Category Archives: Uncategorized

Captain Jack And The Pirates

A family day at the beach turns into a make-believe swashbuckling adventure for pre-schoolers Jack, Zack, and Caspar. They build a ship out of sand, chase pirates, become marooned on an island, discover a treasure – delicious desserts, and get captured by friendly pirates (their parents). The artwork is a mix of lively brown-tone sketches and pale watercolor paintings of the chubby-cheeked children. The trip between the car and the beach is documented on the endpapers. Told in rhyme, this delightful story is a perfect read-aloud. mjw

Title: Captain Jack And The Pirates
Author: Peter Bently
Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, New York
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Puffin Books, Great Britain
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-0525-429500
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 3-5
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Devon, England
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: London, England
Awards: Illustrator has won two Kate Greenaway medals, Shortlisted for the 2016 CLIP Kate Greenaway Medal
Subjects: Adventure, Pirates, Sea stories, Stories in rhyme

The Queen Of The Frogs

Leave a reply

Once upon a time, there was a pond full of frogs doing froggy things – hopping, catching flies, napping, and playing with dragonflies. One evening, something resembling a crown fell from the sky into the water. A frog found it and put it on her head. The frogs called her queen of the frogs. She no longer needed to catch her own flies and she always got the best of everything. But soon, all the frogs were fed up with having a queen and came up with a clever plan for getting things back to normal around the pond. This story, reminiscent of Aesop’s fables, is illustrated with large colorful paintings. mjw

Title: The Queen Of The Frogs
Author: Davide Cali
Illustrator: Marco Soma
Publisher: Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Copyright: 2017
Translator: Lyn Miller-Lachman
Original Title: A rainha das ras nao pode milhar os pes
Original Publisher: Bruaa Editoria, Portugal
Original Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5481-0
Hardcover pages: 38
Age range: 4-9
Genre: Picture Book, Folktale
Author’s ethnicity: Italian
Author’s residence: Italy
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Italian
Illustrator’s residence: Italy
Awards: 2015 Emanuele Luzzati Prize
Subjects: Fables, Fairytales, Frogs and toads, Kings, Leadership, Myths. Queens

In A Cloud Of Dust

Leave a reply

Anna lives in a Tanzanian village, where she has a long walk to the schoolhouse. She has a hard time doing homework because it is dark when she gets home from school. One day, she misses the visit of the bicycle library truck. In her village, bicycles are expensive and many families cannot afford them. At a bicycle library, a child can sign out a bike just like we sign out books at our libraries. Anna hides her disappointment of not getting a bike by helping her classmates steer and balance their bikes. A friend gives Anna a bicycle when he gets to his house because she has farther to go. Anna then rides home and kicks up her own cloud of dust. Glowing oil painting in golds and oranges spotlight the simple, uplifting story about sharing. An author’s note highlights more information about bicycle libraries and organizations that distribute bikes to Africa and other developing countries. mjw

Title: In A Cloud Of Dust
Author: Alma Fullerton
Illustrator: Brian Deines
Publisher: Pajama Press. Toronto
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 1-978-1-927485-62-0
Paperback pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Tanzania
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Ontario
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Toronto
Subjects: Bicycles, Friendship, Libraries, School children, Tanzania

Story Worlds Nature

Leave a reply

Every picture tells a story. What do you think it is? Observe, inquire and wonder to discover the answers. Throughout this picture book, wordless images tell true stories of nature. The readers get to guess each story while looking at the minimalist animal illustrations showing scenes from around the globe. From puffins, to giraffes, to the simple tree frog, each animal is painted in its natural environment. At the end of the picture book, the story of each picture is explained with a short sentence describing what the animal is doing or experiencing. amo

Title: Story Worlds Nature
Author: Thomas Hegbrook
Illustrator: Thomas Hegbrook
Publisher: 360 Degrees; Tiger Tales
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-1-944530-01-3
Hardcover pages: 64
Age range: 7-10
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Around the World
Subjects: Animals, Nature

The Last Tree

Leave a reply

A small boy lives in a concrete city without grass or trees. One day, he and a friend discover a tiny sapling growing behind a wall. He dreams about the tree growing huge and majestic. But the next day, the front page of the newspaper reads “247-Floor Luxury Condo! Construction to start this week.” He and his friend know they have to dig up the sapling and replant it in a safe place to make sure the last tree survives. This powerful environmental message is further conveyed by artwork rendered in charcoal, gravure ink, gouache, pencil, and digitally. mjw

Title: The Last Tree
Author: Ingrid Chabbert
Illustrator: Guridi
Publisher: Kids Can Press. Toronto
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: French
Original Title: Le dernier arbre
Original Publisher: Editions Fri Mousse
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77138-728-6
Hardcover pages: 36
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: French
Author’s residence: France
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish
Illustrator’s residence: Spain
Subjects: City life, Environment, Trees

The Sun Is Also A Star

Leave a reply

Natasha has hours left before she is deported to Jamaica. The logical aspiring scientist believes in facts and refuses to fall in love with someone she just met. Dreamer Daniel, who lives under the pressure of pleasing his Korean parents, believes Natasha is the one. That fate has made several events fall into place for them to meet. With all of the possible futures there are, will their one day in New York City lead to a future together? Yoon’s multiple points of view in narration brings to light a variety of perspectives and emotions of the human experience. ema

Title: The Sun Is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-0553496680
Hardcover pages: 384
Age range: 14 and up
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
Authors’ ethnicity: American, Jamaican
Authors’ residence: Los Angeles
Awards: National Book Award finalist, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner
Subjects: Immigration, Jamaican, Love, Multiple POVs, Poetry, Racism, Science, South Korean

The Wise Fool: Fables From The Islamic World

Leave a reply

Twenty-two lively tales introduce Mulla Nasruddin, one of the most loved characters in the Muslim world. Also known as Khoja, he is amusing and unusually wise. The mixed media illustrations tap into the architecture, pottery, fabric, colors, landscapes, and peoples of the rich Islamic culture. An introduction sets the scene for the tales. Also included are an illustrator’s note, a glossary, a pronunciation guide, and a list of sources. mjw

Title: The Wise Fool: Fables From The Islamic World
Author: Shahrukh Husain
Illustrator: Micha Archer
Publisher: Barefoot Books. Cambridge, MA
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-78285-255-1
Paperback pages: 64
Age range: 8-11
Genre: Picture Book, Folktales
Author’s ethnicity: Born in Pakistan
Author’s residence: London
Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S.
Illustrator’s residence: U.S.
Subjects: Folktales, fairytales, and myths; Humor; Islamic civilization; Multicultural

My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme

Leave a reply

In this brightly colored counting book, Granny travels around the world picking up exciting objects from all corners of the globe.Illustrations in gouache on Fabriano paper show Granny flying on her magic carpet from Istanbul to Peru. She picks up increasing amounts of items such as two temple cats from Thailand and then three masks in Mexico continuing up to 10 llamas. Young readers will enjoy seeing sites from 10 different countries while Granny picks up souvenirs for the narrator who is met at the end of the story. amo

Title: My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme
Author: Stella Blackstone
Illustrator: Christopher Corr
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Copyright: 2006
Original Language: English
Original Copyright: 1995
ISBN: 978-1-90523-662-6
Paperback pages: 22
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Counting Picture Book
Book setting: Around the World
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Somerset, United Kingdom
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: London, England
Subjects: Boomerangs, Cats, Countries, Cowbells, Dolls, Drums, Kites, Lanterns, Llamas Magic carpet, Masks

The Pearl Thief

Leave a reply

This pre-war, prequel to Elizabeth Wein’s award- winning Code Name Verity tells the story of fifteen-year-old Julie before she becomes Verity. After her grandfather dies, leaving the family in debt, they are forced to sell the estate. Julie returns home to the estate for a last visit, finds herself with a bump on her head, and a mystery to solve. There is a fascinating cast of characters, including two young Scottish Travellers whose family has been camping on her grandfather’s land. This multi-layered coming of age story does stand alone, though it would be valuable for fans of Verity. A map and an author’s note are included. mjw

Title: The Pearl Thief
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1484717165
Hardcover pages: 336
Age range: 12 up
Genre: Historical fiction
Book setting: Scotland
Author’s residence: Scotland
Subjects: Investigations, Missing persons, Murder, Mystery, Nomadic people, Prejudices, Scottish Travellers, Scotland – history

Ada’s Violin: The Story Of The Recycled Orchestra Of Paraguay

Leave a reply

Eleven-year-old Ada Rios lives with her family in a landfill in Cateura in Paraguay’s capital city of Asuncion. It is one of the poorest slums in all of South America. Favio Chavez, an environmental engineer sent to Cateura to teach safety practices to the gancheros (recyclers) working in the dangerous heaps of trash, worried about the children and decided to offer them music lessons. Since they could not afford instruments, they created cellos, flutes, guitars, violins, and more out of garbage. In time, Chavez’s music class became the Recycled Orchestra. Now, the orchestra plays around the world, spreading their message of hope and inspiration. They even opened for a Metallica concert. This true story is illustrated with mixed media collages. Spanish words are smoothly integrated into the text. An author’s note; websites, videos, and sources; and a photo of string instruments made from oil drums, paint cans, and pieces of wooden crates are included. The book is also available in a Spanish edition, El Violin de Ada: La historia de la Orquesta de Intrumentos Reciciados del Paraguay. mjw

Title: Ada’s Violin: The Story Of The Recycled Orchestra Of Paraguay
Author: Susan Hood
Illustrator: Sally Wern Comport
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3096-8
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Paraguay
Author’s ethnicity: U.S.
Author’s residence: Connecticut, U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S.
Illustrator’s residence: Maryland, U.S.
Subjects: Classical music, instruments, Music, Musicians, orchestra, Recycling, Spanish

Leather Shoe Charlie

Leave a reply

Charlie and his family move from the country to Manchester where there is more work. They face many hardships, including pollution from the city’s factories. Charlie’s mother is ill from the lack of sun and clean air and she needs tea that will help her regain her strength. Charlie decides to sell his fine leather shoes that his grandfather made for him so that he has money to buy the tea for his mother. Charlie’s brightly colored shoes stand out against the gray/tan tones of the industrialized city. This moving story concludes with information about the Industrial Revolution in England, key terms and concepts, a map, and a timeline of events. mjw

Title: Leather Shoe Charlie
Author: Gyeong-hwa Kim
Illustrator: Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: Korean
Editor: Joy Cowley
Original Publisher: Yeowan Media Co Ltd.
Original Copyright: 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5473-5
Paperback pages: 36
Age range: 6-10
Genre: Picture Book, Historical Fiction
Book setting: Manchester, England
Author’s ethnicity: Korean
Author’s residence: South Korea
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Italian
Illustrator’s residence: Milan, Italy
Subjects: Careers, Europe, Industrial Revolution, Jobs, Occupations

Wild Animals Of The South

Leave a reply

This gorgeous information book looks at animals of South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica, from flamingoes and okapis to two-toed sloths and Indian peafowl. Most of the wildlife images are accompanied by compelling and often humorous descriptive paragraphs. The accurate representations of the animals from the southern hemisphere really make the book. A note providing more information and an index are included. A companion books is Wild Animals of the North. mjw

Title: Wild Animals Of The South
Author: Dieter Braun
Illustrator: Dieter Braun
Publisher: Flying Eye, an imprint of Nobrow Inc, London, New York
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: German
Translator: Jen Calleja
Original Title: Die Welt der wilden tiere: Im Suden
Original Publisher: Knesebeck GmbH and Co. Verlag KG. Munchen
Original Copyright: 2014
ISBN: 978-1-909263-97-0
Hardcover pages: 152
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Picture Book, Information Book, Nonfiction
Book setting: South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica
Author’s ethnicity: German
Author’s residence: Hamburg, Germany
Illustrator’s ethnicity: German
Illustrator’s residence: Hamburg, Germany
Subjects: Endangered animals, Southern hemisphere, Wild animals, Wilderness