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A British pilot’s plane crashes down in Nazi occupied France. “Kittyhawk” has a chance of survival, but her friend “Verity” is unlikely to survive. Verity is captured by the Gestapo and can either reveal her mission or be gruesomely tortured. Careful attention to historical detail makes Verity and Kittyhawk’s story believable. This riveting tale told in journal entries with literary references and plot twists is about a beautiful friendship forged in a dark time in history. ema |
| Title: Code Name Verity Author: Elizabeth Wein Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Copyright: 2012 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1423152194 Hardcover pages: 352 Age range: 14 up Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: England, France, and Scotland Author’s ethnicity: American; grew up abroad Author’s residence: Scotland Awards:UK Literary Association Award Winner, 2013 Edgar Award Winner, 2013 Printz Honor Book, 2012 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book, Shortlisted for the 2013 CILIP Carnegie Award, Golden Kite Award Honor Book, Shortlisted for the 2012 Scottish Children’s Book Award Subjects: Adventure, Air Pilots, Espionage, Families, Flying, Female Friendships, Friends, Historical Fiction, Language, Nazis, Planes, Spies, War, Women Air Pilots, World War Two |
A young bespectacled boy warns that you should always carry a banana with you because you never know when there might be a gorilla around. Gorillas are masters of disguise and they are really good at hiding. They can be astronauts, scuba divers, surgeons, ninjas – even Gorilliam Shakespeare or Apebraham Lincoln. This humorous story with fanciful illustrations of gorillas everywhere ends with a surprising twist. Only grown-ups will get the pun in the title. (Dr. Dian Fossey’s classic nature memoir, Gorillas In The Mist.) The author and illustrator are known for their comic series about the superhero dinosaur, Blastosaurus. mjw |
| Title: Gorillas In Our Midst Author: Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones Illustrator: Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones. Coloring by Tara Black Publisher: Sky Pony Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc, New York Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-63220-607-7 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-6 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born and raised in New Zealand Author’s residence: Auckland, New Zealand Illustrator’s ethnicity: Welsh Illustrator’s residence: Auckland, New Zealand Subjects: Apes, Disguise, Gorillas, Humorous stories, Monkeys |
Readers will feel like they are on a fantastic journey with the little boy who is also reading The Blue Whale. Illustrations are helpful in conveying the size of a whale, and the use of images and comparisons gives the perfect visualization of the enormousness of a blue whale in relation to everyday objects. The rich and playful illustrations are well woven with fascinating facts about the “largest living creature on our planet”. ema |
| Title: The Blue Whale Author: Jenni Desmond Illustrator: Jenni Desmond Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-59270-165-0 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London Subjects: Animals, Blue Whales, Ecology, Endangered Species, Facts, Nonfiction, Ocean, Pollution, Protected Species, Science, Water, Whales, Wildlife |
The Kingdom of Mirador is terrified of a monstrous beast, Fire-Mouth. No one but the king has actually seen it. He constantly warns the villagers, making them fearful and gloomy. One April morning, three strange musicians – Pierrot, Capuchin, and Harlequin – and their dog appear in the kingdom. They entertain the people and encourage them to sing, to dance, and to confront their fears. The king is not pleased and plots to put everything back in order. But the people see his trick. Based on Pablo Picasso’s Three Musicians, brightly hued watercolors, bold lines, and Mediterranean colors hint at Picasso’s style and cubism. Included are a reproduction of Picasso’s original painting (1921); a lesson on the artist’s ideas, style, and life; and suggested museums throughout the world where Picasso’s art can be seen. The book is one of Prestel’s “Pictures That Tell Stories: Art for Children” series. mjw |
| Title: The Three Musicians: A Children’s Book Inspired By Pablo Picasso Author: Veronique Massenot Illustrator: Vanessa Hie Publisher: Prestel, Verlag Copyright: 2013 Original Language: French Translator: Agathe Joly Original Title: Les Trois Musiciens Original Publisher: L’Elan vert, Paris Original Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-3-7913-7151-1 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 6-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Mirador Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Art, Cubism, Dogs, Music, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) |
The brutal Caliph of Khorasan each night kills his new bride before dawn breaks. This changes when Khalid marries Shahrzad. Shahrzad volunteers herself as the caliph’s bride. She wishes to get revenge for her best friend’s death by marrying the King of Kings and giving him the same fate as her friend. Although Shahrzad plans on killing the king, she realizes that Khalid is not the callous monster that she believed he would be. When Shahrzad falls in love with him, she must decide whether to follow her heart or avenge the lives of the caliph’s late wives. The book’s gorgeous cover and fantastical end pages will entice readers to open the book, while the story will keep them mesmerized. The book also features a map of the book’s setting and a glossary of words readers may be unfamiliar with. The Wrath and The Dawn is a dazzling retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. This romance versus loyalty tale has beautiful imagery, great characterization, and magical elements which will leave readers craving for the next book. ema |
| Title: The Wrath And The Dawn Author: Renée Ahdieh Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a Penguin Publishing Group Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-399-17161-1 Hardcover pages: 388 Age range: 14 up Genre: Fairytale Reimagining, Fantasy Book setting: Fantasy World Based on the Middle East Author’s ethnicity: Asian American Author’s residence: United States Awards: A Junior Library Guild Selection, A Summer 2015 Kids’ Indie Next List Top Ten Pick Subjects: Arabian Nights, Arranged Marriages, Fairy Tale Reimaginings/ Retellings, Fantasy, Friendships, Loyalty, Love, Magical Elements, Marriages, Middle East, Murder, One Thousand and One Nights, Persian, Relationships, Romance |
There is a unique story for every letter of the alphabet in this clever large-format book. A is about an astronaut named Edmund who has a fear of heights. B’s story is about battling Bernard and Bob who burned the bridge between them and learned an important lesson. E’s enigma asks how many elephants can you fit inside an envelope? A nun reveals the answer in N – nearly nine thousand, but it depends on the size of the envelope. Edmund the astronaut appears again in Z for zeppelin, where he drives a steady four feet from the ground. Offbeat wordplay and quirky drawings created with ink and spots of color added digitally enrich this sophisticated alphabet book. mjw |
| Title: Once Upon An Alphabet: Short Stories For All The Letters Author: Oliver Jeffers Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers Publisher: Philomel Books Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Harper Collins, U.K. Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-0-399-16791-1 Hardcover pages: 112 Age range: 5-12 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born in Australia. Bred in Belfast, Ireland Author’s residence: Brooklyn, U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: Born In Australia. Bred in Belfast, Ireland Illustrator’s residence: Brooklyn, U.S. Awards: 2015 CBI Book of the Year Award and Children’s Choice Award (Ireland), 2015 ALA Notable Books for Children Subjects: Alliteration, Alphabet, Letters, Short stories |
In this quirky cautionary tale, Danny, the pot-bellied, two-toothed hippopotamus, is having his teeth cleaned by the “cleaner fish” who comment about the large gap between his teeth. He assumes he has a lisp and consults lisping snakes who say that he “sthpeaks thrangely.” Danny doesn’t realize that snakes aren’t good for giving such advice. He goes to a lanky dentist in the city, gets braces, and a brand new lisp. He recommends the procedure to his crocodile friend, who visits the dentist, accidentally devours him, and takes his job. The crocodile becomes a well-established dentist, though some of his patients disappear, and Danny is the “happieth hippopotamuth on earth.” The bold black-line drawings are filled with detail and bright colors, especially yellow, green, and brown. mjw |
| Title: Danny Author: Yann and Gwendal Le Bec Illustrator: Yann and Gwendal Le Bec Publisher: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd., London Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-909263-42-0 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Crocodiles, Dentists, Hippopotamus, Lisp, Self-doubt, Teeth |
Fifth-grader Farah attends Miss Peabody’s Academy, an exclusive art-centered girls’ school. Her assignment is to talk about her mother for “International Women’s Day” in front of the whole class, but her hijab-wearing, modest, widowed mother is boring, compared to her classmates’ mothers. She worries and even feels guilty until she talks to her mom and discovers a lot about her mom’s past, present, and future. Her mom is planning to open “The Hijab Boutique,” a store selling Muslim headscarves. This first-person perspective of what it is like being of a different religion and culture in the United States educates and fosters understanding about hijab wearing. Black and white pencil drawings give a sense of Farah’s classmates, her home, and hijab fashions in this quick read. mjw |
| Title: The Hijab Boutique Author: Michelle Khan Illustrator: Eman Salem Publisher: The Islamic Foundation, United Kingdom Copyright: 2011 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-86037-468-8 Paperback pages: 56 Age range: 10-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Los Angeles, U.S. Author’s ethnicity: Indo-Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Subjects: Hijab, International Women’s Day, Islam, Mothers and daughters, Muslim women, Purdah, School |
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| Title: Written In The Stars Author: Aisha Saeed Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Young Readers Group, New York Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-399-17170-3 Hardcover pages: 284 Age range: 14 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Pakistan and Florida Author’s ethnicity: Pakistani-American Author’s residence: U.S. Subjects: Arranged marriages, Dating, Forced marriages, Love stories, Marriage, Pakistani-Americans, Relationships. |
When Sheep sees birds flying overhead, she wants to build a flying machine so that she can fly, too. She runs to Wolf to ask for his help, but he is skeptical. Together they build their first design. Its fabric wings rip mid-flight. They try balloons, but the birds pop them. Their final winning idea involves a dragon’s head and tail. And they are off – soaring. The dragon has scared away the birds. The paper cutout, ink, and pencil collage illustrations are intriguing, with architectural drawings, mathematical scribbles, and interesting perspectives. mjw |
| Title: Anything Is Possible Author: Giulia Belloni Illustrator: Marco Trevisan Publisher: Owlkids Books, Inc. Toronto Copyright: 2011 Original Language: Italian Translator: William Anselmi Original Title: Tutte e possibile Original Publisher: Kite Edizioni, Padova, Italy Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978-1-926973-91-3 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Italy Illustrator’s ethnicity: Italian Illustrator’s residence: Italy Subjects: Dreams, Flying machines, Perseverance, Persistence, Sheep, Teamwork, Wolves |
A little girl says to Tommy, “You’re blushing…” She points at him and winks at Paul, the biggest bully. The classmates laugh, jeer, and whisper. “Leave me alone!” Tommy sighs. The teasing on the school playground spirals. The bully’s “tongue is as sharp as a knife” and his “fist is as hard as a brick.” The teacher finds out what is going on, but no one dares to speak. Luckily, the little girl is finally brave enough to raise her hand and halt the vicious game. When the bully confronts her later, the other children rally to her side. They have become wiser. Everyone is sometimes shy and bullying is not funny. Pencil, charcoal, ink, aquarelle, acrylic, and collage cartoon illustrations produce an aggressive back and red effect in this subtle, yet powerful book written from the viewpoint of a spectator. mjw |
| Title: Red Author: Jan De Kinder Illustrator: Jan De Kinder Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan. U.S. Copyright: 2015 Original Language: Dutch Translator: Laura Watkinson Original Title: Rood, of Waarom Pesten Niet Grappig Is (Red, Or Why Bullying Is Not Funny) Original Publisher: Uitgeverij De Eenhoorn bvba, Belgium Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5446-9 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born in Dendermonde, Belgium Author’s residence: Belgium Illustrator’s ethnicity: Born in Dendermonde. Belgium Illustrator’s residence: Belgium Awards: Nominated for the Child and Youth Jury 2014-2015 (Belgium_ Subjects: Blushing, Bullying, Conduct of life, Difference, Peer pressure, Prejudice, School |