    1. Oh, thank you, Virginia. What a blessed and lovely soul she must have been. It's so important for our children to learn of other cultures and see that the world has so many colors and variations. There are not enough avenues these days, despite our technology, that emphasize this enough.

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    2. Virginia, I wish I knew your mom! That's so cool and wonderful. She sounds like a person after my own heart...with preserving the planet too!

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  4. Lovely post! I am always searching for new books for my daughters. We had a really great discussion after reading The Water Princess by Susan Verde. It's about an African girl who has to walk for miles all day with her mother to collect water. And reading to your children or to other people's children is such a kind expression of love.

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    1. Elizabeth, I was just talking to a patient and she said that at every baby shower, she gives books and never clothes because the children grow out of clothes, but the books remain forever. The stories stay with the child and that comforting, nurturing time of being read to stays with the child all their lives. WOW!

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    2. Oh my gosh, Elizabeth, that book sounds so good. I'm going to look it up and get it. Like Catherine, I usually give books at baby showers and birthdays for the same reasons!

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  5. Great post. Our local RWA chapter collects children's books for a group that gives them away to kids who have parents in prison or for other reasons have been taken away from parents. They love that we give them the books as some of the children have never owned a book of their own before.

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    1. Oh, Roz. Isn't that wonderful and touching? My book coming out in May touches on Foster Children once again in my town of Indian Lake. We forget how little these children have through no fault of their own. I've donated clothes and diapers, but the one thing I haven't done is donate books. Well, thanks to you, THAT will change. Thanks for being here today for us.

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    2. I love what your chapter is doing, Roz!

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  6. I love your selections. Picture books can bring us together.

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    1. Hi, Beth! I had fun looking around for foreign translations and there were still many more. Children's books have always fascinated me, not just for the story and the lessons they teach, but for the look into the world of the illustrators. They have a unique eye and to translate their visions in their heads to paper is more than genius to me...it's a miracle.

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  7. Wonderful post. I love children's books very much and read to my grandchildren as often as I possibly can.

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    1. You are so lucky to have little ones to read to. My granddaughter is 21. Hmm. A bit different.

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    2. That's wonderful, Carla. I started reading to my kids while they were still in my belly and we have many board books that I read so often I still have them memorized to this day!

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