![]() In winter, people “hustle, bustle; hurry, dash” to work and to school. Little by little the days get longer and warmer. In spring, the Sakura (Japanese cherry) trees begin to bloom. Birds visit the brand new cherry blossoms. The people realize that something is different. They pause. The Sakura blossoms make them happy and everyone enjoys the Sakura Festival. The delicate illustrations perfectly complement the message of the importance of slowing down to appreciate the moment. mjw |
Title: When The Sakura Bloom Author: Narisa Togo Illustrator: Narisa Togo Publisher: Berbay Publishing, Australia Copyright: 2022 Original Language: Japanese Translator: Michael Sedunary Original Title: Sakura Ga Sakura Original Publisher: Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers, Inc. Tokyo, Japan Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-0-6489-5331-9 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Japan Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Japan Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese Illustrator’s residence: Japan Subjects: Cherry blossoms, City life, Festivals, Sakura, Spring, Trees |
Author Archives: omnilibros
I Hate Borsch!
![]() A young girl living in Ukraine hates the red, thick, disgusting beet and vegetable soup known as borsch. But all Ukrainians are supposed to love it. Even the grandmothers of Kiev cannot get her to change her mind about it. When she immigrates to the U.S., she finds that she doesn’t like American food, especially the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, flat and shiny square cheese, and the mysterious pumpkin spice latte. She then finds borsch recipes hidden in her suitcase and she is transported back home. She makes the soup and invites everyone to eat her borsch. Illustrations created with acrylic, pencils, and digital collage, with splashes of borsch-bright red add to the fun in this story of rejecting and then embracing one’s culture. An author’s note and a recipe for borsch are included. mjw |
Title: I Hate Borsch! Author: Yevgenia Nayberg Illustrator: Yevgenia Nayberg Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2022 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-8028-5580-0 Hardcover pages: 56 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture book Book setting: Ukraine and U.S. Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: New York Illustrator’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Illustrator’s residence: New York Subjects: Cultures, Eastern Europe, Emigration, Food, Heritage, Immigration, Picky eaters, Soup, Recipes, Sunflowers, Vegetables |
Dulcinea In The Forbidden Forest
![]() It’s Dulcinea’s birthday and her father is making her pancakes with blueberries and whipped cream. However, they forgot to buy blueberries at the market. Dulcinea’s loving father knows that blueberries grow in the forbidden forest – the forest that he told Dulcinea to never go into because a witch, who is a hideous singer, lives in a castle there. He decides that nothing could happen to him in the forest, but then the witch sees him and turn s him into a tree. Dulcinea braves the dark forest, sneaks into the castle, finds the witch’s book of spells, and frees her father. The short chapters in this easy-to-read book are just right for young readers. The funny, inky black-outlined illustrations and the orange and brown palette perfectly enhance this hilarious, contemporary fairytale. mjw |
Title: Dulcinea In The Forbidden Forest Author: Ole Konnecke Illustrator: Ole Konnecke Publisher: Gecko Press. New Zealand Copyright: 2021 Original Language: German Translator: Shelley Tanaka Original Title: Dulcinea im Zauberwald Original Publisher: Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH and Co. Munich Original Copyright: 2021 ISBN: 978-1-776573-95-0 Hardcover pages: 64 Age range: 5-9 Genre: Fairytale, Fiction Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Germany Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Germany Subjects: Birthdays, Fathers, Humor, Witches |
A Gift For Amma: Market Day In India
![]() It’s market day in the author’s hometown of Chennai, India. A young girl is searching for a treasure for her mother. She looks at saffron rice: orange marigolds; pink lotus flowers; green peacock feathers, mint, and coriander; red-hot peppers; and many more colorful items. She finally decides on rainbow bangles as the perfect gift. Back matter includes information about the unique color words in the book, facts about markets around the world, and photographs taken by the author. The gorgeous illustrations, rendered in pencils, pastels, and water-based paints make the story come alive. mjw |
Title: A Gift For Amma: Market Day In India Author: Meera Sriram Illustrator: Mariona Cabassa Publisher: Barefoot Books, Cambridge, MA Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-64686-062-3 Paperback pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Chennai, India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s residence: Spain Awards: 2021 South Asian Book Award Subjects: Colors, Flowers, Markets, Mothers, Peacocks, Saris, Spices |
How War Changed Rondo
![]() The Ukrainian husband and wife, author/ illustrator team created this book as a response to their experiences of war in Ukraine. The story is set in the fictional town of Rondo, which is known for its greenhouses of musical flowers. Everyone who lives there speaks to birds and plants, paints pictures, sings, and writes poetry. Rondo is perfect. The three protagonists are Danko who glows like a lantern and has a shining heart, Fabian who resembles a dog-shaped balloon animal, and Zirka who has a bird-like origami body folded from maps and newspaper articles about war. War comes to Rondo bringing its darkness and destruction. Together, the three friends rally their town to devise a plan using light, community, and song to halt war and restore peace. The stunning mixed-media illustrations undergo dramatic shifts in color when war enters and then finally leaves Rondo. mjw |
Title: How War Changed Rondo Author/Illustrator: Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books. New York Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Ukrainian Translator: Oksana Lushchevska Original Publisher: Vydavnytstvo Starohoo Leva (The Old Lion Publishing House) Lviv, Ukraine Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-59270-367-8 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: Ukraine Illustrator’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Illustrator’s residence: Ukraine Awards: 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Book Subjects: Death, Flowers, Nature, Peace, Music, Violence, War |
Temple Alley Summer
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Title: Temple Alley Summer Author: Sachiko Kashiwaba Illustrator: Miho Satake Publisher: Restless Books, Inc. New York Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Japanese Translator: Avery Fischer Udagawa Original Title: Kimyoji Yokocho no Natsu Original Publisher: Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978-1-6320-6303-8 Hardcover pages: 240 Age range: 8-13 Genre: Fiction, Novel Book setting: Japan Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Iwate Prefecture, Jan Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese Illustrator’s residence: Japan Awards: 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Subjects: Cats, Fairytales, Fantasy, Ghosts, Magic, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Suspense, Temple |
The Words In My Hands
![]() The art journal of Deaf sixteen-year-old Piper, set in near-future Melbourne, Australia, is part coming of age story and part call to action. Piper is smart, artistic, and rebellious. Deaf since the age of three, she is told by her mother that she needs to conform, compensate and appear normal. She meets Marley, a CODA (child of a deaf parent), and a whole new world opens up for her. This is a time of food scarcity, environmental collapse, and political corruption. Piper is determined to build a sustainable food garden and communicate with her mom, friends, and community like she never has before. Back matter in this amazing book includes information on the Deaf community and various forms of sign language and ideas for journaling. mjw |
Title: The Words In My Hands Author: Asphyxia Illustrator: Asphyxia Publisher: Annick Press Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English Original Title: Future Girl In Australia Original Publisher: Allen & Unwin, Australia Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-1773215280 Hardcover pages: 388 Age range: 13-16 Genre: Fiction, Novel Book setting: Australia Author’s ethnicity: Australian Author’s residence: Australia Illustrator’s ethnicity: Ausralian Illustrator’s residence: Australia Awards: 2022 ALA Schneider Family Book Award for Teens, 2021 Childrens’ Book Council of Australia Notable Book of the Year for Older Readers. Subjects: Activism, Auslan, Coming of age, Creativity, Deafness, Dystopian, Finger-spelling, Future, Gardens, Problem solving, Sign language, Special needs, Sustainability |
A Kind Of Spark
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Title: A Kind Of Spark Author: Elle McNicoll Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-593-37425-2 Hardcover pages: 192 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Novel Book setting: Scotland Author’s ethnicity: Scottish Author’s residence: London Awards: 2022 ALA Schneider Family Book Award – Middle Grade Honor Subjects: Autism, Bullies, Disabilities, Neurodivergency, Sharks, Teachers, Witch trials |
Red Stars: The Case Of Viktor And Nadya’s Notebooks
![]() Diary entries, maps, drawings, and historical photos tell this story of Viktor and Nadya, twelve-year-old twins who were evacuated from Leningrad when Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union. They were separated when they were put on trains that were meant to take them to safety. The story is told in three voices, alternating between Viktor (printed in red), Nadya (printed in dark blue), and an offstage voice of a Soviet Secret Police officer. His handwritten comments are written in the margins. Viktor’s train makes it to Moscow, where he is expected to do hard labor on a kolkhoz (farm). It is rumored that Nadya’s train was bombed with no survivors. Viktor doesn’t believe this and sets off through cold and harsh conditions to find Nadya. They eventually find each other and unravel a mystery of treason and betrayal at the highest level of Soviet leadership. mjw |
Title: Red Stars: The Case Of Viktor And Nadya’s Notebooks Author: Davide Morosinotto Illustrator: Simone Tso Publisher: Delacorte Press Copyright: 2020 Original Language: Italian Translator: Denise Muir Original Title: La Stolgorante luce di due stelle rosse Original Publisher: Mondadori, Milan Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-9848-9332-1 Hardcover pages: 432 Age range: 10-12 Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Soviet Union Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Italy Subjects: European historical fiction, Evacuation, Germany, Hitler, Leningrad, MIlitary fictioon, Siblings, Trains, World War II |
The Crow And The Peacock
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Title: The Crow And The Peacock Author: Jo Fernihough Illustrator: Jo Fernihough Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Oxford University Press. Oxford, England Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5568-8 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book. Fable Author’s ethnicity: British Author’s residence: Cambridge, England Illustrator’s ethnicity: British Illustrator’s residence: Cambridge, England Subjects: Birds, Fables, Happiness |
Soul Lanterns
![]() Set 25 years after the bombing of Hiroshima, twelve-year-old Nozomi discovers that the long-term emotional and physical effects of the bombing continue. Her art class project is to learn more about the experiences of students’ families on August 6, 1945. Book chapters focus on individual heartbreaking narratives told by survivors. This powerful story from a Japanese perspective shows the impact on the city and emphasizes the message of peace. mjw |
Title: Soul Lanterns Author: Shaw Huzki Publisher: Delacorte Press Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Japanese Translator: Emily Balistrieri Original Title: Hikari no utsushie Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Original Publisher: Kodansha, Ltd. Tokyo Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-593-17436-4 Hardcover pages: 175 Age range: 10 up Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Japan Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Kamakura, Japan Awards: 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Books List Subjects: Art, Atomic bomb, Ceremonies, Grandparents, Hiroshima, Lantern floating ceremony, Peace, World War II |
Christmas Is Coming: Traditions From Around The World
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Title: Christmas Is Coming: Traditions From Around The World Author: Monika Utnik Strugala Illustrator: Ewa Poklewska Kozietto Publisher: NorthSouth Books, New York Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Polish Translator: Antonia Lloud-Jones Original Title: Ida swieta! Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag AG, Zurich Original Copyright: 2019 ISBN: 978-0-7358-4443-8 Hardcover pages: 136 Age range: 7 up Genre: Information Book, Nonfiction Author’s ethnicity: Polish Author’s residence: Italy Illustrator’s ethnicity: Polish Illustrator’s residence: Poland Subjects: Celebrations, Christmas, Customs, Traditions |