Well Read

Hi Loves! It has been a few weeks and I apologize, however home schooling has kept me on my toes. I wasn't prepared for the meltdowns of a 5 year old and a teenager. I've had to re-do my entire thought process, work schedule, and level of patience. As I work a part-time job, my kiddos have really helped pitch in more. My husband works quite a bit so my step-son has stepped in to help his sister login to school while I'm at work and my 5 year old daughter has pitched in on helping with dinner. We've also decided to give Hello Fresh a try to save on time and money and I must say it has been so helpful not having to worry about dinner choices and going to the store. There's definitely been some ups and downs on this journey already but we are coping. One thing we have not been doing however is our bedtime stories. Bailey and I are so burnt out from homeschooling together that she has a meltdown every time I ask her to read a book.

Remote learning has forced my kid to do online apps for audio reading and while I like it for comprehension purposes, it doesn't focus on learning those sight words and open conversations about the stories. It also doesn't include books that reflect my child's culture which is very important to us. Finding books by authors of color can sometimes be challenging but that is changing more and more. In fact, Netflix just released a series specifically for African American authors that read their children's books out loud to viewers. It's called Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices!

Host Marley Dias

This is huge because it helps kids identify with their own race or even another race. It helps them relate and feel inclusive. For example, my daughter sometimes hates that her hair is curly and not straight. Even though my hair is the same, she doesn't see a lot of characters on t.v. and in books that have the same type of hair so she believes hers is not cool or beautiful. I grew up with the same feelings towards Barbies. Black Barbies barely existed and they only came in one color for African Americans but the truth is, we are many shades of brown. That has changed now and I couldn't be more happy about that. There are finally books for little black girls now and they are finally celebrated!

Tiffany Haddish reading I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices is hosted by the beautiful and amazing Marley Dias! A 15-year-old author/activist and co-founder of GrassROOTS Community Foundation, is the epitome of Black Girl Magic! I mean this girl needs her own post (coming later this month!) because she is that dope! She kicks off the first episode with comedian/actress Tiffany Haddish reading I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. A book that celebrates natural hair for little brown girls! There are also books read by musician Common, Ballerina Misty Copeland, actress Lupita Nyong'o, and several others. This series is not exclusive to the black community. It is for everyone and I encourage everyone to watch and listen. I plan on buying all of these books for my daughter to have one day in hopes that she will pass them down to another little girl in need!

Some featured artist reading some amazing books on the series!

Please watch! And tell me what your favorite book is or who your favorite reader is! Tell me what you have learned or if these stories helped you or someone you love!

Happy reading and listening!

With love,

Micole Elise