Author Archives: omnilibros

My Beautiful Birds

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Sami, his family, and his neighbors are escaping the bombs that have destroyed their Syrian home. Sami is heartbroken because he had to leave behind his pet pigeons. Once they reach the refugee camp and safety, everyone settles in as best they can. But Sami is not interested in soccer or painting. His life seems pointless. He cannot forget his birds. When some birds – a canary, a dove, and a rose finch – fly into the camp, Sami feeds them and provides material for their nests. This helps him begin his long healing process. Rich, textured illustrations fashioned from Plasticene, polymer clay, and other mixed media complement this moving story of one young refugee’s experience in the Syrian civil war. An author’s note gives information about refugee camps and the Syrian conflict. mjw

Title: My Beautiful Birds Author: Suzanne Del Rizzo Illustrator: Suzanne Del Rizzo Publisher: Pajama Press.  Toronto Copyright: 2017 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77278-010-9 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Syria Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Canada Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Canada Subjects: Birds, Homelessness, Illness, Loss, Middle East, Poverty, Refugee camps, Refugees, Syria

Cry Heart, But Never Break

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Four clever siblings attempt to distract Death to keep him from taking their ailing grandmother away. He inevitably arrives and tells the children a story about how he is natural and necessary. He pairs day with night, grief with delight, and joy with sorrow in this contemplative picture book. His beautiful story helps children realize the value of life and the importance of saying goodbye. Expressive and peaceful pencil and watercolor paintings handle the subject well. mjw

Title: Cry Heart, But Never Break Author: Glenn Ringtved Illustrator: Charlotte Pardi Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books.  New York Copyright: 2016 Original Language: Danish Translator: Robert Moulthrop Original Title: Graed blot hjerte Original Copyright: 2001 ISBN: 978-1-59270-187-2 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Danish Author’s residence: Denmark Illustrator’s ethnicity: Danish Illustrator’s residence: Denmark Awards: 2017 Batchelder Award Subjects: Children and death, Death and dying, Grief, Multigenerational

Canada Year By Year

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This amazing history book features one milestone per year of Canada’s 150-year history. Ten chapters are filled with sidebars, biographies, quotations, trivia, and fascinating illustrations. In 1910, the first chocolate bar in North America was developed in New Brunswick as a quick snack for fishermen. In 1922, Joseph-Armand Bombardier attached a car motor and an airplane propeller to a sleigh to create a snowmobile. In 1932, 17-year-old Joe Shuster sketched the first Superman. And in 2009, more than one-fifth of all smartphones used around the world were made by a Canadian company called Blackberry. This is the story of the people, places, and events that have shaped Canada. Back matter includes an index and an illustrated list of great Canadians – artists, athletes, politicians, and more.mjw

Title: Canada Year By Year Author: Elizabeth MacLeod Illustrator: Sydney Smith Publisher: Kids Can Press. Toronto, Canada Copyright: 22016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77138-397-4 Hardcover pages: 96 Age range: 9-12 Genre: Picture book, Information, Nonfiction Book setting: Canada Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Toronto Awards: Smith has won the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award Subjects: Canada, History, Reference

The Wizard Of Oz

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This picture book adaptation of the classic Oz story tells about Dorothy and her little dog Toto after they get swept away by a powerful cyclone to the Land of Oz on the other side of the rainbow. Elements from the original that may not be familiar, such as the bear-tiger Kalidahs, are included. Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman whose limbs are made of cans of salmon, corn, and chile con carne, and the Cowardly Lion. Together they search for the great Wizard and a way back home, a brain, a heart, and courage. This beautifully illustrated edition is a perfect introduction to L. Frank Baum’s story and a fresh take on the classic made famous by the 1939 movie musical. mjw

Title: The Wizard Of Oz Author: Anouk Filippini, adapted from the novel by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) Illustrator: Elodie Coudray Publisher: Anzou Publishing.  Paris, France Copyright: 2016 Original Language: French Translator: Susan Allen Maurin Original Title: Le Magicien d’Oz Original Publisher: Anzou Publishing.  Paris, France Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-2-7338-3942-9 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 8 up Genre: Picture Book, Fantasy Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Fairytales, Fantasy, Folktales, Magic, Witches, Wizards

French Toast

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Phoebe, who is half Jamaican and half French-Canadian, hates when her classmates call her “French Toast.” Her grandmother, who is blind, asks Phoebe to explain her nickname. She uses descriptions of favorite foods to portray skin colors. Her white mother is like stirred peach yogurt and her Jamaican father is like warm banana bread. Her grandmother Nan-ma is like maple syrup poured over French toast. Phoebe describes herself as tea, after you’ve added the milk. The imaginative artwork blends traditional drawing and painting with digital imagery using collage, acrylic, watercolor, and computer manipulation. mjw

Title: French Toast Author: Kari-Lynn Winters Illustrator: Francois Thisdale Publisher: Pajama Press, Toronto Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77278-006-2 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Ontario Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Quebec Subjects: Blind, Grandmothers, Identity, Multigenerational, Racially mixed people, Self-esteem and self-reliance

Cloudwish

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Van Uoc Phan is a shy, quiet Vietnamese teenager living in Australia with her parents who were asylum seekers after the fall of Saigon. She is a scholarship student at a prestigious Melbourne International Baccalaureate school. She plays the oboe, loves photography and Jane Eyre, and is being pushed by her parents to a high-prestige profession. She has a crush on Billy Gardiner. Billy lives in a mansion, is a star on the crew team, and loves pranks. Van Uoc wishes that Billy would notice her and fall in love with her. Miraculously, he does, but Van Uoc questions how this could happen. Fans of Jane Eyre will appreciate the writing style and all the mentions of Jane in this first-love story. mjw

Title: Cloudwish Author: Fiona Wood Publisher: Little Brown and Company, New York Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Pan Macmillan, Australia PTY, Ltd. Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-0-316-24212-7 Hardcover pages: 320 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Melbourne, Australia Author’s ethnicity: Australian Author’s residence: Melbourne, Australia Awards: 2016 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year: Older Readers Subjects: Australia, Dating, Jane Eyre, Magic, Vietnamese, Wishes

Malala: Activist For Girls’ Education

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Malala Yousafzai stood up to the Taliban, fought for girls’ education, and received the Nobel Prize in 2014. At age fifteen, the Taliban attempted to kill her, but even this did not stop her activism. Bright, beautiful naïve-style folk illustrations depict Pakistan and Malala’s life. The present tense text will engage and inspire older readers. Back matter includes photos of Malala, the history of the fight for girls’ education, a map of Pakistan, a timeline, information about the Taliban, details about Malala’s heroes, excerpts from her speeches, and a brief biography. mjw

Title: Malala: Activist For Girls’ Education Author: Raphaele Frier Illustrator: Aurelia Fronty Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, Watertown, MA. USA Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Translator: Julie Cormier Original Title: Malala: pur le droit des filles a l’education Original Publisher: Editions Rue du Monde Original Copyright: 2105 ISBN: 978-1-58089-785-3 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 6-9 Genre: Picture Book Biography Book setting: Pakistan and England Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Awards: 2018 Batchelder Award Honor Subjects: Biography, Education Girls, Pakistan, Political activists, Sex discrimination in education, Women social reformers

Ticket To India

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After their grandmother’s death, twelve-year-old Maya and her older sister Zara set off on a mission from Delhi to their grandmother’s childhood home in Aminpur in northern India. They are looking for valuable heirlooms that are buried in a trunk on the property. The family left them decades earlier when they fled to Pakistan during Partition in 1947. Along the way, Maya is kidnapped, makes some very bad decisions, but ultimately finds the treasure and her inner bravery. Maya’s journal fills readers in on the backstory of India and Pakistan. A Map, a Glossary, an Author’s Note, and a Reading Group Guide are also included in this action novel packed with fascinating information about the history and culture of India and Pakistan. mjw

Title: Ticket To India Author: N.H. Senzai Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books.  New York Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-4814-2259-8 Paperback pages: 304 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction Book setting: Pakistan and India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: U.S. Subjects: Asia; Historical, Asia; Multigenerational; Partition, 1947

Chicken In The Kitchen

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It is the night before the New Yam Festival in Anyaugo’s Nigerian village. She wakes up and sees the shadow of a giant chicken heading for the kitchen. She goes to investigate, but decides she needs help from the Wood Wit, a tricky wood spirit. This fun look at the masquerade culture of West Africa is enhanced with flamboyant and vibrant illustrations. mjw

Title: Chicken In The Kitchen Author: Nnedi Okorafor Illustrator: Mehrdokht Amini Publisher: Lantana Publishing Company, Great Britain Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-9932253-0-7 Paperback pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Nigeria Author’s ethnicity: Nigerian/American Author’s residence: U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: Iranian Illustrator’s residence: England Awards: 2106 White Raven, 2016 Best Children’s Africana Book Award Subjects: Chickens, Harvest festival, Magic, Traditions, Wood spirits

Hidden

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Alix, 14, lives on quiet Hayling Island off the coast of England. One day at the beach, she and her friend Samir pull a drowning man out of the incoming tide. He is Mohammed, an asylum seeker, who was tortured by rebels in Iraq for helping the allied forces. Alix and Samir decide to hide Mohammed and, consequently, have to make choices that will determine whether Mohammed will live or die. Alix is a likeable and brave character who has problems of her own – Dad has left, Mom has a broken leg, and Grandfather just died. Samir is an Iraqi refugee who is bullied at their school. This thought-provoking book deals with important themes, like racism, immigration, diversity, and human rights.  mjw

Title: Hidden Author: Miriam Halahmy Publisher: Holiday House Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Albury Books Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978–0-8234-3694-1 Paperback pages: 224 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Hayling Island, England Author’s residence: London, England Awards: Nominated for the Carnegie Medal Subjects: Asylum seekers, Gangs, Human rights, Immigrants-England, Iraqi, Political refugees, Racism, Terrorism

Dear Mrs. Naidu

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Spunky twelve-year-old Sarojini lives in Bangalore with her mother, who works in rich people’s houses. They struggle to make ends meet. Her best friend Amir has moved from their poor government school to a posh private school and Sarojini worries that she has lost her friend. She learns about the Right to Education law and becomes determined to improve her school. She gets help from feisty Deepti, a classmate; Vimala Madam, a human rights lawyer who might also be an evil genius; and Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, a long-dead freedom fighter and poet. Told through letters written to Mrs. Naidu, this is Sarojini’s life-changing journey, where she learns about justice and important education issues in India. The book concludes with a note about the real Sarojini Naidu and a list of organizations working for child rights. mjw

Title: Dear Mrs. Naidu Author: Mathangi Subramanian Publisher: Zubaan Publishers Pvt Ltd. New Delhi Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-93-83074-98-3  Paperback pages: 286 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Bangalore, India Author’s residence: New Delhi, Delhi, India Awards: 2016 South Asia Book Award Subjects: Education, Friendship, Human rights, Law, Right to Education

A Year In Our New Garden

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Anna and Benjamin’s family has moved into a new house in the city and they have big plans for their garden. They draw maps of their garden plots, gather their garden tools, and get straight to work, digging and planting. They plant flowers and vegetables, and learn about birds and insects. They make lemonade and leaf and acorn jewelry and toys. A recipe and directions are included. Also provided are gardening tips. Benjamin even writes a poem. This seasonal story is accompanied by beautifully detailed watercolor and ink illustrations. Young readers will be inspired to explore their own gardens. mjw

Title: A Year In Our New Garden Author: Gerda Muller Illustrator: Gerda Muller Publisher: Floris Books, Edinburgh Copyright: 2016 Original Language: German Original Title: Ein Garten fur Kinder in der Stadt Original Copyright: 1988 ISBN: 978-1-78250-259-3 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Dutch Author’s residence: Paris Illustrator’s ethnicity: Dutch Illustrator’s residence: Paris Awards: 2017 USBBY Outstanding International Books List Subjects: Birds, Gardens, Seasons, Wildlife