Tag Archives: Animals

The Little Black Fish

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An old fish tells the story of Little Black Fish to her 12,000 children and grandchildren. Little Black Fish leaves the safety of his small stream to venture out and see the world. He meets many different creatures along the way, including the dreaded pelican and the helpful lizard. Little Black Fish has big questions and is determined to find answers. He makes it to the edge of the sea and finds his answers, though he does not survive. He learns about life, dangers, enemies, and friends. This famous Iranian children’s story is considered to be a political allegory and was banned in pre-revolutionary (1978) Iran. mjw

Title: The Little Black Fish Author: Samad Behrangi (1939-1967) Illustrator: Farshid Mesghali Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd.  London, England Copyright: 2015 Original Language: Persian Translator: Azita Rassi Original Publisher: Kanoun Par Varesh Fekri.  Tehran, Iran Original Copyright: 1968 ISBN: 978-1-910328-00-2 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 9 up Genre: Fiction, Allegory Author’s ethnicity: Iranian Author’s residence: Author lived in Iran Illustrator’s ethnicity: Iranian Illustrator’s residence: U.S. Awards: Illustrator has won 1974 Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration Subjects: Coming of age, Fishes, Freedom, Independence

What Elephants Know

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Young Nandu was abandoned in the Nepalese Borderlands and raised by a pack of dhole, Asiatic wild dogs, much like Mowgli in The Jungle Book, until he was brought to the king’s elephant stable. There, Subba-sahib, the stable head, and Devi Kali, a protective female elephant become his new “parents.” Nandu wants to be a mahout, an elephant driver. He goes to boarding school where his teacher, Father Autry, becomes his mentor. When the elephant stable is to be closed, Nandu works to save it. This beautiful coming-of-age story includes rich detail about the culture of Nepal and a wealth of knowledge about the natural world. A glossary helps with the Nepalese words and common elephant commands. Maps adorn the endpapers. The book “dedicated to elephant lovers everywhere” was written by a world-class scientist specializing in the ecology of the Himalayan region. mjw

Title: What Elephants Know Author: Eric Dinerstein Publisher: Disney Hyperion Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1484728543 Hardcover pages: 288 Age range: 9-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Nepal Author’s ethnicity: U.S. Author’s residence: U.S. Awards: 2017 South Asia Book Award Subjects: Elephants, India, Jungles, Nepal history 20th century, Orphans

Mrs. White Rabbit

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The wife of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland describes her busy day and her children in her diary. Beatrix, the eldest, wants to be a supermodel and refuses to eat. There are two pages of 100 ways to cook carrots, but not one will do. The twins are wise and thoughtful boys sitting on their chamber pots. Betty is concerned about starting school. Little Eliot insists on wearing a bunny costume for Halloween and the baby cries all day. The wonderful detailed illustrations make the book. We see Alice’s foot, a portrait of John Tenniel, the Cheshire cat, the Caterpillar, Humpty Dumpty, and much more. Look for mad prices at the hat shop and Lewis Carroll’s photograph of the real Alice Liddell in the window of C. L. Dodgson Photographer. This modern twist is perfect for fans of the Alice books. mjw

Title:  Mrs. White Rabbit Author: Giles Bachelet Illustrator: Giles Bachelet Publisher: Eerdmans Books for young Readers. Grand Rapids, MI Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Original Title: Madame le Lapin Blanc Original Publisher: Editions du seuil Original Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5483-4 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Fiction, Fairytale, Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Alice in Wonderland, Characters in literature, Diaries, Fairytales, Folktales Housewives, Humor, Rabbits

The Queen Of The Frogs

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Once upon a time, there was a pond full of frogs doing froggy things – hopping, catching flies, napping, and playing with dragonflies. One evening, something resembling a crown fell from the sky into the water. A frog found it and put it on her head. The frogs called her queen of the frogs. She no longer needed to catch her own flies and she always got the best of everything. But soon, all the frogs were fed up with having a queen and came up with a clever plan for getting things back to normal around the pond. This story, reminiscent of Aesop’s fables, is illustrated with large colorful paintings. mjw

Title: The Queen Of The Frogs Author: Davide Cali Illustrator: Marco Soma Publisher: Eerdmans Publishing Co. Copyright: 2017 Translator: Lyn Miller-Lachman Original Title: A rainha das ras nao pode milhar os pes Original Publisher: Bruaa Editoria, Portugal Original Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5481-0 Hardcover pages: 38 Age range: 4-9 Genre: Picture Book, Folktale Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Italy Illustrator’s ethnicity: Italian Illustrator’s residence: Italy Awards: 2015 Emanuele Luzzati Prize Subjects: Fables, Fairytales, Frogs and toads, Kings, Leadership, Myths. Queens

Story Worlds Nature

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Every picture tells a story. What do you think it is? Observe, inquire and wonder to discover the answers. Throughout this picture book, wordless images tell true stories of nature. The readers get to guess each story while looking at the minimalist animal illustrations showing scenes from around the globe. From puffins, to giraffes, to the simple tree frog, each animal is painted in its natural environment. At the end of the picture book, the story of each picture is explained with a short sentence describing what the animal is doing or experiencing. amo

Title: Story Worlds Nature Author: Thomas Hegbrook Illustrator: Thomas Hegbrook Publisher: 360 Degrees; Tiger Tales Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-944530-01-3 Hardcover pages: 64 Age range: 7-10 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Around the World Subjects: Animals, Nature

My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme

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In this brightly colored counting book, Granny travels around the world picking up exciting objects from all corners of the globe.Illustrations in gouache on Fabriano paper show Granny flying on her magic carpet from Istanbul to Peru. She picks up increasing amounts of items such as two temple cats from Thailand and then three masks in Mexico continuing up to 10 llamas. Young readers will enjoy seeing sites from 10 different countries while Granny picks up souvenirs for the narrator who is met at the end of the story. amo

Title: My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme Author: Stella Blackstone  Illustrator: Christopher Corr Publisher: Barefoot Books Copyright: 2006 Original Language: English Original Copyright: 1995 ISBN: 978-1-90523-662-6 Paperback pages: 22 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Counting Picture Book Book setting: Around the World Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Somerset, United Kingdom Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London, England Subjects: Boomerangs, Cats, Countries, Cowbells, Dolls, Drums, Kites, Lanterns, Llamas Magic carpet, Masks

Bruno: Some Of The More Interesting Days In My Life So Far

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Bruno, the cat with the checkered cap, takes his life as it comes. Six interconnected funny stories each tell about a day in Bruno’s life. On a rainy day, he rustles up a breakfast picnic. On a day when the power goes out, he lights candles. When he meets a red fish swimming in the air, he follows it. The colorful cartoon illustrations add humor to these silly stories. mjw

Title: Bruno: Some Of The More Interesting Days In My Life So Far Author: Catharina Valckx Illustrator: Nicolas Hubesch Publisher: Gecko Press.  New Zealand Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Translator: Antony Shugaar Original Title: Bruno: Quelques jour de ma vie très interessante Original Publisher: L’ecole de Loisirs.  Paris Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-77657-124-6 Hardcover pages: 96 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Fiction, Graphic Novel Author’s ethnicity: Dutch Author’s residence: Amsterdam Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: Paris Awards: Author has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Subjects: Birds, Cats, Fish, Horses, Humor, Short stories