Tag Archives: Adventure

The Secret Of The Blue Glass

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In the library, in a house in a Tokyo suburb, live the Little People: Fern and Balbo, Robin and Iris. Just a few inches high, a beloved nanny brought them from England to the Moriyama family in Japan. Since then, each generation of the Moriyama family children take care of the Little People by filling the blue glass goblet daily with milk to feed them.  Now it is Yuri Moriyama’s turn.  When World War II comes to Japan, and the older Moriyama brother becomes a fanatic nationalist, the family is divided.  Yuri and a loyal pigeon keep the Little People safe.  This tender fantasy story is full of adventure, hardship, and cultural revelations. mjw
Title: The Secret Of The Blue Glass
Author: Tomiko Inui (1924-2002)
Publisher: Pushkin Children’s Books.  London
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: Japanese
Translator: Ginny Tapley Takemori
Original Title: Kokage No Ie No Kobitotachi (Yuri And The Little People)
Original Publisher: Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers.  Tokyo
Original Copyright: 1967
ISBN: 978-1-782690-34-4
Paperback pages: 192
Age range: 12-16
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Book setting: Tokyo suburb
Author’s ethnicity: Japanese
Awards: 2019 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Shortlist
Subjects: Asian historical fiction, Libraries, Pigeons, World War II

Ida And The Whale

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Ida and the whaleIda, a curious little girl, spends her days sitting in a tree house pondering existential questions. One night, she befriends a giant flying whale who takes her on an incredible journey beyond the stars. They visit many strange and wonderful places including one where everything is upside down and one where everything is still and empty. Along the way, Ida’s questions are answered and she and the whale part ways as friends. Combined mediums of watercolor, pen, and computer graphics illustrate the beautiful and philosophically situated worlds Ida and the flying whale visit on their journey. mm

Title: Ida And The Whale
Author: Rebecca Gugger
Illustrator: Simon Rothlisberger
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780735843417
Hardcover pages: 33 
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: Swiss
Author’s residence: Thun, Switzerland
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swiss
Illustrator’s residence: Thun, Switzerland 
Subjects: Emotions, Human-animal relationships, Philosophy, Whales

 

The Second Sky

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Gilbert, a baby penguin, wants to fly in the sky like an albatross.  He practices to no avail because he has big clumsy feet and small fluffy wings.  He falls on his face, his back, and his bottom.  His uncle tells him to give it up, but Gilbert knows he will find a way to fly.  He finally spreads his wings, jumps, tumbles, and splashes into the sea.  He sinks and sees stars, moons, clouds, forests, gardens, and mountaintops.  Under the sea, he flies.  He discovers the second sky in his own element.  The watercolor and pencil illustrations are beautiful with Gilbert’s movement and action. mjw
Title: The Second Sky
Author: Patrick Guest
Illustrator: Jonathan Bentley
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0802-855206
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Australian
Author’s residence: Australia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Australian
Illustrator’s residence: Australia
Subjects: Determination, Flight, Penguins

Borka: The Adventure Of A Goose With No Feathers

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Borka is the youngest of six geese born to Mr. and Mrs. Plumpster.  She has no feathers, so Mrs. Plumpster knits a gray woolen sweater for her. The other geese tease her.  She is left behind when the family migrates south for the winter because she cannot fly.  She makes friends with a dog named Fowler and a boat skipper named Captain McAllister, who takes Borka on his boat.  He brings her to Kew Gardens in London where she fits in nicely because there are so many kinds of strange birds there.  She meets Ferdinand and he and Borka live there happily.  The bold, richly textured illustrations complement this beautiful classic.  This is the 55thanniversary edition, back by popular demand. mjw
Title: Borka: The Adventure Of A Goose With No Feathers
Author: John Burningham
Illustrator: John Burningham
Publisher: Candlewick Press. Somerville, MA
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Jonathan Cape, U.K.
Original Copyright: 1963
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0040-9
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 5-7
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: England
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: North London, England
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: North London, England
Awards: 1964 Kate Greenaway Medal
Subjects: Birds, Dogs, Geese, Knitting

The Hen Who Sailed Around The World: A True Story

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For the last two years, 24-year-old French sailor Guirec Soudee has been sailing the world with his red hen Monique.  Monique never suffers from seasickness.  She keeps him company and provides him with a constant source of food – eggs.  Over the course of the adventure she laid 1,040 eggs! They are currently crossing the Pacific Ocean.  Guirec has documented their journeys with his remarkable and comical photographs and you can follow him online at guirecsoudee.com.  His first book The Transatlantic Voyage Of Monique was released in France.  A map of the voyages is included.  mjw
Title: The Hen Who Sailed Around The World: A True Story
Author: Guirec Soudee
Illustrator: Guirec Soudee
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-316-44884-0
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Nonfiction, Information book, Travel literature
Book setting: Around the world
Author’s ethnicity: French
Illustrator’s ethnicity: French
Subjects: Chickens, Human-animal relationships, Northwest Passage, Photographs, Sailing, Survival

Pashmina

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Pryanka is a teenage girl whose mother emigrated from India years ago, leaving Pri’s father behind. After finding a magical pashmina, Pri travels to India to learn more about her family and her culture.  She is greeted by an elephant and a peacock, that show her around the country.  This story of self-discovery is heartwarming, inspiring, funny, and thought-provoking. Most of the artwork is black and white with thick lines, but whenever someone wears the pashmina, the pages become full-colored. mjw
Title: Pashmina
Author: Nidhi Chanani
Illustrator: Nidhi Chanani
Publisher: First Second, an imprint of Roaring Book Press
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-62672-087-9
Paperback pages: 176
Age range: 10-14
Genre: Fiction, Graphic novel, Fantasy
Book setting: U.S.
Author’s ethnicity: born in Kolkata, India
Author’s residence: San Francisco, U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: born in Kolkata, India
Illustrator’s residence: San Francisco, U.S.
Awards: 2018 South Asia Book Award
Subjects: Asia, Cashmere shawls, Comics, Culture, East Indian Americans, Heritage, Magic realism, Mothers and daughters, Self-discovery, Teenage girls

The Little Prince 75th Anniversary Edition

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This is the 75thanniversary edition of the classic story about an aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert where he encounters a little prince from a small planet who relates his adventures in seeking the secret of what is important in life.  This edition offers the full text of the beloved story – including a biography of the author, sketches, photos, and reviews from the first edition.  It also features a free audio download read by acclaimed author Viggo Mortensen.  The Little Prince is the most widely translated literary work of the twentieth century. mjw
Title: The Little Prince 75th Anniversary Edition
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944)
Illustrator: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. New York
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: French
Translator: Vali Tamm
Original Title: Le Petit Prince
Original Publisher: Editions Gallimard. Paris
Original Copyright: 1943,1946
ISBN: 978-1-328-47975-4
Hardcover pages: 224
Age range: 10-12
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Book setting: Sahara Desert
Author’s ethnicity: French
Illustrator’s ethnicity: French
Subjects: Airplanes, Fables, Fairytales, Pilots, Planets, Princes, Roses

Toshi’s Little Treasures

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toshis-little-treasuresIn this search-and–find information book, young Toshi and his grandmother explore six of their favorite places – the riverbank, the city, the forest, the country, the park, and the beach. Toshi finds treasures to add to his growing collection in his new backpack. He finds a pussy willow branch, a dog whistle, a partridge feather, a glittery rock, a coin, and much more. Each scene is featured in a double-page spread, followed by matching activity pages where readers can identify Toshi’s treasures and match them to related items. Answers at the back of the book give additional interesting facts. The animals they find are also presented. Charming, delicate watercolor art adds to the fun. mjw
Title: Toshi’s Little Treasures
Author: Nadine Robert
Illustrator: Aki
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: French
Translator: Yvette Ghione
Original Title: Le grand livre des petits trésors
Original Publisher: Comme des Geants, Inc.
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77138-573-2
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 3-7
Genre: Picture Book, Information Book
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Montreal, Quebec
Illustrator’s ethnicity: French
Illustrator’s residence: Paris, France
Subjects: Grandmothers, Habitats, Nature, Natural history

Mary Poppins

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Based on the original 1934 novel by P.L. Travers, this picture book version has beautiful soft pastel and colored pencil illustrations that take readers back to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane in London to meet Mary Poppins and the Banks children.  There is a tea party on the ceiling, a visit to the night zoo, and a trip to the star shop.  This is the perfect introduction to everyone’s favorite nanny. mjw
Title: Mary Poppins
Author: P.L.Travers (1899-196), adapted ny Amy Novesky
Illustrator: Genevieve Godbout
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
Original Copyright:  1934
ISBN: 978-1-328-91677-8
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book, Fantasy
Book setting: London
Author’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Born and raised in Quebec
Illustrator’s residence: Montreal
Subjects: Fantasy; London, England: Magic: Nannies

Where The World Ends

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In the summer of 1727, eight boys and three men are marooned on a remote rocky stac at the edge of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.  They were sent there to harvest birds for food, feathers, and oil.  No one returns to collect them. They survive for nine months through deadly storms, madness, and starvation.  Based on a true story, this is an unsettling and awe-inspiring novel.  The world-building is brilliant.  A map of St. Kilda, an afterword, black-and-white sketches of birds, and a glossary are included.  mjw
Title: Where The World Ends
Author: Geraldine McCaughrean
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd. London
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4749-2114-5
Hardcover pages: 336
Age range: 11 up
Genre: Historical Fiction, based on a true story
Book setting: Hirta, St. Kilda, Scotland
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Berkshire, England 
Awards: 2018 CILIP Carnegie Medal, 2020 ALA Printz Honor
Subjects: Birds, Cultures, Geography, Natural world, Survival, Western Islands (Scotland)

Feather

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This philosophical picture book is by two Hans Christian Andersen Medal winners. A single feather is blown across the sky. It meets a kingfisher, a cuckoo, a heron, a peacock, and more birds, each one being asked by the feather, “Am I yours?” The feather is either ignored or dismissed, until she gets close to earth, where a mother hen and her chicks discover her. Feather has no courage left to ask the mother hen, but as the hen slowly unfolds her wings, she thinks, perhaps, that she is missing a feather. This profound story is illustrated with striking double-page spreads of the birds. mjw
Title: Feather
Author: Cao Wenxuan
Illustrator: Roger Mello
Publisher: Elsewhere Editions, New York
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: Chinese
Translator: Chloe Garcia-Roberts
Original Publisher: China Children’s Press and Publication Group
Original Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 978-0914671855
Hardcover pages: 48
Age range: 3-7
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Chinese
Author’s residence: China
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Brazilian
Illustrator’s residence: Brazil
Awards: Author has received the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2016.  Illustrator has received the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2014
Subjects: Birds, Emotions

You Can’t Be Too Careful

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Follow the white rose and the gardener along alternative space-time paths in this study of causality, consequence, and the interconnectedness of life. More than a dozen eccentric characters are introduced – a circus monkey, a fake doctor who wants to play the bagpipes, Rajah the Malodorous, and more. The book expresses serious questions about the dangers of greed and the importance of kindness. Complex colored pencil drawings and torn paper illustrations will make you want to look again at this paradoxical story. mjw
Title: You Can’t Be Too Careful
Author: Roger Mello
Illustrator: Roger Mello
Publisher: Elsewhere Editions.   Brooklyn, NY
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: Portuguese
Translator: Daniel Hahn
Original Title: Todo Cuidado e pouco!
Original Publisher: Companhia das Letras, Sao Paolo
Original Copyright: 1999
ISBN: 978-0-914671-64-0
Hardcover pages: 36
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Brazilian
Author’s residence: Brazil
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Brazilian
Illustrator’s residence: Brazil
Awards: 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award, 2018 Batchelder Honor Award
Subjects: Action, Avarice, Kindness, Greed, Roses