Need a picture book that explores Brazilian culture and life in a favela through the eyes of a child? We’ve got a fun book suggestion and an I Spy From My Window printable to make that happen for you!
**I received a complimentary copy of this title for review purposes.
Post contains affiliate links; see disclosure for details.**
Multicultural Children’s Book Day is in its 8th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. They’re two diverse book-loving moms who wanted to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.
To accomplish this, they started Multicultural Children’s Book Day, a non profit children’s literacy initiative with the mission of raising awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves everywhere.
I received From My Window by Otavio Junior and Vanina Starkoff from Barefoot Books for my Multicultural Children’s Book Day book this year.
From My Window Book Spotlight
It’s one thing to read books about a country or area with your kids, but it’s another to jump in experience life through the eyes of someone who lived there. That’s what happens through the colorful pages of From My Window.
Focusing specifically on favela life in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, author Otavio Junior invites kids to experience urban living and favela culture as he did during his childhood there.
But wait… what exactly is a favela?
“A favela is a special type of district in Brazil. Favelas are not managed by the government like other areas. Instead, the people who live in favelas are in charge of them. One out of every five people in Rio de Janeiro, one of Brazil’s largest cities, lives in a favela.”
From My Window
Through Otavio Junior’s lively descriptions and Vanina Starkoff’s vibrant illustrations, From My Window celebrates the people, community, landscape, and day-to-day life experienced in these districts.
This eye-catching book also reminds us that, while the views from our own windows may not be the same, we can all find reasons to love and celebrate the places we call home.
I Spy From My Window Printable & More on Favelas
After reading From My Window, we thought it would be fun to observe the view from our own windows. The view in our relaxed coastal town is quite different from the view from a favela window, but we were able to spot some things we had in common and discuss similarities and differences.
What do you see from your window?
Grab your FREE I Spy From My Window printable through the button below. (No email needed; this one is click and go!)
Want to learn more about life in Brazil’s favelas? Here are a few resources I found helpful:
- Brazil Facts for Kids – This site provides a good overview of Brazil. It covers general facts, geographical details, landmarks, and more.
- Favela Facts for Kids – There’s not a ton of kid-friendly information about favelas (at least not that I’ve found), but this overview from Kiddle is one of few. An added bonus, it includes a lot of interesting photos.
- What Are the Favelas of Brazil? – You may find this one more helpful for your own research, but it covers the historical role of favelas, modern examples, daily life, and even details about crime and law enforcement there.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021
MCBD 2021 is grateful to have many Medallion Sponsors committed to putting diverse stories in the hands of children everywhere.
Medallion Sponsors
- FOUNDERS’ CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Audreypress.com
- PLATINUM: Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages, Author Deedee Cummings, and Make A Way Media
- GOLD: Barefoot Books, Candlewick Press, Capstone, Hoopoe Books, KidLitTV, and Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.
- SILVER: Charlotte Riggle, Connecticut Association of School Librarians, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, and Pack-N-Go Girls
- BRONZE: Agatha Rodi and AMELIE is IMPRESSED!, Barnes Brothers Books, Create and Educate Solutions, LLC, Dreambuilt Books, Dyesha and Triesha McCants/McCants Squared, Redfin Real Estate, Snowflake Stories, Star Bright Books, TimTimTom Bilingual Personalized Books, Author Vivian Kirkfield, Wisdom Tales Press, and My Well Read Child
Author Sponsor include
Poster Artist Nat Iwata • Author Afsaneh Moradian • Author Alva Sachs & Three Wishes Publishing Company • Author Angeliki Stamatopoulou-Pedersen • Author Anna Olswanger • Author Casey Bell • Author Claudine Norden • Author Debbie Dadey • Author Diana Huang & Intrepids • Author Eugenia Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing • Green Kids Club • Author Gwen Jackson • Author Janet Balletta • Author Josh Funk • Author Julia Inserro • Author Karter Johnson & Popcorn and Books • Author Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom • Author Keila Dawson • Author Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove • Author Mia Wenjen • Author Michael Genhart • Author Nancy Tupper Ling • Author Natalie Murray • Author Natalie McDonald-Perkins • Author Natasha Yim • Author Phe Lang and Me On The Page Publishing • Author Sandra Elaine Scott • Author Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries • Author SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard • Author Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher • Tales of the Five Enchanted Mermaids • Author Theresa Mackiewicz • Author Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series • Author Toshia Stelivan • Author Valerie Williams-Sanchez & The Cocoa Kids Collection Books© • Author Vanessa Womack, MBA • Author Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series
Special thanks also goes to the MCBD Media Partners and team of CoHosts and Global CoHosts. They host the book review linkup on celebration day, but also work to spread the word about MCBD before the event begins.
Learn more about MCBD
To learn more about Multicultural Children’s Book Day, visit the MCBD website. You’ll find lots of book recommendations and diversity-themed resources for homeschoolers, classroom teachers, and librarians waiting for you there.
You can find more diverse book suggestions by searching the Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board and searching #ReadYourWorld on your favorite social media platform.
Lastly, take a look at the other books we’ve reviewed for Multicultural Children’s Book Day through the years: