MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S BOOK DAY! REVIEW OF BEAST RIDER BY TONY JOHNSTON & MARIA ELENA FONTANOT DE RHOADS
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| ABRAMS PRESS |
The brotherhood of Beast Riders is
lifting me in a huge hum of instructions, with great ferocity of purpose, with
a kind of love new to me.
Love that says, Stranger, we are in this together.
--Manuel
The
Latina Book Club is proud to be a blogger reviewer for Multicultural Children’s
Book Day – January 31, 2020. This year’s
book review is of the BEAST RIDER by Tony Johnston and Maria Elena Fontanot de
Rhoads (Abrams Press). Views expressed are our own.
Haunting.
Inspiring. Genuine.
BEAST
RIDER is a harrowing, thrilling, and emotional ride fraught with danger and
hope. It’s one boy’s journey across the
border to reconnect with his long lost brother. This very realistic tale is
about love, courage, family and growing up fast.
It’s
also frightening because it can – and does! -- happen. Young boys – girls, adults, elders – do ride “The
Beast,” the fast moving train from Mexico towards the U.S. 12-year old Manuel is such a boy. In this fictional tale, he leaves his small town
to join his older brother Toňo in Los Angeles. Neither the journey nor the ride
are easy. There are gangs, thieves,
corrupt police, etc., who prowl around The Beast. Manuel is not prepared for
the violence he encounters, but he does find strangers who help him on his way.
Third time proves lucky, and Manuel, now 15, finally makes it to L.A. and is reunited
with his brother in a strange new land.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Tony Johnston is the
award-winning author of more than 100 children’s books. She lives with her
family in San Marino, California. Maria Elena Fontanot de Rhoads is a Mexican
psychotherapist who specializes in childhood trauma. She lives in Mérida,
Mexico.
***
INFORMATION ABOUT MCBD ***
Multicultural Children’s Book
Day 2020 (1/31/20) is in its 7th year! This non-profit
children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen;
two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of
the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get
those book into the hands of young readers and educators. Seven years in,
MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books
that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.
MCBD 2020 is honored to have the following Medallion
Sponsors on board
Super
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Gold
Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO
BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,
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Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd &
B is for Breathe,
Bronze
Author Carole P. Roman, Snowflake Stories/Jill Barletti, Vivian Kirkfield & Making Their
Voices Heard. Barnes Brothers
Books, TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books, Charlesbridge Publishing, Barefoot Books Talegari Tales
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Jerry Craft, A.R.
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Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Kenneth
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GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Josh Funk and HOW TO CODE A ROLLERCOASTER,
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Adventures with Culture Groove, Lauren Ranalli, The Little Green Monster: Cancer
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Jackson, Angeliki
Pedersen & The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, BEST
#OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by
Mia Wenjen, Susan
Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher (Founders of Inner
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Morris & Do It Again!/¡Otra Vez!, Janet Balletta and Mermaids on
a Mission to Save the Ocean, Evelyn
Sanchez-Toledo & Bruna Bailando por el Mundo\ Dancing Around the World,
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Traveling Castle, Anna
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Wallace & My Big Brother Troy, Jocelyn Francisco and Little
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& Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess/La Ñusta Diminuta, Sara Arnold & The Big Buna Bash,
Roddie Simmons & Race 2 Rio, DuEwa
Frazier & Alice’s Musical Debut, Veronica
Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series Green Kids Club, Inc.
We’d
like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only
hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly
to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.
Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts
A
Crafty Arab, Afsaneh Moradian, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot
Mommy, Bethany Edward & Biracial Bookworms, Michelle
Goetzl & Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering
the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Educators Spin on
it, Shauna
Hibbitts-creator of eNannylink, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee
Read, Joel
Leonidas & Descendant of Poseidon Reads {Philippines}, Imagination
Soup, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s
Book Nook, The Logonauts,
Mama Smiles, Miss
Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid
Blogs, Serge Smagarinsky
{Australia}, Shoumi Sen, Jennifer Brunk & Spanish Playground, Katie
Meadows and Youth Lit Reviews
FREE RESOURCES
from Multicultural Children’s Book Day
· Our New FREE Teacher
Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit http://ow.ly/kcbZ30p3QWz
· Free
Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and
Educators
· Free
Understanding Developmental & Physical Challenges Classroom Kit
TWITTER PARTY! Register here! Twitter Party on Friday, January 31, 2020, from 9:00-10:00pm ET. Follow the #ReadYourWorld hashtag to join in
and win!
#MultiCulturalChildrensBookDay
#ReadLatinoLit