Book Finder

Annie and Jack travel back in time to the first Olympic games to retrieve a lost story, in this Magic Tree House story. There they learn a lot about what girls were — and were not — permitted to do in Ancient Greece.

After the soldiers come, Papa tells his family that they must leave everything behind and set sail for America. The journey across the Caribbean is dangerous and long, and our narrator and his little sister keep asking — just how many days is it to America? Prolific children’s author Eve Bunting, herself an immigrant from Ireland, shares the story of a new generation of pilgrims who are willing to risk their lives to look for freedom in America.

Visit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to meet several generations of Mayan Indians, learn a bit about their history, culture, and contemporary life in this riveting portrait in pictures and words.

Ancona takes a look at Latino and Hispanic murals within the United States in this fascinating photo-essay. The photos vary between broad shots, close-ups that reveal details, and images of a variety of people either creating or viewing the paintings.

What do the colors, sights, and spectacle of a powwow mean to a present-day boy? A contemporary powwow transforms Anthony Standing Rock from a modern kid in a t-shirt to a powerful dancer at this Crow gathering in Montana.

Warmly evoking the universality of a child’s relationship with her grandmother, this book follows a girl’s journey to a small village in Palestine, where she comes to know her grandmother Sitti. Once back in the United States, the child recalls the sights, sounds, and culture of Palestine as well as the commonalities between the Arabic and English speaking worlds.

As this book shows, brain teasers are popular everywhere! The short tales, riddles, and more are from many different countries. Readers try to figure out how the solution was found. The answers are provided and some are even embedded in decorative black and white line drawings.

When a cat’s elderly mistress dies, he finds himself an outcast, soon forgotten. He begins a lonely journey, traveling across a lush country. When the tired cat comes to a stone cottage by the edge of the sea, he finds a new home with children who love him. Rich paintings combine with a lyrical text in this evocative saga.

When Chester Cricket accidentally finds himself in a New York subway, he is befriended by a worldly mouse and cat. Before returning to his Connecticut home, Chester becomes Mario Bellini’s special pet and helps save Bellini’s Times Square newsstand with his very special talent.

Fiestas often involve puppets, masks, and piñatas. Meet Tío Rico, the elderly piñata maker in a Mexican town, whose artful creations are shown from start to finish in this handsomely photographed book. The text is presented in both Spanish and English.

Lighthearted illustrations provide just the right tone for brief looks at what happens when children lose their teeth in various places around the world. The title indicates what is done in Korea while an American child awaits the tooth fairy’s exchange. A map provides a quick glimpse of this intriguing, quick world tour just right for browsing.

The year Grace turned eight, her Mum and Dad took her and her siblings on a trip around Australia. The kids “missed school for the whole winter term” and Grace documented much of what she learned, where she went, and the adventures they had as they experienced the diversity of the continent. Grace’s informal voice is informative yet engaging, completed by line drawings and simple maps.

Naomi and her younger brother Owen have lived with their grandmother in a small trailer for many years, ever since they were abandoned by their mother. When Mom Terri Lynn suddenly returns, does she really have the kids’ best interests at heart?

A grandmother tells her granddaughter the history of baskets, going all the way back to Africa. The circular history of a people and of families is suggested in gentle text and evocative watercolors.

Handsome illustrations of Shange’s evocative poem, “Mood Indigo,” pay homage to the many African American icons and visionaries who came to the author’s house when she was a child. From W.E.B. DuBois to Duke Ellington, the people we now know as luminaries are seen from the perspective of a young girl. This book is sure to generate discussion.

Instead of celebrating her 13th birthday in her prosperous Mexican home as she expected, Esperanza must adjust to the murder of her father, the loss of her house and wealth, and her new life as a farm worker in California. This readable coming-of-age novel is based on the life of the author’s grandmother.

Experienced readers will enjoy this stunning and sophisticated visit to Harlem in word and image. Landmarks like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater are included and invite discussion.

In this book by Newbery Medal-winning author Karen Hesse, the highly skilled Juice, who can handle everything from power tools to her Pa’s depression, is plagued by an inability to understand letters and reading.

This tender novel describes a loving Japanese-American family from the point of view of the younger sister. Personal challenges and family tragedy, particularly the older sister’s struggle with lymphoma, are set against the oppressive social climate of the South during the 1950s and early 1960s. (2005 Newbery Medal Winner)

Lily’s mother has travelled all over he world, and has planted a magical garden for her daughter, full of exotic and beautiful flowers. In her first adventure, Lily visits the Indian garden where the plants and flowers take turns to tell stories of their homeland.

Meet Laura and her family in this first of the Little House series in their cozy Wisconsin log home. Setting and characters come alive through the vivid detail of family life and living in the 1870s. The calm narration mitigates the more explicit particulars of pioneer life.

Baby knows that Jut-Ay means morning has come, and it’s time to play. But where is Baby hiding? Eechy-eechy-egg! crows the red-tailed rooster. Is Baby near? Hru-hruu! Hru-hruu! whines the puppy dog. Is Baby crouching there? Hornbill and snake, elephant and tiger – who can finally lead Papa to Baby’s hiding place?

The Great Sphinx has amazed and intrigued since it was first created some 4,500 years ago. Those secrets that have been revealed, and others that remain cloaked in mystery, are the subject of this well written, handsomely illustrated, and thoroughly engaging book.

The Gift of the Crocodile, a tale from the Spice Islands in Indonesia, offers a colorful and dramatic twist on the universally adored Cinderella story.