In this second article by Ndah Mbawa from Happier Every Chapter, she highlights her top choices for diverse and inclusive titles as we approach the festive season.
There’s no lie in this…most characters in children’s Christmas books are white. Whether the characters are Santa Claus or otherwise, Christmas picture books with diverse characters are only slightly less rare than hen’s teeth. If you are like me, you are bored stiff of the offer of low-hanging fruit like The Nutcracker. Whilst a good story and great history lesson, sometimes one needs to step away from the first this or first that trope and just read a good story about ordinary people, a different cast of characters, cultures, family set-ups etc who are experiencing and enjoying the joy of Christmas. So imagine my joy when I found the incredible gem that is Sarah’s Two Nativities! It had to be our book of the month for our Cracking Christmas box last December! And that is no mean feat given that the other book was Grace at Christmas.
Janine Fraser stuns in Sarah’s Two Nativities. Sarah, a young girl with parents from different religious and cultural backgrounds, navigates the beauty of celebrating two unique nativities. This story beautifully portrays the power of family, unity, and the true meaning of Christmas. The children were captivated by the vibrant illustrations and the heartfelt message this book conveys. I won’t lie, even as an adult, I found the message in this book incredibly impactful.
As educators, you know ensuring children not only read widely and diversely but also build a rich vocabulary and strong communication skills holds so much power than it’s given credit for.
Our December this year boxes and bundles ship 15th December. They include bestsellers only and are a perfect intervention for low attaining children! This month, our books of the month, worksheets and gifts are celebrating Christmas, Hannukah and Diwali.
To find out more about the book bundles from Happier Every Chapter, email Ndah and the team at hello@happiereverychapter.com for more information. Bundles come with 10+ books as regularly as you’d like. They have different subscription plans for individual children and come with up to 5 books each month for children in the 0-14 age range. With 25% off the first box on monthly subscription boxes for individual children, you are in for quite a treat! Worksheets included help to deepen comprehension while the gifts make unboxing so much more exciting.
