Ever since my daughter was born 8 years ago I have been determined to raise her with the values of respect and inclusion, so she can connect with other human beings at a level that is not possible if we don’t see everyone as our equal. Living this way requires us to be brave; that’s why I jumped at the opportunity to teach her a lesson on courage from a real story about a real girl using the book Warrior With Words about Malala Yousafzai, who impersonates this quality at its best.
From a very early age, my daughter has been cautious -even fearful at times- of many different things, some of them were common and not scary. Teaching her a lesson on courage is something that is part of our everyday lives. Encouraging her to jump in the pool, climb a wall or simply to stand in front of the family to sing or perform. I’ve come to understand that she needs to be brave to do things that come easy to other kids, and that’s okay.
However, there is another lesson on courage I must teach her so once she has grown out of common fears, she can have the tools to stand on principle and be courageous in the face of injustice and challenges. The story of Malala is a great example for little girls all over the world about the power of courage and determination not only to change our lives but to be change makers for the things they believe in.
A Lesson On Courage Through Malala’ Story
Since my daughter is in 3rd grade, I asked her to read the book for her reading assignment for the week. On a different day, I asked her to read the book again but this time out loud so I could listen to her read, and for us to discuss the story afterward. When I asked her what she learned from the book, the first thing she said was “that if you stand up, you can make a difference”.
I love that she captured the main lesson on courage that Malala story teaches us all. After my daughter read it, I read the story back to her and explained terms she didn’t understand. We talked about the graphics, that for her at 8, were too abstract to understand. I explained the images to her and she then understood.
Warrior with Words was definitely a good addition to our book selection here at home; it helped me teach my girl about the kind of courage you need to change the world. It is a great rendering of Malala Yousafzai inspiring story; a nonfiction picture book that can reach young children in a way they can understand.
It tells the story of the young Pakistani girl who stood up to speak out about the right to education of every single child in the world. Although a Taliban gunman tried to make her a victim by inflicting a life-threatening injury, this only highlighted her courage and empowered her to stand up taller and continue to advocate for those who have no voice. That’s why she is a warrior with words an such a great example of courage and determination.
If you want to share Malala’s story with your children, this book is a way to do so. Also, I invite you to read other reviews from other diverse books through this year’s Multicultural Children’s Book Day. See all the details below.
About Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 (1/27/18) is in its 5th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Their mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity inside the home and on school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.
MCBD 2018 is honored to have some amazing sponsors on board:
2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors
HONORARY: Children’s Book Council, Junior Library Guild
PLATINUM: Scholastic Book Clubs
GOLD: Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Loving Lion Books, Second Story Press, Star Bright Books, Worldwide Buddies
SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Author Charlotte Riggle, Child’s Play USA, KidLit TV, Pack-n-Go Girls, Plum Street Press
BRONZE: Barefoot Books, Carole P. Roman, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dr. Crystal Bowe, Gokul! World, Green Kids Club, Gwen Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Juan J. Guerra, Language Lizard, Lee & Low Books, RhymeTime Storybooks, Sanya Whittaker Gragg, TimTimTom Books, WaterBrook & Multnomah, Wisdom Tales Press
2018 Author Sponsors
Honorary Author Sponsors: Author/Illustrator Aram Kim and Author/Illustrator Juana Medina
Author Janet Balletta, Author Susan Bernardo, Author Carmen Bernier-Grand, Author Tasheba Berry-McLaren and Space2Launch, Bollywood Groove Books, Author Anne Broyles, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Eugenia Chu, Author Lesa Cline-Ransome, Author Medeia Cohan and Shade 7 Publishing, Desi Babies, Author Dani Dixon and Tumble Creek Press, Author Judy Dodge Cummings, Author D.G. Driver, Author Nicole Fenner and Sister Girl Publishing, Debbi Michiko Florence, Author Josh Funk, Author Maria Gianferrari, Author Daphnie Glenn, Globe Smart Kids, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Author Quentin Holmes, Author Esther Iverem, Jennifer Joseph: Alphabet Oddities, Author Kizzie Jones, Author Faith L Justice , Author P.J. LaRue and MysticPrincesses.com, Author Karen Leggett Abouraya, Author Sylvia Liu, Author Sherri Maret, Author Melissa Martin Ph.D., Author Lesli Mitchell, Pinky Mukhi and We Are One, Author Miranda Paul, Author Carlotta Penn, Real Dads Read, Greg Ransom, Author Sandra L. Richards, RealMVPKids Author Andrea Scott, Alva Sachs and Three Wishes Publishing, Shelly Bean the Sports Queen, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Gayle H. Swift Author Elsa Takaoka, Author Christine Taylor-Butler, Nicholette Thomas and MFL Publishing Author Andrea Y. Wang, Author Jane Whittingham Author Natasha Yim
I have the honor to be a part of this year’s CoHost Team, providing support to promote, review and celebrate diversity books on this special day. Shout out to my fellow CoHosts, who did an amazing job! View all of our CoHosts HERE.
This post about a lesson on courage is part of the Multicultural Children’s Book Day celebration. I received a free copy of the book Warrior With Words by Karen Leggett Abouraya. All opinions and ideas are mine alone and were not edited by any third party. I invite you to visit more than 250 blogs who reviewed diverse books as a part of our event. Check them out and give them some comment love!
To follow along, don’t forget to connect with us on social media by following the hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
[dania]
Malala’s story is such an important one for children to learn about!