Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Place To Belong

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World War II is over and Hanako and her family – her father, her mother, and little brother Akira – are moving to Japan.  They have been in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans in America.  They have renounced their citizenship so they can leave the camp and return to Japan to live with Hanako’s grandparents on a tenant farm outside of Hiroshima.  They barely survive.  Hanako struggles to fit in as an outsider in her new home.  This is a moving book interspersed with black and white drawings. mjw

Title: A Place To Belong Author: Cynthia Kadohata Illustrator: Julia Kuo Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English  ISBN: 978-1-481446648 Hardcover pages: 416 Age range: 10-14 Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Hiroshima, Japan Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: California, U.S. Subjects: Emigration and immigration, Hiroshima, Multigenerational family life, Japan, Japan history 1945

The Elephant

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The illustrations of the elephants in this book are done in watercolor, acrylic, pencil, and crayon. They are accurate, strikingly detailed, and beautifully rendered.  They make the book!   Here, we join a young boy as he learns interesting facts about Asian and African elephants.  Elephants are intelligent and have amazing memories and excellent hearing.  They walk on their tip-toes and are either right-tusked or left-tusked.  Tusks can be as long as two seven-year-old children from toe to toe.  An introductory note describes modern threats to elephants and a map shows where these fascinating animals live today. mjw

Title: The Elephant Author: Jenni Desmond Illustrator: Jenni Desmond Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books.  New York Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-59270-264-0 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Nonfiction, Information book Author’s ethnicity: British Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: British Illustrator’s residence: London Subjects: Africa, African elephants, Asiatic elephants, India, Zoology

Old Man Of The Sea

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A young boy narrates this adventure tale about his grandpa’s travels all over the world – the story of his life.  He first tells about Europe with fairy tale castles and groves of olive trees.  The ocean calls and grandpa sails to Africa where he dances to the rhythm of drums.  He feels the pull of the ocean and ends up in Asia where he eats spices and visits ancient temples.  He returns to the sea and Oceania and finally ends up in America where he marries, works hard, has children, and makes a family.  For the first time in his life, he forgets to go back to the sea.  The digitally rendered watercolor paintings include maps of the continents. mjw

Title: Old Man Of The Sea Author: Stella Elia Illustrator: Weberson Santiago Publisher: Lantana Publishing. London Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-91137-354-4 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, America Author’s ethnicity: Brazilian Author’s residence: Brazil Illustrator’s ethnicity: Brazilian Illustrator’s residence: Brazil Awards: Illustrator has won the 2009 Trofeu HQ Mix Award for Best Illustrator in Brazil Subjects: Adventure, Boats, Continents, Maps, Multigenerational, Sailing, Sailors, Ships, Storytelling

Vanishing Colors

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In this haunting story, a young girl and her mother take shelter in their roofless house to sleep. The mother tells the story of a large bird that flies from the mountains to protect them.  Dark illustrations show that the city is ravaged by war.  The bird reminds the girl of happy memories and colors that were there before.  The girl and her mother can leave when the girl sees all the colors in the rainbow, which makes a bridge across the sky.  The book ends with the mother and child walking on, holding hands, under a rainbow. They will stay together and help each other. mjw

Title: Vanishing Colors Author: Constance Orbeck-Nilssen Illustrator: Akin Duzakin Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2019 Original Language: Norwegian Translator: Kari Dickson Original Title: Fargene som forsvant Original Publisher: Vigmostad & Bjorke Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5518-3 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-9 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Eastern Europe Author’s ethnicity: Norwegian Author’s residence: Norway Illustrator’s ethnicity: Turkish-Norwegian Illustrator’s residence: Norway Subjects: Destruction, Emigration and Immigration, Homelessness and poverty, Migration, Parents, Refugees, Social issues

The Whale The Sea And The Stars

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Gerda the blue whale listens to her mother’s beautiful song.  She sings that if Gerda ever gets lost, she should look to the stars and they would guide her.  When Gerda leaves home, she travels from warm equatorial waters to freezing polar waters. She meets penguins, a grouchy octopus, seagulls, orcas, a polar bear, and a narwhal.  Gerda wants to stop traveling and find a special place of her own. She eventually hears someone singing her mother’s song.  It is Lars, her brother.  She has found the most beautiful bay filled with more and more whales: Beluga whales and grey whales, beaked whales and bowhead whales, humpback whales and right whales, all living happily.  She knows her journey is over.  The luminous illustrations were drawn by hand on a graphics tablet and finished using natural color palettes and textures. mjw

Title: The Whale The Sea And The Stars Author: Adrian Macho Illustrator: Adrian Macho Publisher: Floris Books, Edinburgh Copyright: 2019 Original Language: Czech Translator: Peter Kavecky Original Title: Gerda Prise Velryby Original Publisher: Albatros Media A.S. Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-178250-559-4 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Slovak Author’s residence: Bratislava, Slovakia Illustrator’s ethnicity: Slovak Illustrator’s residence: Bratislava, Slovakia Subjects: Marine life, Narwhal, Penguins, Polar bears, Stars, Whales

Bilal Cooks Daal

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Six-year-old Bilal helps his dad make his favorite food – daal.  The slow cooked dish from South Asia requires many ingredients and patience. Bilal’s diverse friends are excited to try the new dish.  They break naan around the table and share the steamy, garlicky, salty, sweet, creamy daal.  They all agree that it tastes great.  The colorful illustrations were rendered digitally. An author’s note explains that daal is known as lentils in English.  A recipe for chana daal with split chickpeas is also included. mjw

Title: Bilal Cooks Daal Author: Aisha Saeed Illustrator: Anoosha Syed Publisher: Salaam Reads, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-534418103 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Pakistani-American Author’s residence: Atlanta, Georgia. U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: Pakistaani-Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Toronto, Canada Subjects: Bi-racial, Celebrations, Cooking, Cultural differences, Cultural traditions, Family relationships, Friendship, Lentils, Pakistani, Patience

Coming Home

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A lone Scandinavian robin migrates across Europe to Great Britain in the winter to escape the harsher northern winters and to find his mate before Christmas. The striking illustrations of the red-breasted bird were created digitally. Robin migration facts are included. mjw

Title: Coming Home Author: Michael Morpurgo Illustrator: Kerry Hyndman Publisher: Candlewick Press Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English  Original Publisher: David Fickling Books, Oxford Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0042-3 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Scandinavia, Britain Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Devon, England Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London, England Subjects: Birds Christmas, Holidays, Robins