A girl maps her dog Penny’s world from her room, to the neighborhood as well as the tools she uses.
Mapping Penny’s World
Illustrations evoke the frozen north while the text invites readers to feel more the cold of Alaska. How the weather impacts people and animals is explained in a conversational tone as is the impact of climate change. A comparable exploration, This Place Is Wet (Walker; 0802734006), will be available in May 2013.
This Place Is Cold
Journey around the globe to learn some of the affectionate names children are called. The terms appear in English and the native language (with pronunciation provided) accompanied by charming illustrations that suggest cultural diversity.
Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World
As Fadi’s family is preparing to flee to the U.S., Fadi’s little sister is lost. The family leaves her behind, but adjusting to life in the United States isn’t easy and as the events of September 11th unfold, the prospects of locating Mariam in a war-torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. Based in part on the Ms. Senzai’s husband’s own experience fleeing his home in Soviet controlled Afghanistan in the 1970s.
Shooting Kabul
“Born with a cleft lip, Zulaikha struggles to feel worth in a society that values women by their marriage prospects…Then, by chance, Zulaikha meets Meena, a former professor, who begins to teach her to read and write just as American soldiers arrive, bringing the chance for both more education and surgery to correct Zulaikha’s birth defect. Reedy based his debut on real people and places he encountered while serving with the National Guard in Afghanistan, and the extensive detail about Afghani customs gives the story the feel of a docu-novel while also creating a vivid sense of place and memorable characters.” — Booklist
Words In The Dust
“A forced pen-pal exchange turns into an opportunity for real communication between Illinois sixth-grader Abby Carson and Sadeed Bayat, the best English-language student in his Afghan village. When Abby’s first letter arrives in Bahar-Lan, 11-year-old Sadeed is asked by the elders to compose his sister Amira’s reply; it isn’t proper for a boy and girl to correspond with one another. But soon Sadeed can’t resist telling Abby that it is he who has been writing to her. The third-person narrative alternates points of view, allowing for inclusion of intriguing details of both lives.” — School Library Journal
Extra Credit
Young Nasreen has not spoken a word to anyone since her parents disappeared. In despair, her grandmother risks everything to enroll Nasreen in a secret school for girls. Will a devoted teacher, a new friend, and the worlds she discovers in books be enough to draw Nasreen out of her shell of sadness? Based on a true story from Afghanistan, this inspiring book will touch readers deeply as it affirms both the life-changing power of education and the healing power of love.
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan
Maria looks to her grandmother to explain the rituals and traditions she observes at her first wedding. Their conversation, sprinkled with Spanish words, is carried by the evocative illustrations that depict this Zapotec Indian wedding celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico. A helpful Spanish glossary and an introduction to Zapotec culture and religion are included.
La Boda: A Mexican Wedding Celebration
Martin and his sister grew up in a Lima, Peru, barrio, children of an African slave and a Spanish nobleman. Martin was apprenticed to a cirujano, would join a Dominican monastery, and later become sought after as a healer. Jewel-like illustrations complement the accessible telling to reveal a man of faith and courage, despite the prejudices he confronted.
Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert
“This handsomely designed, large-format book tells the story of Black Elk (1863–1950), a Lakota man who saw many changes come to his people. In this first-person, present-tense account, Black Elk says that as a nine-year-old boy, he is blessed with a Great Vision. At 12, he fights in the Battle of Little Bighorn. After traveling in Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and, later, experiencing the massacre at Wounded Knee, he retreats to a reservation, where he holds his vision in his heart and offers it to others.” — Booklist
Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story
Dickens’s England comes to life from the perspective of an alley cat.
Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
Additional verses are added to the familiar ditty and illustrated in the artist’s signature naïve style. The little star sparkles, flickers, shimmers, and glistens around the whole world watched by animal parents and their young in different settings ending with a human baby and mother.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Recognizable constructions from childhood such as blocks and sandcastles and playful verse are juxtaposed to actual photos of architectural landmarks from around the globe. A note about the structure and the architects conclude this imaginative look at art and architecture.
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building
As a young shoeshine boy tries to return the red scarf that floats down to him, he meets a host of people from different backgrounds. He finally locates the rightful owner of the scarf and winds up with a happy surprise. Illustrations in comic book style move the satisfying story quickly.
Laundry Day
Rendi, a self-centered, unhappy boy runs away from home and winds up in a sad town. Storytelling, however, instigated by a mysterious newcomer allows Rendi to mature and help the villagers. The rich narrative incorporates tales inspired by Chinese tales in this worthy companion to Where the Mountain meets the Moon (opens in a new window).
Starry River of the Sky
Herman Melville’s classic tale of the great white whale and the sea captain who sought him has been recast and simplified. The rhyming ballad is reminiscent of a sea chantey, capturing essential plot elements. Lush illustrations lighten the tone for young, contemporary readers.
Moby Dick: Chasing the Great White Whale
Join Strega Nona and Big Anthony for holidays in Calabria (Italy) where feasts, food, and fun abound from early December to Epiphany. Of course, Big Anthony gets into trouble, but all ends well in this cheerful holiday offering with these enduring characters.
Strega Nona’s Gift
DePaola uses humor and verve to retell the traditional Irish tale of how Ireland’s Fin M’coul – with the help of his wife – outwits an even bigger giant and creates the topography of Ireland. Characteristic illustrations add to the outsized fun.
Fin M’coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill
A range of colorful birds share what they see in Bethlehem on the night of the Nativity, including the child and mother. Soft color and gentle line – characteristic of dePaola – and fluid text present a warm Christmas story.
The Birds of Bethlehem
“Telling of her childhood in Cuba, Ada begins with an introduction to her homeland followed by 11 episodes about her family and her community. One story tells of her grandfather Modesto’s courage and loyalty in the face of the death of his beloved wife and the simultaneous collapse of the Cuban economy. Another tells of her great-grandmother Mina, who continued to make rag dolls for the village children even after she had lost her sight. And a third tale tells of a Japanese street vendor who sold ice cream for a living, but gave generous samples to children who could not afford to pay.” — School Library Journal
Where the Flame Trees Bloom
A biography of Evelina Antonetty, a Puerto Rican immigrant who helped people in Spanish Harlem during the Depression. During the dark days of the Great Depression, eleven-year-old Evelina Lopez leaves Puerto Rico to live with an aunt in New York City. Evelina learns that one person can make a difference as she adjusts to life in her new home.
All for the Better: A Story of El Barrio
The search for the man who beat a steam engine unfolds in words and pictures. The mystery in history is sure to intrigue readers.
Ain’t Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry
Product Description: The yellow dress Erandi wants for her birthday will look beautiful with her long, thick braids. But Mama’s fishing net is full of holes, and there isn’t enough money to buy both a new net and a birthday dress. The only solution lies with the hair buyers from the city. But Mama’s hair isn’t nearly as beautiful as Erandi’s. Will Erandi have to choose between her birthday present and her braids? This touching tale of love and sacrifice is sprinkled throughout with Spanish words and expressions.
Erandi’s Braids
Juanito is miserable — his family has just moved to New York, and because he only speaks Spanish, he has no one to talk to. What’s more, his dog, Pepito, is lost! Juanito knows that most of his neighbors won’t understand “Mi perro se ha perdido,” so he asks a man at the bank to help him make a sign in English. Suddenly, people all over the city want to help Juanito find Pepito…and the search is on!