It may have rained all weekend in New York City, but inside it was warm and cozy, and LINC families were thrilled to cuddle up with a new book. This past Saturday, April 29, LINC’s Diversity Through Literacy campaign took The Bronx and Staten Island by storm with guest authors and free books for children in both boroughs.
The first stop on the Diversity Through Literacy tour was the Poe Park Visitor Center in The Bronx. LINC families packed the house to listen to author and illustrator Anna Kim read her brand new story Danbi's Favorite Day. The latest in her series, this book follows Danbi's adventures as a young immigrant whose parents ran a corner deli unique to their neighborhood. Danbi invites her friends to celebrate Children's Day the way they did in Korea, and learns how to improvise when things don't work out as expected.
LINC families crafted images of their family and friends, enjoyed face painting activities, and received complimentary signed copies of Danbi's Favorite Day to take home.
A few hours later at the Staten Island Children’s Museum, families eagerly filled the room and opened their ears as guest author Jessica Gonzalez took the stage to read her story Luna, Yes! ¡Luna, Sí!
Jessica Gonzalez is a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent who uses diversity through literature to expand awareness of special needs children. Inspired by her sister, who is on the autism spectrum, Jessica is driven to write by her desire to see siblings like herself and her sister in early childhood entertainment. Her empathetic, bilingual story highlights their loving, albeit challenging sibling relationship and shows us ways to navigate some of the behaviors that are typical for children with high needs on the autism spectrum.
As you may have guessed Luna, Yes! Luna, Sí! sparked a number of thoughtful questions from the young audience and lessons that they are sure to remember. Following the story, families enjoyed drawing their self portraits while Jessica signed copies of her book and posed for selfies with her new fans.
Look out for our upcoming Diversity Through Literacy programs later this week. On Friday, May 5, author and actor Marchánt Davis will be our guest at the Essex Community Garden in East New York, Brooklyn. On Saturday, May 6, mother and daughter author team Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani will join us at the Baisley Park Library in South Jamaica, and author James Yang will share a story of his at the DREAM charter school in East Harlem.
Spread the love and the joy of reading diverse literature!
To register for LINC’s latest virtual programs, visit: www.lincnyc.org/onlineprograms.
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