Books for all ages & Cultures
I’ve loved words and stories for as long as I can remember. Today, I get to use them to help children discover the world—and their place in it.
My children’s books explore culture, family, food, faith, history, and the everyday moments that shape who we are. I’m drawn to stories that celebrate the richness of our diverse communities and bring voices, traditions, and histories to the page that young readers may not have encountered before.
As an author and professor of children’s literature, I’m also passionate about helping adults become more thoughtful readers of children’s books. I speak to educators, librarians, parents, writers, and students about multicultural literature, representation, storytelling, and the ways books can build bridges between people.
Because sometimes a book does more than tell a story.
It helps a child see herself.
It helps a child understand someone else.
And it reminds all of us that our stories matter.
Author
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Educator
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Multi-faceted
Author ✳︎ Educator ✳︎ Speaker ✳︎ Multicultural ✳︎ Multi-faceted
I believe books can be bridges.
I love helping build them.
“Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young visited my son’s kindergarten classroom to read Cora Cooks Pancit, and it was a total hit. She brought the story to life with a hands-on cooking demonstration that had the children completely captivated from start to finish. The students were engaged, curious, and thrilled to experience the story in such a memorable, interactive way.”
-Allison Vasquez, teacher & homeschool parent
Book Dorina for your class, school Assembly or writing workshop
Dorina has been speaking in the schools for more than a decade now. She loves teaching kids about cultures of the world and reading her book aloud. She also has done cooking workshops with individual classes and groups, teaching them how to make pancit.
Dorina teaches Children’s Literature as a course at California State University, Fresno, inspiring teachers to use diverse books in the classroom. Dorina has developed online readings and workshops for schools and bookstores.
If you would like to hire Dorina to come speak to your class, homeschool group or for a multicultural event or literacy night, fill out the following form.
Signature Presentations
WINDOWS & MIRRORS
Discovering ourselves and one another through children's books
Children's books can be both windows into other people's lives and mirrors that reflect our own experiences. In this interactive presentation, students explore how stories help us understand people, cultures, families, and communities beyond our own—and how seeing ourselves authentically represented in books can help us know that our stories matter.
Drawing from her own multicultural children's books and her experience teaching Children's Literature, Dorina invites students to look closely at characters, illustrations, settings, traditions, and cultural details. Together, students consider what books can teach us about ourselves, what they can reveal about others, and how stories can build empathy, curiosity, and connection.
FROM IDEA TO BOOK
Follow a story from the first spark of an idea to the finished book
Have you ever wondered how a children's book goes from an idea in an author's notebook to a book on a library shelf?
Dorina takes students behind the scenes of the publishing process and shares what really happens between "I have an idea!" and "The End." Students discover how authors develop characters and stories, revise their writing, work with editors, collaborate with illustrators, and eventually see their words transformed into a published book.
Along the way, Dorina shares examples from her own journey as a children's book author, giving students an authentic look at the creativity, persistence, collaboration, and revision required to bring a story to life.
TASTE & SEE
How food becomes a storyteller
Food is more than something we eat. It can carry memory, tradition, history, family, culture, and identity.
In this lively, sensory presentation, students explore the ways authors and illustrators use food to tell stories and reveal something about the characters and cultures in their books. Dorina shares examples from children's literature and invites students to think about the foods, recipes, smells, tastes, and traditions that tell their own family stories.
And then the story comes alive!
Students get a hands-on cooking demonstration of Filipino pancit, followed by a tasting experience. As they taste and learn, students discover how a simple dish can connect generations, preserve traditions, and carry a family's story from one generation to the next.
Food tasting can be adapted to accommodate school policies and allergy considerations.
WRITE YOUR STORY
Turn your life, your 5 senses, and your imagination into stories
Every student has stories worth telling.
In this interactive writing workshop, Dorina helps students discover story ideas hiding in their families, communities, memories, experiences, questions, and imaginations.
Students learn how writers use the five senses to transform ordinary moments into vivid scenes. Through guided writing activities, they practice moving beyond telling readers what happened and learn how specific sensory details can help readers see, hear, smell, taste, and feel a story.
Students leave with the beginnings of a story—and practical tools they can continue using in their classrooms and at home.
FOR EDUCATORS
Professional Learning for Teachers, Librarians & School Communities
Dorina brings together her experience as a published children's book author, educator, and Children's Literature professor to help teachers and librarians thoughtfully engage students through literature.
She teaches Children's Literature at California State University, Fresno and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Children's Literature from Hollins University.
Dorina offers engaging workshops and keynotes that help educators expand their children's literature collections, approach challenging subjects thoughtfully, and create classrooms where every student can see themselves—and discover the lives of others—through books.
Professional Learning
Using Multicultural Children's Literature in the Classroom
Explore how thoughtfully selected children's books can broaden students' understanding of cultures, communities, and experiences while helping students see their own lives reflected in literature.
Teaching Tough Topics Through Children's Literature
Learn how children's and middle-grade literature can provide meaningful entry points for discussing challenging subjects with young readers. Explore strategies for selecting books, preparing students for difficult conversations, and creating space for thoughtful discussion.
Helping Young Writers Find Their Voices
Discover practical ways to help students move from "I don't know what to write" to finding stories in their own lives, experiences, observations, and imaginations. Dorina shares strategies for generating ideas, using sensory details, and developing authentic young writers.
Choosing Books With Care: How to Select Books That Represent Students Well
Move beyond simply asking whether a book is "diverse." Explore questions educators can ask about authenticity, cultural representation, characterization, illustrations, language, perspective, and whose voices are included—or missing—from a collection.
**Custom experiences are available.
