Children’s literature is an important gateway to nurture a love for reading among youth. It can help develop a lifelong love for books of all kinds, which in turn sharpens critical thinking, analyzation skills, and even social awareness. However, although many children’s titles focus on a broad range of lessons, some parents have a hard time finding books on cultural education.
Celebrities Jada Pinkett and Will Smith decided to combat this problem head-on, and have authored several books for their then-young children on the African-American culture and experience. They enlisted talented artists to illustrate their books, and the result was a fresh addition to the body of children’s literature. These include Just the Two of Us by Will Smith, and Girls Hold up This World by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Multicultural children’s literature is a powerful medium that brings about compassion, peace, and improved understanding towards our fellow human beings and their differing experiences.
A large part of a child’s learning comes from what they are exposed to, so to plant the seed for well-rounded individuals, consider children’s literature that places a priority on community, humanity and tolerance. Instilling important teachings leads to mutual understanding, peace, and humanitarian coexistence.
When you encourage your children to discover the magic of books, you awaken passion for storytelling within them, and allows you to present current issues in a format they understand. But that’s not all that the genre is good for: expat parents may use works published by local authors to educate their kids about the culture and local customs of their host country.
Reading is a wonderful activity that expands our minds, sharpens our language skills, and brings us together as we share our love for literature with one another!
If you would like to support authors in the UAE, head over to the Sharjah International Book Fair which runs from November 2 to 12, and features a great selection of books, many by Emirati authors. Join us for a Multicultural Children’s Literature Paint and Dine, featuring children’s illustrator Vern Brown on November 23. Visit: http://meetu.ps/e/C4zFB/mBzqH/a
