Passport to the World

Inspired by an actual artist, Wu Daozi’s brush created images that seemed to come alive. Travel to ancient China to meet Daozi as he grows from a boy into a muralist for the Emperor. When the mural is finished, legend says that Daozi walks into the paradise he painted. Brief text combines with brush and watercolor illustrations for a memorable look at a legendary Chinese painter.

An old woman left her small village to visit her daughter and granddaughter, telling three hungry predators to wait to eat her until she is plumped up on her way back. How the women outwit the bear, fox and tiger is satisfyingly told and handsomely illustrated in saturated color illustrations in this Indian folktale that the author recalls from her childhood.

Most kids like something chocolate-y, right? But there wouldn’t be chocolate without cocoa beans that come from cocoa pods that rely on insects and other creatures in rainforests — even monkeys! A brief but engaging look at this interconnected habitat is realistically illustrated with informative but humorous asides by bookworms to encourage each page turn.

In the rainforest of Sumatra, a baby orangutan is born. Photographs chronicle her life with mother and the baby’s growth. At about five years old, the baby is old enough to live independently though she still occasionally sees her mother. Brief general information about orangutans concludes this accessible photo essay.

Tai Shan and his father fly kites from “the tippy-top of our triangle roof” where they are free like the kites. Tai Shan’s is small, nimble, and red while Baba’s is a strong, large blue kite. The widow and his son are separated during China’s Cultural Revolution though are ultimately reunited. A difficult period is touchingly presented while remaining child-friendly.

Volcanoes erupt on land and in the sea and are found all around the world. Eruptions are both “creative and destructive” but all start with “gooey rock called magma.” Volcano facts are combined with specific locations and striking, textured collages for an absorbing introduction to a fascinating natural phenomenon.

Like most snakes, pythons are often vilified. Realistic watercolors, however, of a Diamond Python (native to Australia) and informative text present a slice of her life from warming in the sun to hatching eggs — and, of course hunting and eating.

A young boy on a crowded bus (dala dala) discovers that, after some wiggles and giggles, there’s room for everyone in this lighthearted rhyming picture book set in Zanzibar.