Books Bring Us Together: August 2020 Book List

The Imagination Library’s Message of Diversity --

August may have come and gone, but your child’s August book from BEGIN WITH BOOKS is still very much HERE and quickly becoming a favorite.  As part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library’s book gifting program, you already know that it is just the right book for your child’s age and developmental stage.  But did you realize that it’s also been chosen to reflect the Imagination Library’s commitment to diversity, representation, and an acceptance of difference?  The Imagination Library serves children, families, and communities regardless of factors such as race, language, economic status, religion, etc., and it is important that all children see themselves reflected in the books they read.  Diverse stories bring people together and impart the message that, when it comes to our human bonds, we are more alike than we are different.  If the youngest among us hear this message early and often, the closer we will be to treating all people with the worth and dignity they deserve.  With this in mind, let’s have a look at your August book from BEGIN WITH BOOKS.

For Children Turning 5

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

The program’s commitment to diversity is on full display in this treasure of a book.  In it, a little Hispanic girl, Daisy Romona, takes young readers on a tour of her vibrant city on the back of her Papi’s motorcycle.  The setting is Quintero’s childhood home of Corona, California, which is as much a main character in the story as Daisy herself.  Hispanic parents will, no doubt, feel a sense of home and enjoy sharing the nostalgia of their community and customs with their preschooler.  In speech balloons, Spanish words are sprinkled throughout – “¡AGARRATE! HOLD ON!” “¡ADIÓS, MI REINA!” (Bye, my queen!).  As she and her Papi zoom through the streets, they pass familiar, and well-loved places, like Joy’s market and panadería (bakery); the construction site where her Papi works as a carpenter; her abuelitos’ (grandparents) old yellow house with the lemon tree, grown from seeds picked from the trees that once grew nearby.  Daisy’s city is changing rapidly, and this is just one of several hints of the gentrification taking place.  Her Papi is building houses on land that was once citrus groves, and Don Rudy’s Raspados de Frutas, Daisy’s favorite place for shaved ice, has just recently gone out of business.  The strong bond between Daisy and her Papi, and the love for her city, are heartwarming examples of the diversity message:  When it comes to family and community, we are more alike than we are different.

For Children Turning 4

This Beach is Loud! by Samantha Cotterill

This is a story about a sensitive boy who gets overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, and sensations of being on a crowded beach.  This book extends the program’s representation to include highly sensitive children, or those on the autism spectrum.  Using visual effects, bold colors, and sound words in big capital letters, Cotterill brilliantly captures the overwhelm the little boy is feeling.  Parents with a sensitive child will relate to the boy getting himself overly wound up with anticipation for the day ahead.  On the drive to the beach, he bombards his father with questions, showing an impressive knowledge of life in the sand. However, once he arrives, he soon becomes hypersensitive to the barrage of new stimuli coming at him.  “Daddy I don’t like the beach and I want to go home.  This sand is ouchy and sticky and bumpy and scratchy and Sharkie doesn’t feel the same and....”  Fortunately, his father recognizes these first signs of distress and immediately takes action with calming strategies to avoid a full meltdown. “Take a deep breath and give Sharkie a squeeze.  Now tap your fingers and count to three - You’ve got this.  1-2-3-tap… 1-2-3 tap.…”   Children do not need to be on the spectrum to feel affected by new situations.  All children are prone to outbursts as their brains develop and they learn how to respond to strong emotions.  Tantrums are just their way of expressing the frustration, fear, or anxiety they may be feeling.  By raising awareness, and empowering parents with strategies to respond to sensory overload, this excellent book promotes understanding of more sensitive children, or those on the spectrum.  Their little ones, in turn, are reassured, and perhaps a little less judgmental to children that may seem a little different from them.  Thank you, Imagination Library, for selecting this important book.

For Children Turning 3

Hair Love by Matthew A.  Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

In this wonderful slice-of-life story, we meet Zuri, a confident little girl who says her hair “has a mind of its own.”   It’s typical black hair that “kinks, coils, and curls every which way.”   The book was adapted from an Academy Award winning short by former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry.  The illustrations are provided by New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison.  Cherry says his aim was to normalize black hair and have African American girls see themselves represented, especially in the books they read.  Black hair has unique needs and requires the right tools and attention – “a pick, combed, parted, oiled and twisted.”  Not only does Hair Love support black hair, it celebrates individuality and encourages self-affirmation – “my hair lets me be me!”   The relationship between father and daughter is loving, nurturing, and respectful.  Is it any wonder this delightful, and timely, book is an Imagination Library selection?

For Infants and Children Turning 1 or 2

Red House, Tree House, Little Bitty Brown Mouse by Jane Godwin, illustrated by Blanca Gómes

Little Poems for Tiny Ears by Lin Oliver, illustrated by Tomie dePaola

The Pudgy Peek-A-Boo Book, illustrated by Amye Rosenberg. 

Every Imagination Library book is selected with intention. These books for infants and toddlers have been chosen for their developmental appropriateness, with bright bold illustrations, repetitive verse and rhythmic language.  While more subtle in their representation, the people on the pages are diverse in an attempt to reflect the ethnicities of their young readers.  Little Poems for Tiny Ears is illustrated by Tomie dePaola, one of the great illustrators of our time.  DePaola, who died on March 30 of this year, wrote and illustrated more than 250 children’s books over the course of his long career.  He was the recipient of many awards, including the coveted Caldecott and John Newbery Medals, as well as the prestigious Children’s Literacy Legacy Award for lifetime achievement.

So, when your child’s September book arrives in your mailbox, take a moment to consider the expert thought and attention that went into its selection.  Every book your child receives from BEGIN WITH BOOKS is spot-on developmentally for the age of your child AND reflects the Imagination Library’s commitment to diversity and equal representation.

 -- Caron Bell, PhD, Early Childhood Development, and beginwithbooks.org volunteer