Tag Archives: Animals

When Spring Comes To The DMZ

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The beautiful paintings in this book show the changing seasons and the variety of wildlife that live peacefully in the Demilitarized Zone of Korea. Readers can also see the ever-present fences and soldiers. Salmon swim bravely upstream and mountain goats jump after their mother.  Grandfather goes to the DMZ every season and dreams of flinging the gates wide open and walking inside and looking up into the blue sky. The book is part of the Peace Picture Book Project by illustrators from Korea, China, and Japan. A map of Korea and historical facts are included as back matter and the endpapers provide a world map. mjw

Title: When Spring Comes To The DMZ Author: Uk-Bae Lee Illustrator: Uk-Bae Lee Publisher: Plough Publishing House. New York Copyright: 2019 Original Language: Korean Translator: Aileen Won Original Title: Bimujang chidae e bom i omyon Original Publisher: Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. Paju, Korea Original Copyright: 2010 ISBN: 978-0-87486-972-9 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book, Historical Fiction Book setting: Korea Author’s ethnicity: Korean Author’s residence: Korea Illustrator’s ethnicity: Korean Illustrator’s residence: Korea Awards: 2020 ALA Mildred Batchelder Honor Award Subjects: Grandfathers, Korean Demilitarized Zone, Seasons, Soldiers

The Distance Between Me And The Cherry Tree

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Ten-year-old Mafalda has Stargardt Disease, which causes progressive vision loss and eventual blindness. She has six months of sight left and she hides this fact from her family and friends. She keeps a list of all the things she cares about, like climbing the cherry tree near her school and counting stars. She makes a plan for when she can’t see and runs away to live in her favorite cherry tree.  This is a powerful, thought-provoking story of a young girl’s fears. mjw

Title: The Distance Between Me And The Cherry Tree Author: Paola Peretti Illustrator: Carolina Rabei Publisher: Hot Key Books, London Copyright: 2018 Original Language: Italian Translator: Denise Muir Original Publisher: Rizzoli Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-4714-0755-0 Paperback pages: 195 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Italy Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Verona, Italy Translator’s residence: Edinburgh and Abruzzo, Italy Awards: 2020 ALA Mildred Batchelder Honor Award Subjects: Blindness, Cats, Emotions and feelings, Sight, Special needs, Stargardt disease, Trees

Stand On The Sky

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Twelve-year-old Aisulu is an expert equestrienne who loves to ride horses across the mountains. She is one of the Kazakh people of Mongolia, who are nomads and androcentric. It goes against all tradition for her to train eagles. But because her brother is disabled and he and their parents have to travel to a hospital in a faraway big city, she is left with her aunt and uncle and she secretly starts caring for an orphaned baby eagle. She becomes an Eagle Hunter. The setting for this animal-friendship story is unique and fascinating. A glossary of Kazakh and Arabic words and phrases, a list of characters, and an author’s note help readers gain a better understanding of Mongolia and nomadic culture. mjw

Title: Stand On The Sky Author: Erin Bow Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. New York Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-328-55746-9 Hardcover pages: 336 Age range: 9-14 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Kazakh nomads in Mongolia Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Ontario, Canada Awards: 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award Subjects: Asia, Birds, Eagles, Horses, Mongolia, Mountains, Nomads, Wildlife

Letters From Bear

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Bird migrates south for the winter and Bear takes a long journey to find her. Bear writes letters to record her adventures. The letters recount a trip into the scary woods, being rescued by a mermaid, escaping a battle between two human armies, a squirrel’s birthday party, and much more.  Bear finally reaches her destination only to find that Bird never received the letters.  Bird didn’t want to be separated from Bear, so she headed back north.  Bird’s friends devise a plan for the friends to be reunited. Rich paintings illustrate Bear’s adventure. mjw

Title: Letters from Bear Author: Gauthier David Illustrator: Marie Caudry Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2020 Original Language: French Translator: Sarah Ardizzone Original Title: Les lettres de L’ourse Original Publisher: Autrement, Belgium Original Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5536-7 Hardcover pages: 56 Age range: 5-9 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: Drome, France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: Drome, France Subjects: Birds, Bears, Desert, Forest, Letter writing, Mountains, Oceans, Seas, Seasons, Volcanoes

I Dream Of A Journey

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The hotel keeper tells about the people (animal characters) from all over the world who come to stay in his small, but cozy hotel. They tell stories of places he has never seen.  He goes to bed at night and dreams of far, far away places.  He sets off on his dream journey with a big suitcase, boards a plane, and roams freely wherever he wants. Morning comes and he is still in his little hotel waiting for new guests to arrive.  One day, he just might set off on a journey of his own.  The artwork is rendered in muted color pastels and soft focus. This is a beautiful, quiet book about being curious about the world. mjw

Title: I Dream Of A Journey Author: Akiko Miyakoshi Illustrator: Akiko Miyakoshi Publisher: Kids Can Press Copyright: 2020 Original Language: Japanese Translator: Cathy Hirano Original Title: Boku no Tabi Original Publisher: Bronze Publishing, Inc. Tokyo Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-525304-78-1 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Tokyo Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese Illustrator’s residence: Tokyo Subjects: Animal characters, Dreams, Hotels, Journeys, New experiences, Postcards, Wanderlust

A Good Day

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The cat and the tiger are best of friends.  Every day the cat visits the tiger in the zoo.  He is very punctual.  They spend a great deal of time together and they talk about everything.  The tiger wishes he could be free to go back home to the jungle.  They devise a plan for the tiger to escape from the zoo.  The intricately detailed illustrations depict the zoo perfectly. mjw

Title: A Good Day Author: Daniel Nesquens Illustrator: Miren Asiain Lora Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2019 Original Language: Spanish Original Title: Un Buen Dia Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5530-5 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s residence: Spain Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish Illustrator’s residence: Buenos Aire , Argentina Subjects: Cats, Freedom, Tigers, Zoos

P Is For Poppadoms: An Indian Alphabet Book

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This simple alphabet book introduces some Hindi words in an engaging manner.  Young readers will learn about the rich culture, delicious foods, and interesting animals of India.  The book begins with A is for Aam – mango and ends with Z is for Zaban – language.  More familiar words are also included.   C is for chai and Y is for yoga.  Whimsical digitally rendered illustrations enrich the text.  An author’s note provides background on the Hindi language. There is also a page showing how to write the Hindi words. mjw

Title: P Is For Poppadoms: An Indian Alphabet Book Author: Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal Illustrator: Hazel Ito Publisher: Beach Lane Books.  New York Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-534421721 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: Kabir – New York,  Surishthna -Atlanta Illustrator’s ethnicity: Scottish born Illustrator’s residence: Hawaii Subjects: Alphabet, India, Poetry

Child Of St. Kilda

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Norman John Gilles was one of the last children born on St. Kilda, a group of islands with high cliffs off the Scottish coast.   People lived there for over four thousand years, thriving in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. They survived on sea birds, eggs, and potatoes. There was no crime or need for money.  They had no automobiles.  They trusted and cared for each other. The community came to an abrupt end in 1930 when the remaining St. Kildans begged the British government to evacuate them to the mainland. No one knows what happened. Today, the islands have become a World Heritage Site, recognized for their unique wildlife and vanished culture. The book concludes with a St. Kilda Sketchbook that provides more information and a map.  The stunning images were created by hand using monoprinting techniques. mjw

Title: Child Of St. Kilda Author: Beth Waters Illustrator: Beth Waters Publisher: Child’s Play. Auburn, Maine. USA Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-78628-188-3 Hardcover pages: 64  Age range: 4-9 Genre: Picture Book, Information Book, Nonfiction Book setting: Scotland Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Cambridge, U.K. Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: Cambridge, U.K. Subjects: Birds, History, Immigration, Mystery, Storms, Survival

Malo And The Merry-Go-Round

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Malo is supposed to help his best friend, Poto, make pickles, but he hears that there is a new merry-go-round at the pond in the forest and that’s where he goes. Malo passes a wild boar who needs help getting a biting tick removed, but Malo is off in a rush. He meets a gang of turtles who want to play, but Malo lies to them and darts away. Next, he meets a cuckoo and again Malo is off in a huff.  Finally he slips on a dung beetle’s ball of dung, but still continues on his way. He gets to the merry-go-round and decides that it’s no fun playing alone. He should have stayed with Poto to make pickles and not hurt his friends. Malo rushes back to Poto’s house and the two best friends right Malo’s wrongs together. Bold watercolors complement this cute parable. mjw

Title: Malo And The Merry-Go-Round Author: Maria Dek Illustrator: Maria Dek Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, New York Copyright: 2020 Original Language: French Original Title: Mais ou a file Malo la musaraigne? Original Publisher: Helium/Actes Sud. Paris, France Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-61689-875-5 Hardcover pages: 34 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Polish Author’s residence: Bialowieza, Poland Illustrator’s ethnicity: Polish Illustrator’s residence: Bialowieza, Poland Subjects: Forgiveness, Humor, Merry-Go-Round, Parable, Pickles, Selfishness, Values

The Girl Who Stole An Elephant

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Chaya is a rebellious and fearless schoolgirl.  She steals from the rich in her Serendib (Sri Lanka) village to help the poor.  One day, she goes too far and takes some of the Queen’s jewels and, consequently, gets her best friend arrested.  She and her friends, loyal Neelan and clever Nour, escape to the jungle where they have amazing adventures.  She also manages to steal the King’s elephant Ananda.  This fast-paced novel is full of gorgeous and vivid imagery and bits of interesting information about jungle flora and fauna. The book ends with a little twist. mjw

Title: The Girl Who Stole An Elephant Author: Nizrana Farook Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd. London Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-78800-634-7 Paperback pages: 247 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Serendib. Sri Lanka Author’s ethnicity: Born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka Author’s residence: Hertfordshire, England Subjects: Adventure, Bandits, Elephants, Girls, Jungles, Royalty, Theft

You’re Strong With Me

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A new baby giraffe bounds through the grasslands and her mother tells her not to wander off on her own. The mother explains the oxpecker bird, fire, baby fish in the creek, and always proclaims, “…you’re strong with me.” Shades of brown and gold and triangle and diamond shapes are reminiscent of African textiles.  The original artwork was created with ink on paper and completed digitally.  Companion books are You’re Safe With Me and You’re Snug With Me. mjw

Title: You’re Strong With Me Author: Chitra Soundar Illustrator: Poonam Mistry Publisher: Lantana Publishing Ltd.  London Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-911373-75-9 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book, Folklore Book setting: African Grasslands Author’s ethnicity: Indian born British Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s residence: U.K. Awards: 2019 Kate Greenaway Shortlist Subjects: Baby animals, Giraffes, Grasslands, New experiences, Parents

The Jasmine Sneeze

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Haroun is a happy cat living in Damascus, Syria.  He loves lazing and sleeping on the marble floor next to the fountain in his favorite courtyard.  But Haroun has a problem.  The fragrance of the beautiful jasmine flowers causes him to sneeze.  He decides to eradicate the problem by putting old fish skeletons, chicken bones, and other stinky smells into the jasmine tree pots. However, the jasmine spirit is watching his every move.  She is not happy and so she counter attacks Haroun in a funny way.  Haroun learns his lesson and peace returns to Damascus.  The illustrations are bright and cheery.  An author’s note explains more about Damascus, the City of Jasmine.  mjw

Title: The Jasmine Sneeze Author: Nadine Kaadan Illustrator: Nadine Kaadan Publisher: Lantana Publishing, Ltd. Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Lantana Publishing Ltd. United Kingdom Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-911373-31-5 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Damascus, Syria Author’s ethnicity: Syrian Author’s residence: United Kingdom Illustrator’s ethnicity: Syrian Illustrator’s residence: United Kingdom Subjects: Cats, Flowers, Jasmine