Tag Archives: Animals

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

Spur: A Wolf’s Story

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A young wolf named Spur, who is looking for food, is hurt when a shot comes from a helicopter that appears in the sky.  Spur’s family scatters for cover.  When the woods get quiet again, Spur finds another pack of wolves.  She tells them of the attack.  Although she misses her family, she feels grateful to the new pack. After a while, the roar of the helicopter returns.  She warns the other wolves and they hide.  Then, Spur hears a familiar wolf call.  It is her brother.  She splits from the pack and joins him.  Evocative artwork of wolves in their natural habitats enhances this empowering story. An author’s note tells more about culling wolves to protect livestock and to stabilize caribou populations, and the fact that there is evidence that killing wolves helps.  A resource list is also included. mjw
Title: Spur: A Wolf’s Story
Author: Eliza Robertson
Illustrator: Nora Aoyagi
Publisher: Greystone Kids Books
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77164-341-2
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 5-9
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s residence: Montreal, Canada
Illustrator’s residence: Berkeley, California
Subjects: Caribou, Nature and environment, Seasons, Wolves

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

Rain

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Haiku verses accompany 12 scenes of rain in a variety of natural settings.  Each double-page spread features one haiku and one engaging, detailed illustration, such as mountain goats on hills, puffins flying near a lighthouse, and Japanese girls walking amid falling cherry blossoms. Each scene takes place in a different kind of rain.  The book will inspire readers to write their own haiku. mjw
Title: Rain
Author: Anders Holmer
Illustrator: Max Klein
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: Swedish
Original Title: Regn
Original Publisher: Natur and Kultur. Stockholm, Sweden
Original Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 978-0802855077
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Poetry, Picture Book
Book setting: Scenes from all over the globe
Author’s ethnicity: Swedish
Author’s residence: Sweden
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swedish
Illustrator’s residence: Sweden
Subjects: Haiku, Poetry, Rain

The Moose Of Ewenki

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The Ewenki people live in the forest of Greater Khingan, in northern China, and they live on hunting and raising reindeer. The old hunter Gree Shek hunts a mother moose by mistake. She leaves a young moose.  He feels terrible because Ewenki hunters would never hunt a female moose that was raising a baby.  The motherless baby follows Gree Shek back to the campsite where Gree Shek feeds the hungry moose.  He names it Little Moose. The moose and the man form a bond and go on adventures together.  As Little Moose grows older and bigger, Gree Shek knows he must return the moose to the forest.  Beautifully detailed paintings complement this touching story, which highlights the traditional and vanishing way of life of the Ewenki people. mjw
Title: The Moose Of Ewenki
Author: Gerelchimeg Blackcrane
Illustrator: Jui Er
Publisher: Greystone Kids Books
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77164-538-6
Hardcover pages: 68
Age range: 5-9
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Inner Mongolia
Author’s ethnicity: Chinese
Author’s residence: Hulunbuir Grassland in Mongolia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Chinese
Illustrator’s residence: Beijing, China
Subjects: Asia, Caribou, Deer, Global studies, Moose, People and places, Reindeer