[DiverseKidLit] An Uncomplicated Kind Of Love in “Worm Loves Worm”

Myra here.

Happy New Year and welcome to #DiverseKidLit ! Please join us in sharing your diverse children’s book links and resources, as well as visiting other links to find great suggestions and recommendations.

What Is #DiverseKidLit?

Diverse Children’s Books is a book-sharing meme designed to promote the reading and writing of children’s books that feature diverse characters. This community embraces all kinds of diversity including (and certainly not limited to) diverse, inclusive, multicultural, and global books for children of all backgrounds.

We encourage everyone who shares to support this blogging community by visiting and leaving comments for at least three others. Please also consider following the hosts on at least one of their social media outlets. Spread the word using #diversekidlit and/or adding our button to your site and your diverse posts.

We hope this community serves as a resource for parents, teachers, librarians, publishers, and authors! Our next linkup will be Saturday, February 3rd and the first Saturday of each month.

Most Clicked Post from Last Time

The most-clicked post from the previous #diversekidlit was Nicholette’s post at Mixed Family Life announcing the publication of her first-ever book, Ibari’s Curls. This sounds like a great addition to any book collection seeking to celebrate children’s unique qualities. Congratulations, Nicholette!

Social and Emotional Learning Bookshelf

We have just launched our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Bookshelf – which continues to be a work in progress because it is a massive project that will evolve as more books find us.

At the moment, there are already over 500 multicultural/ international picturebook titles that deal with self awareness (self and family, identity, spirituality, self-efficacy) and self management (overcoming fears, dealing with loss and grief, persistence and pursuit of dreams, creativity and imagination) for you all to enjoy. I am not even halfway through! I hope to add more pages across the three remaining SEL competencies (i.e. social awareness, relationship management, and responsible decision making) throughout the year.

Literary Voyage Around The World Reading Challenge

We are hosting the Literary Voyage Around the World 2018 Reading Challenge, so please do consider traveling the world with us in books.

We have also posted our Jan-March linky – and you can share as many titles as you wish, even if they come from the same country. More details to be found in the link above.

Our theme this January – March has to do with love and all its different forms, permutations, and glory. Hence, what better way to begin than with this uncomplicated kind of love.

Worm Loves Worm

Written by: J. J. Austrian Illustrated by: Mike Curato
Published by: Balzer + Bray, 2016 ISBN: 0062386336 (ISBN13: 9780062386335) Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Picture Books (2016), Charlotte Huck Honor Book (2017)
Bought own copy of the book. Book photos taken by me.

This is a story between a worm and another worm who have fallen in love with each other, and have decided to get married. For the couple, their love is simple, clear, and uncomplicated – and they wish to spend the rest of their lives together.

However, when their friends found out about their plans, they began providing well-meaning inputs and suggestions on how the couple should go about doing it: from the one who should officiate the ceremony to having a “best beetle” and “bride’s bees” – and the matrimonial garments they should be wearing:

As I was reading this story, I was reminded of my own wedding – and what it was like during the planning stages, with so many competing forces demanding to be heard, multiple voices that needed to be appeased, and teeny-tiny details that needed attending.

When things started becoming complicated for the couple, after being told that they should do things a certain way because it has always been done that way, this was their response: “… we’ll just change how it’s done.”

Simple, unadorned, true. Love is love is love.

#DiverseKidLit is Hosted by:

Katie @ The Logonauts
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Becky @ Franticmommmy
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Bethany @ Biracial Bookworms
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Carolina @ La Clase de Sra. DuFault
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Gauri @ Kitaab World
an online bookstore for South Asian children’s books, toys and games
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Gayle Swift, Author of ABC, Adoption & Me
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Marjorie @ Mirrors Windows Doors
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Mia @ Pragmatic Mom
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Myra @ Gathering Books
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Shoumi Sen, Author of Toddler Diaries
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