The author wrote this book while hiding in Kyiv near the beginning of the war in Ukraine. This is explained in an author’s note on the front end papers, which is written in both English and Ukrainian. The book is about nine-year-old Maya, who goes to school in Ukraine with her sixteen classmates. She introduces them and their teacher and tells their backgrounds and stories. We meet Hrystyna, who lives with her grandma and talks to her parents on Skype. We meet Tymko, whose mother plays the violin and her dad sings at the Opera House. Rayis is a Crimean Tatar, indigenous of Ukraine, and Petro is a Romani who has a huge family clan. Maya herself has two mums. Maya and her friends share an important message about love, respect, and what it means to be a family. The surrealistic illustrations in vivid colors enhance this interesting story about the resilience of the Ukrainian people. All proceeds from the book go to charities helping to protect the children of Ukraine. mjw |
| Title: Maya And Her Friends: A Story About Tolerance And Acceptance To Support The Children Of Ukraine Author: Larysa Denysenko Illustrator: Masha Foya Publisher: Studio Press Books. London. An imprint of Bonnier Books Copyright: 2022 Original Language: Ukrainian Translator: Burshtyna Tereshchenko Original Publisher: Vydavnytstvo Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-80078-414-7 Hardcover pages: 72 Age range: 7-11 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Ukraine Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: Ukraine Illustrator’s ethnicity: Ukraine Illustrator’s residence: Ukraine Subjects: Acceptance, Difference, Multiculturalism, Schools, Tolerance, War |
Maya And Her Friends: A Story About Tolerance And Acceptance To Support The Children of Ukraine
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When the lighthouse keeper is rescued from the stormy sea by a whale, they become friends. Soon, Blue the whale gets into danger, too. Blue is sick with a stomach full of plastic bags. The lighthouse keeper cleans up the trash, so Blue will feel better. Charming simple text and beautiful watercolor paintings introduce young readers to the impact of plastic waste on our oceans and ocean life. An author’s note includes ways that readers can protect whales and their habitats. mjw
As Sara walks to school in her island town, she sees a lot of birds trapped in a little house with a bright red roof. She is awed by the colored parakeets and she wants the birds to be free. The next day on her walk to school, she discovers that the door to the birdhouse is unlocked, and she opens it wide so the parakeets can take off. Sara is punished when her parents find out what she did. She worries that the freed birds may not know how to feed themselves. She goes to sleep that night and dreams that the birds will find their way. “All will be well, so long as the world has wings to dream.” The realistic illustrations in this story about love for nature and dreams for a better world were rendered in digital media. A publisher’s note gives information about Mauritius and the birds that live there. mjw
The French six-year-old narrator in this gorgeous picture book loves spending time in his Spanish grandfather’s incredible garden. The grandfather, Luis, left Spain because of the terrible war. He didn’t have a chance to be a kid, and he never learned to read and write. Together they watch birds. Luis speaks BIRD language. They also draw what they see in the magnificent garden. Luis is a great cook, too, making his house always smell good. Luis speaks in a vibrant and unique language, hence the title of the book, At the Drop of a Cat, and another phrase like “the apple of his pie.” At the end of the story, Luis gives his grandchild a guitar. Even though Luis cannot read or write, he imparts wonderful knowledge about nature and life to his grandchild. Dreamy, colorful, and rich, plant-filled pictures in watercolor and collage depict their natural world effectively
This bilingual Spanish-English edition, the first illustrated selection of 70 questions from Pablo Neruda’s original poem (320 questions), The Book of Questions, is a glorious introduction to Neruda’s works for young children. “Why don’t they teach helicopters how to draw honey from the sun? How did the abandoned bicycle find its freedom? Does the earth chirp like a cricket in the symphony of the skies?” These are a few of the unanswerable imaginative questions posed in the text. The book is large and includes fold-out pages. Blues, reds, and yellows against black or white backgrounds created by pencil and ink have a folk art feel. This is a gorgeous book. mjw
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