Pages

Mama Panya's Pancake {Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Celebrating Diversity in Children's Literature}



We're a multicultural familia and I'm always on the look out for books that celebrate diversity.  So I was super excited for the opportunity to become a book reviewer for the Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Celebrating Diversity in Children's Literature.  

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it.  I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. All opinions are my own. 
Mission: Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day, Mia and Valarie are on a mission to change all of that. Their mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these types of books into classrooms and libraries. Another goal of this exciting event is create a compilation of books and favorite reads that will provide not only a new reading list for the winter, but also a way to expose brilliant books to families, teachers, and libraries.

This event is brought to you by the co-creators of the Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Celebrating Diversity in Children's Literature event Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press, and the main sponsors: Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books Chronicle Books, and Susan Daniel Fayad: Author of My Grandfather’s Masbaha.

The book that I will be reviewing is courtesy of Barefoot Books a leader in multicultural children's publisher. Be sure to check out their  Barefoot Books' kids page for great ideas and activities that I'm sure your children will enjoy!  A special thanks to the folks  Barefoot Books for the opportunity to review the wonderful children's book Mama Panya's Pancakes. 

Both our son and I really love this book!  This is a story of a sweet little boy Adika, and his mother Mama Panya who are going to the market to buy flour. On their way there Adika invites everyone back to their home to have some pancakes. Mama Panya is a bit concerned that there won't be enough pancakes for everyone. The beautiful twist in this story is how Adika's invite has brought this community together.  All of Adika's guests show up with food, flour and milk; and together they share and enjoy a feast.

We enjoyed reviewing the references at the end of the book, and learning about village life in Kenya. My son's favorite part was reading about the flora and fauna of the country; and he was also mesmerized by the details of the illustrations. For example, the dog in the back barking at the mongoose while Adika and Mama Panya were talking, or the beautiful butterflies by the palm trees.

The authors Mary and Rich Chamberlin offer a delightful, and educational look into the life of a young Kenyan boy, and his mother.  This multicultural book is indeed a keeper!