Tag Archives: Animals

Chirri And Chirra

Chirri and ChirraTwo young identical twin girls go on a bicycle ride through the natural world. They stop at the forest café for acorn coffee and clover blossom tea. Their next stop is the forest bakery, where they meet a bear and a rabbit, and have mulberry and strawberry jam sandwiches on honey bread and walnut bread. After lunch, they play in a nearby pond and nap under a big tree. Then, they move on to the forest hotel, where there is a concert with all the animals singing. “What a wonderful night in the forest!” Lively, adorable, and sweet colored pencil, pastel, and crayon illustrations look like mid-20th century lithographs. mjw
Title: Chirri And Chirra
Author: Kaya Doi
Illustrator
: Kaya Doi
Publisher
: Enchanted Lion Books, New York
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: Japanese
Translator
: Yuki Kaneko
Original Publisher
: Arranged with Alice-Kan, Inc.
ISBN
: 978-1-59270-199-5
Hardcover pages
: 40
Age range
: 3-8
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: Japanese
Author’s residence
: Japan
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Japanese
Illustrator’s residence
: Japan
Subjects
: Bicycle rides, Forest, Music

The Emergency Zoo

The Emergency ZooIt is the week before World War II in 1939 in England, and twelve-year-olds Rosy and Tilly try to outwit their families and the authorities by hiding their pets in a run-down hut in the woods. Other children bring their pets – rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, and more, and the emergency zoo grows to be a real challenge for the girls. An added problem is that all the children are about to be evacuated to the countryside for safety. The story is inspired by the unspeakable and little known episode in British history when pets were to be destroyed because it was believed that the animals could not cope with bombs and gas and that, with rationing, there would not be enough food for them. Told from the viewpoint of children, this is a moving novel about courage, resourcefulness, and animal welfare. An author’s note gives historical background and explains that organizations such as the Dumb Animal League tried to save as many pets as possible. It is estimated that around 750,000 pets were destroyed in Britain. mjw
Title: The Emergency Zoo
Author: Miriam Halahmy
Publisher
: Alma Books.  Surry, U.K.
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-1-84688-397-2
Paperback pages
: 254
Age range
: 12 up
Genre
: Historical fiction
Book setting
: England
Author’s residence
: London, England
Subjects
: England, Evacuation, Pets, World War II, Zoo animals

Teacup

teacupThis picture book is a simplistically beautiful tale about a boy who journeys to find a new home on a boat with a teacup that is filled with dirt. The gorgeous illustrations effectively reflect the various colors, light, and perspectives of the environments. Every page includes lovely views of the sky, water, ocean, and the various creatures that inhabit them. The book is a wonderful story about a voyage full of personal growth, perseverance, hope, and the promise of a friendship. Readers of all ages and backgrounds will find this story resonating. ema

 

 

Title: Teacup
Author: Rebecca Young
Illustrator
: Matt Ottley
Publisher
: Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: English
Original Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2777-4
Hardcover pages
: 40
Age range: 4-8
Genre
: Fiction Picture Book
Authors’ ethnicity: Australian
Authors’ residence
: Australia
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Australian
Illustrator’s residence
: New South Wales, Australia
Awards: 2016 Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature, and the 2016 NSW Premier’s Literary Award
Subjects: Journeys, Oceans, Sailing, Trees

Bartolome: The Infanta’s Pet

BartolomeBartolome is a ten-year-old disabled dwarf living in a small village in rural 17th century Spain. His family has to keep him hidden in a back room. His dream is to be able to read and write. When his father lands a job in the court of King Philip IV, the family moves to Madrid. The royal princess gets whatever she wants and she wants Bartolome as her “human dog.” He is dressed in a brown furry suit and is very scared, unhappy, and humiliated until he discovers the painter’s studio. One of the apprentices to Spanish artist Diego Velasquez lets Bartolome mix paints and paint a picture. The book shows how dwarfs were thought of and discriminated against in the 17th century. This heart-wrenching story was inspired by the painting Las Meninas, which was painted by Velasquez in 1656. Velasquez was employed as a court painter by Philip IV, where he frequently painted the royal family, especially the King’s daughter, the Infanta. mjw
Title: Bartolome: The Infanta’s Pet
Author: Rachel Van Kooij
Publisher
: Little Island.  Dublin, Ireland
Copyright
: 2012
Original Language
: German
Translator
: Sioban Parkinson
Original Title
: Kein Hundeleben fur Bartolome
Original Publisher
: Jungbrunnen Verlag.  Vienna
Original Copyright
: 2003
ISBN
: 978-1-908195-26-5
Paperback pages
: 208
Age range
: 12 up
Genre
: Historical Fiction
Book setting
: Spain
Author’s ethnicity
: Dutch
Author’s residence
: Vienna, Austria
Translator’s ethnicity
: Irish
Translator’s residence
: Dublin, Ireland
Awards
: Translator was Ireland’s first Children’s Laureate from 2010-2012.
Subjects
: Dwarfs; Europe; Madrid, Spain; Pets, Special needs: Velasquez

The Story Of Hurry

7S-Hurry_cover_final_1024x1024.jpgA loveable donkey named Hurry lives in the Gaza Strip during 2008. He sees that the children around him are struggling and he tries to help cheer them up with rides on his back. Based on the true story of the Happy Land Zoo in the Gaza Strip, Hurry is taken in by a creative zookeeper who had lost his animals due to hunger or injury. Hurry is the solution to the lack of zebras when he is reintroduced to the community with black and white stripes. With an informative historical note at the end, this story shows the resilience of our human spirit. amo
Title: The Story Of Hurry
Author: Emma Williams
Illustrator
: Ibrahim Quraishi
Publisher
: Seven Stories Press
Copyright
: 2014
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-1-60980-589-0
Hardcover pages
: 36
Age range
: 3-7
Genre
: Picture Book
Book setting
: Gaza Strip
Author’s ethnicity
: English
Author’s residence
: New York City
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Kenyan
Illustrator’s residence
: Amsterdam
Subjects
: Animals, Donkeys, Gaza Strip, Zoos

The Wolves Of Currumpaw

The wolves of CThis beautifully illustrated tale follows the 19th century true story of Ernest Thompson Seton and Lobo, king wolf of the Currumpaw Valley in New Mexico. Seton set out to hunt and trap Lobo, but was torn between his love of nature and his hunting ability. The death of Lobo was a turning point for Seton. He then devoted his life to protecting the wolf species and to the conservation of American wildlife. Grill’s stunning colored pencil drawings enhance and extend his modern retelling of Seton’s drama, Lobo, the King of Currumpaw, originally published in 1898. Seton went on to found the Boy Scouts of America. Back matter includes an illustrated glossary and an appendix, which includes an author’s note and lists of books, websites, and places where readers can learn more. mjw
Title: The Wolves Of Currumpaw
Author: William Grill
Illustrator
: William Grill
Publisher
: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd.  London
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-1-909263-83-3
Hardcover pages
: 80
Age range
: 7-14
Genre
: Picture book, Information book, Nonfiction
Book setting
: New Mexico, U.S.
Author’s ethnicity
: English
Author’s residence
: London
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: English
Illustrator’s residence
: London
Awards
: Author/illustrator has won the 2015 CLIP Kate Greenaway Medal
Subjects
: Foxes and wolves, Exploration and discoveries, Old West, Wildlife conservation

Night Guard

Night GuardVarious family members, particularly a young child, explore friendship, fear, love, loneliness, and the world around them in this sensitive poetry collection. The surrealistic illustrations are striking and haunting. They interact with the words, but do not say the same thing. Readers will ponder, be soothed, and smile, when they peruse this book. mjw
Title: Night Guard
Author: Synne Lea
Illustrator
: Stian Hole
Publisher
: Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: Norwegian
Translator
: John Irons
Original Title
: Nattevakt
Original Publisher
: Cappelen Damm. Oslo, Norway
Original Copyright
: 2013
ISBN
: 978-0-8028-5458-2
Hardcover pages
: 82
Age range
: 9 up
Genre
: Illustrated poetry
Author’s ethnicity
: Norwegian
Author’s residence
: Norway
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Norwegian
Illustrator’s residence
: Norway
Subjects
: Bedtime, Dreams, Emotions, Families, Fear, Feelings, Friendship. Loneliness, Social issues

Babak The Beetle

 

page_1_thumb_largeBabak the dung beetle sets out on a laborious journey to find the mother of the mysterious egg he discovered. He asks birds, frogs, and even snakes but cannot seem to find the right mother. Finally, he finds another egg just like his! He looks for the mother and discovers that she is hitting her eggs across a field with a stick. Babak does not approve of this mothering so he takes matters into his own hands to save his egg. The bright illustrations created through lino-cutting will keep the reader engaged in the mystery of the lost egg.  amo
Title: Babak The Beetle
Author: Fred Paronuzzi
Illustrator
: Andree Prigent
Publisher
: NorthSouth
Copyright
:  2016
Original Language
: French
Translator
: Elie Brangbour
Original Title
: Gérard le Bousier
Original Publisher
: Kaleidoscope
Original Copyright
: 2014
ISBN
: 978-0-7358-4251-9
Hardcover pages
: 32
Age range
: 4-8
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: French
Author’s residence
: France
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: French
Illustrator’s residence
: France
Subjects
: Birds, Dung Beetles, Eggs, Frogs, Golf, Snakes

Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey Of A Mouse To The Moon

ArmstrongIn the mid 1950s, a dreamer/inventor mouse has his sights set on the moon. His mouse friends insist the moon is made of cheese, but he knows better. He experiments unsuccessfully with a catapult, a space capsule made from a clock, and a vessel with a firecracker attached to a roller skate. Eventually, he creates a space suit with an ink bottle helmet and constructs a multi-stage tin can craft that carries him into space and on to a lunar landing. He gathers a moon rock and plants a tiny flag. He returns and is acclaimed by his mouse peers. Precisely rendered, lavish illustrations in watercolor and pencil make the book a work of art. The book ends with a brief nonfiction history of space travel from Galileo’s observations about the moon to the July 1969 Apollo moon landing. Our hero gets encouragement from an elderly mouse at the Smithsonian, who is Charles Lindbergh from Kuhlmann’s companion book, Lindbergh: The Tale of A Flying Mouse.  mjw
Title: Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey Of A Mouse To The Moon
Author: Torben Kuhlmann
Illustrator
: Torben Kuhlmann
Publisher
: NorthSouth Books, Inc.  New York
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: German
Translator
: David Henry Wilson
Original Title
: Armstrong: Die Abenteueliche Reise einer Maus zum Mond
Original Publisher
: NordSud Verlag AG
Original Copyright
: 2016
ISBN
: 978-0-7358-4262-5
Hardcover pages
: 128
Age range
: 4-12
Genre
: Picture Book
Book setting
: New York, Washington DC
Author’s ethnicity
: German
Author’s residence
: Germany
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: German
Illustrator’s residence
: Germany
Subjects
: Armstrong, Neil: Mice; Moon; Space flight

Trunk To Trunklet

51NP5FIKmdLIn this rhyming picture book readers will learn about animals and their babies. Each page is a new verse about a different animal mother and her young. The illustrations are black and white rubbings with accents of color on each page. They highlight the natural forms and shapes of the animals that we see in our world. Young readers will love learning about the connection that these baby animals have to their mothers.  amo
Title: Trunk To Trunklet
Author: Jorge Luján
Illustrator
: Mandana Sadat
Publisher
: Enchanted Lion Books
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: Spanish
Translator
: John Oliver Simon
Original Title
:
Original Publisher
: Enchanted Lion Books
Original Copyright
: 2016
ISBN
: 978-1-5927-0194-0
Hardcover pages
: 32
Age range
: 3-7
Genre
: Information, Poetry, Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: Argentinian
Author’s residence
: Mexico
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Belgian
Illustrator’s residence
: Paris, France
Subjects
: Animals, Bears, Cats, Elephants, Kangaroos, Lambs, Monkeys, Owls, Pigeons, Seals, Tigers

It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel

It ain't so Awful FalafelIt’s 1978, and sixth grader Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh, who was born in Abadan, Iran, has just moved to Newport Beach, California. Her fitting in is very difficult because of the protests, revolution, and the taking of the U.S. hostages in Iran. Her father loses his job as an engineer at an oil refinery and Cindy has to face hostile prejudice at school and in her neighborhood. Humorous asides will keep readers engaged as Cindy finds new friends after moving, deals with family issues, and discovers her middle school self. Each short chapter has a clever title and the final author’s note suggests documentaries and websites with more information about the historical and cultural facts of this semi-autobiographical novel. mjw
Title: It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
Author: Firoozeh Dumas
Publisher
: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Copyright
: 2016
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-0-544-61231-0
Hardcover pages
: 384
Age range
: 10-12
Genre
: Fiction
Book setting
:  Southern California, U.S.
Author’s ethnicity
: Iranian
Author’s residence
: Munich, Germany
Subjects
: Emigration and immigration, Friendship, Humorous stories, Iran, Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981), Iranian-Americans, Middle East, Muslim-Americans. Prejudice and racism, Social issues – adolescence, United States history – 20th century

999 Frogs and a Little Brother

22493744999 tadpoles are growing together in a big, big pond. One tadpole isn’t growing quite so fast and gets left behind all alone. Fortunately he finds a friend in a small crayfish who thinks the small frog is his big brother. A strong bond is formed until the mother crayfish comes to take little brother away, but their friendship is not forgotten when a big snake comes to the lake. This vividly colored picture book will teach readers to “never underestimate the size of true friendship!”  amo
Title: 999 Frogs and a Little Brother
Author: Ken Kimura
Illustrator
: Yasunari Murakami
Publisher
: North South 
Copyright
: 2015
Original Language
: Japanese 
Translator
: Japan Foreign-Rights Center
Original Title
:999-hiki no kyodai no Otouto
Original Publisher
: Child Honsha Co., Ltd.
Original Copyright
: 2015
ISBN
: 978-0-7358-4202-1
Hardcover pages
: 40
Age range
: 4-8
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: Japanese
Author’s residence
: Japan
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Japanese
Illustrator’s residence
: Japan 
Subjects
: Crayfish, Friendship, Frogs, Ponds