After a few stops along the way, today we live in what is probably the “most multicultural city in the world” – Toronto. And my kids are growing and learning in this multicultural world where they are celebrating Diwali and Christmas, Halloween and Holi with the same fervour, where spaghetti and meatballs, and keema naan holds equal importance on the dining table.
And after the US election results of last night, acceptance and tolerance along with multiculturalism is even more important in this world we are leaving behind for our children.
37% of children in the US are growing up multicultural. But less than 15% of children’s books have multicultural content.”
When Sandhya Acharya heard these stats she decided to change the story. A mom, writer, dancer and running enthusiast she wants to help children read about rolemodels that look like them. She believes bedtime reading is the one last thing between the entire day’s chaos and the promising peace of bedtime. She wants to give children the opportunity to learn about different languages, foods, cultures, festivals so that they are able to appreciate the numerous shades of normal. And that’s a cause I can get behind for sure.
A Kickstarter Campaign to get behind
Earlier this year, Sandhya self-published a book on Kindle called the Big Red Firetruck! What started out as a fun storytelling project evolved into an important cause for the writer. Since then, she has written another book, “Ten Gulab Jamuns.” This one is a lighthearted, fun story that both children and parents will love. The story is about two brothers who eanr important lessons in responsibility, team-work, and family.
#TenGulabJamuns and the cause of diversity in books needs your support. You can help promote diversity and enhance the landscape of the children’s book market!
Please support the campaign #tengulabjamuns.