 In the pueblo of Palenque in Colombia at the turn of the 21st century, hardly anyone knows how to read or write. The young female narrator of the story is curious about the letters her older sister receives in the mail from her doctor friend. She hopes that they are love letters. Senor Velandia, the shop owner, is one of the few in the pueblo who can read. He helps the girl to read if she will help him in his shop. Slowly she learns the alphabet by writing letters on the ground with a piece of charcoal. She teaches the other children of the pueblo to read the letters with her and discover the magic of reading. The digital, richly colored, textured illustrations depict the Afro-Latine community. An author’s note explains the history of enslaved people in Central and South America, who were forbidden to read by the colonizing Spaniards. This story is woven together from the stories the author heard from various women across Colombia. mjw |
| Title: Letters In Charcoal Author: Irene Vasco Illustrator: Juan Palomino Publisher: Lantana Publishing Ltd. UK Copyright: 2023 Original Language: Spanish Translator: Lawrence Schimel Original Title: Letras al carbon Original Publisher: Editorial Juventud S.A., Spain Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-915244-51-2 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 5-9 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Colombia Author’s ethnicity: Colombian Author’s residence: Colombia Illustrator’s ethnicity: Mexican Illustrator’s residence: Mexico Subjects: Alphabet, Central and South America, Education, Palenque, Pueblo, Reading |
Letters In Charcoal
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Set in 1980s Vietnam, Tho and his best friend, Lam, love cricket fighting, and soccer, but there is fear in his village that twelve-year-old boys, like them, will be conscripted into the Communist army. People are trying to leave Vietnam and move to safer countries. One day, Lam and his brother disappear. Tho’s family sells their furniture to make money to send Tho and his brother, Vu, away. Vu leaves first and a year later Tho boards a small boat to escape. He stows away on a pirate boat, crosses the South China Sea, and eventually gets to a refugee camp in Palawon in the Philippines, where he stays for six months. Finally, a Canadian elementary school teacher adopts him and he flies to his new home in Toronto. This harrowing story is based on true events in the author’s life. A map, a pronunciation guide, an afterword, and a brief recent history of Vietnam further enhance Tho’s intense account of his journey. 
Vera and her family live on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, which seems like the edge of the world. A map of the peninsula includes geographical features and native animal life. Vera shares her most valuable things – her feather collections; her favorite book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; her flashlight; and her favorite food – syrniki (cottage cheese and pancakes). She introduces her mom and her grandma but says that she doesn’t have any friends. She also describes her sekretik – a secret treasure of blue glass, Legos, and forget-me-nots. Lucas and his family live in a small town on the coast of Chile, which also seems like the edge of the world. A map of his country also includes geographical features and native animal life. Lucas shares his most valuable things – ammonite fossils, his soccer ball, his flashlight, his favorite food – a hamburger, and his favorite book: The Hobbit. He introduces his mom, dad, and his grandma. He, too, has no friends. One evening, both Vera and Lucas go to the beach, and blink their flashlights into the dark using the international language of Morse Code. “What if I had a friend over there, beyond the edge of the world?” If they look hard enough, they’ll find that we’re all so very similar, and connected to each other. One set of endpapers shows the Morse Code. The other endpapers present a map depicting Russia, Chile, and the 9942 miles of Pacific Ocean between the children’s homes. The interesting illustrations were created digitally in this unique flip-formatted, two-story picture book
A curious house cat named Tibbles and her owner move across the world from England to a small island off the coast of New Zealand in 1894. The cat discovers a new, rare species of flightless birds – the Stephens Island Wren – that had been previously undescribed. Unfortunately, Tibbles causes the extinction of the bird by preying on it. This true story made a huge impact on the world by alerting humans to the dangers of introducing non-native animals to other parts of the world. Included are interesting facts about the bird and its discovery. The vintage-inspired illustrations, speech bubbles, and diagrams enhance this darkly comedic story that brings global awareness of the unintended consequences of human actions on the environment. mjw
Heidi, the Swiss classic, is one of the bestselling books of all time. This new picture book version tells about Heidi and her grandfather living in the Alps, Heidi’s difficult move to Frankfurt to live with wheelchair-bound Clara, and Heidi’s return home to the mountains and her grandfather, complete with Clara’s recovery. Thirty bold, handcrafted paper-cut and digital collage illustrations capture Heidi’s heartwarming story, which is as relevant today as ever. mjw
Jojo is learning to dance between two worlds. His grandmother, who learned the tinikling in the Philippines and now lives in America, encourages him to dance to the bamboo beat. She teaches the dance at the cultural center. He finds it difficult at first, but eventually, he “spins and hops to the rhythm of his life,” jumping between the two clapping bamboo poles. Ample use of onomatopoeia with the clapping, clicking, and tapping of the bamboo poles and Tagalog words are integrated into the music of this festive story. At the end of the book, there is more information about the dance, which will inspire Americans of all cultures to appreciate the Filipino national dance. mjw
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