Category Archives: Uncategorized

Kakuma Girls: Sharing Stories Of Hardship And Hope From Kakuma Refugee Camp

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Clare Morneau is a 17-year-old author and speaker who lives in Toronto and is committed to working for real change.  As a student at Havergal College, she founded the Kakuma Toronto Girls Education Partnership. This illuminating book is a compilation of letters of hardship and hope from the girls in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya to girls at a high school in Canada.  The Kakuma girls have incredible hopes and dreams for their future.  They are fighting for their education and will do anything to go to university.  They dream of becoming doctors, engineers, pilots, or journalists and improving their families’ lives.  The book includes beautiful photographs, maps, a chronology, a glossary, and a list of ways to get involved. mjw

Title: Kakuma Girls: Sharing Stories Of Hardship And Hope From Kakuma Refugee Camp Author: Clare Morneau and contributors Publisher: Barlow Books, Toronto Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-988025-14-8 Hardcover pages: 184 Age range: 12 up Genre: Nonfiction, Information Book Book setting: Kenya Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Subjects: Refugee children. Refugees, Sudan, Women

Ruby In The Ruins

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Ruby’s dad is a soldier during the London blitz.  Ruby and her mum cling to each other while they wait for dad to come home.  When he finally returns, Ruby doesn’t recognize him. She would rather play outside in the wreckage of the bombings.  But when Ruby hurts her knee, dad cleans and bandages the wound.  He makes her feel all right and suggests that maybe she should play in the park instead of in the ruins.  Ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations perfectly complement the text. Endpapers with authentic wartime advertisements add a nice touch.  mjw

Title: Ruby In The Ruins Author: Shirley Hughes Illustrator: Shirley Hughes Publisher: Candlewick Press Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-7636-92377 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 5-9 Genre: Picture Book, Historical Fiction Book setting: London, England Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: West London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: West London Awards: Author/illustrator has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice Subjects: England, London, Military, Veterans, World War II

Lucy And The Dragonfly

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Lucy lives in the yellow house on the hill, at the end of the lane, in a village filled with lakes and forests, on a big continent, on a blue planet.  When Lucy smiles, the sun smiles.  She can feel the Earth’s heart beating, inside her heart.  The wind tells her all the bad things that humans are doing to the planet.  When the planet gets sick, Lucy’s tears travel from the wings of a dragonfly all across the planet to a boy named Tama who also knows how to listen to the whispers of the wind.  Lucy’s story spreads across the globe, everyone does their part to heal the Earth, and hope is born.  Soft illustrations complement the story about climate change.  mjw

Title: Lucy And The Dragonfly Author: Lucie Papineau Illustrator: Caroline Hamel Publisher: Auzou Publishing. Paris, France Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-2-7338-5620-8 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Quebec Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Montreal Subjects: Climate Change, Green living, Recycling

Whisper Of The East: Tales From Arabia

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This magical collection of six folk stories from the fascinating world of the East contains The Secret of the Black Dress from Arabia, Jamil and Jamila from Syria, The Fisherman and the Djinn adapted from A Thousand and One Nights, The Little Camel from Palestine, The Old Pair of Shoes from Arabia, and The Fisherman and the Mermaid from Arabia.  The illustrations in red and teal are reminiscent of screen-printing.  This interactive book concludes with a glossary, a map of the Middle East, suggestions for making your own fairytales, the Arabic script, and drawing and painting ideas.  The final endpapers represent a fairytale alphabet in English and Arabic. mjw

Title: Whisper Of The East: Tales From Arabia Author: Franziska Meiners Illustrator: Franziska Meiners Publisher: North South Books, Inc. New York Copyright: 2018 Original Language: German Translator: David Henry Wilson Original Title: Das Flustern des Orients Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag AG. Zurich, Switzerland Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-0-7358-4323-3 Hardcover pages: 112 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Fiction, Short Stories, Folktales Book setting: Arabia, Syria, Palestine Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Cologne Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Cologne Subjects: Fairytales and folklore, Middle East, Storytelling

How To Be A Lion

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Leonard, a gentle lion, and Marianne, a poetic duck, are best friends.  They are perfectly happy going for long walks and having philosophical talks.  One day, a pride of fierce lions comes prowling around and they question whether it’s right for a lion and a duck to be friends.  Leonard learns that there are many ways to be a lion and that it is not necessary to be fierce and chomp your friends!  This sweet and thoughtful story stresses the importance of being yourself and not backing down to criticism.  Simple, soothing drawings emphasize this exceptional friendship. mjw

Title: How To Be A Lion Author: Ed Vere Illustrator: Ed Vere Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-525-57806-2 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London Subjects: Bullies, Ducks, Lions, Poetry

My Name Is Victoria

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This is an engaging alternate history for fans of Queen Victoria (1819-1901).  Miss V. Conroy joins the household of the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace at age ten.  Miss V. is to be Victoria’s companion and also a spy for the both loving and cruel John Conroy, the comptroller of the household. Princess Victoria lives in the palace under the Kensington System, which is designed to keep her isolated and obedient, under the strict control of all the adults around her.  The second half of the story follows the two girls between the ages of about 16 and 18.  As their friendship deepens and Prince Albert arrives on the scene, the very complex situation leads to a surprising ending.  The story is accurate enough to feel plausible. mjw

Title: My Name Is Victoria Author: Lucy Worsley Publisher: Candlewick Press Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, U.K. Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-0-7636-8807-3 Hardcover pages: 384 Age range: 14 up Genre: Historical Fiction, Biography Book setting: England Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Subjects: Female friendships, Princesses, Queen Victoria (1819-1901) childhood and youth, Siblings

The Tiger’s Egg

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A grumpy tiger named Herman doesn’t like the noisy zoo.  One day, a blue egg rolls down between Herman’s paws.  He decides to look after it until someone comes. “Nobody will dare lay a claw on a tiger egg.”  He builds a nest for it and the egg  starts to crack.  Out comes a tiny, hungry, wet bird with enormous feet.  Herman brings food and teaches the tiny bird to ROAR, though it’s more of a TWEET. This tale of family, differences, and the power of love is enhanced with brightly colored illustrations. mjw

Title: The Tiger’s Egg Author: Nele Bronner Illustrator: Nele Bronner Publisher: NorthSouth Copyright: 2018 Original Language: German Translator: David Henry Wilson Original Title: Das Tigerei Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag  AG,CH. Zurich, Switzerland Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-0-7358-4319-6 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Berlin Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Berlin Subjects: Eggs, Tigers, Zoo animals