Tag Archives: Arts

Once Upon A Diwali

once upon a diwalidownloadRiya loves Diwali for the tasty treats called ladoos, but not for the dark night and the very loud fireworks. Mama says that Diwali is more than treats. She goes on to explain that it’s about the celebration of light over darkness and good over evil. Riya’s Papa decorates the house with lights and candles. Her sister makes rangoli, which are decorations of patterns made with powdered rice and colorful sand or flowers. Riya helps her. But she still is afraid of the darkness and the spooky, loud fireworks. So Mama tells the legend of why lights are used on Diwali. Riya listens and learns about Ram, the crown prince, who, with his wife and brother, was banished from his kingdom. There was a terrible battle. Ram won and returned to his kingdom on a path with glittering diyas (oil lamps) and glowing lights. Riya understands, becomes a bit braver, and asks to bring her own lantern to the celebration, just in case. Brightly colored cartoon-style artwork further distinguishes the storytelling. An author’s note, an illustrated glossary, a recipe for ladoos, and instructions for a Diwali paper diya craft are included as back matter. mjw
Title: Once Upon A Diwali
Author: Anita Mishra
Illustrator
: Diah Chakraborty
Publisher
: Soaring Kite Books, LLC. Washington D.C.
Copyright
: 2024
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-958372-44-9
Hardcover pages
: 32
Age range
: 4-8
Genre
: Picture Book
Book setting
: India
Author’s ethnicity
: Indian
Author’s residence
: El Paso, Texas
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Indian
Illustrator’s residence
: Assam, India
Subjects
: Celebrations, Differences, Diversity, Fireworks, Folktales, Holidays. Religions, Sweets

The Paper Bridge

Anya, a young girl who has a special talent for kirigami, the Japanese art of cutting and folding paper, lives in the village of Paperlee. All of the village houses are made of paper. The trees are made of delicate paper, and even the happy villagers are paper-thin and paper-light. They carry stones in their pockets when the summer winds blow. The villagers can see the lights of another village on a neighboring mountain across a deep chasm. It is called Forestlee, and no one knows anything about it. The winds in Paperlee become more frequent and stronger, and the worrisome villagers think that maybe Forestlee can help, but they don’t know how to get there. Anya consults with the clever crane, and they come up with a plan to build a paper bridge to Forestlee. Brave Anya is the first to walk across the bridge. She meets a girl named Hazel and learns that the villagers of Forestlee build their homes in branches of thick, solid trees and that their Elephant Brothers blow their windmills. As their windmills turn, they grind wheat into flour for baking breads, cakes, buns, and cookies. In doing so, they have changed the weather! Anya pleads for the Elephant Brothers to blow in a different direction to save Paperlee. They finally agree. People from both villages now cross the bridge and share the kirigami craft and cookie baking. They all become friends, and there are no more dangerous winds in Paperlee. The light, exquisite illustrations in The Paper Bridge were created using the Japanese art of kirigami. The artwork was hand-crafted with pencil and watercolor on paper and cardboard, which was hand-cut, arranged into scenes, and then photographed to capture the stunning details in this delightful story about friendship, bravery, and climate change. The art really makes this book!

Title: The Paper Bridge
Author: Joelle Veyrenc
Illustrator
: Seng Soun Ratanavanh
Publisher
: Floris Books
Copyright
: 2022
Original Language
: French
Translator
: Katy Lockwood-Holmes
Original Title
: Hana et le vent
Original Publisher
: La Martmiere Jeunesse, Paris
Original Copyright
: 2022
ISBN
: 978-178250-9007-3
Hardcover pages
: 28
Age range
: 4-7
Genre
: Picture Book, Fairytale
Author’s ethnicity
: French
Author’s residence
: France
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: French, born in Laos
Illustrator’s residence
: Paris
Subjects
: Bridges, Climate change, Kirigami, Paper cutting, Paper folding, Parable

Music Of The Mountains: A Story In Pakistan

In a contemporary Pashtun village in rural Pakistan, Roohi loves to listen to her grandfather play songs from Pashtun folklore on his beautiful rabab, a stringed musical instrument. She longs to play like he does, and he tells her that to play the music of the mountains, “you must feel the rhythm and feel the beat of your people.”  She takes lessons, but sounds nothing like her grandfather. She is supposed to play in a school concert for Eid, but she is worried. Her grandfather is ill and she must play without his help. When the day of the concert arrives, her grandfather is able to sit in the audience. Roohi sees him, and her music flows and fills the hall. She plays to her own beat and brings everyone together as the sounds of her ancestors’ music echo over the auditorium. The rich, vivid illustrations were created digitally. Back matter includes information about the rabab, with a detailed image; sources and rabab musicians, with a QR code for listening to the music; a map of Pakistan; What is Eid?; details about traditional Pakistani dress; a Pashto glossary; an author’s note; and an illustrator’s note.
Title: Music Of The Mountains: A Story In Pakistan
Author: Sabrina Shah
Illustrator
: Manal Mirza
Publisher
: Barefoot Books. Concord, MA
Copyright
: 2025
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-8-88859-367-7
Paperback pages
: 32
Age range
: 6-8
Genre
: Picture Book
Book setting
: Pakistan
Author’s ethnicity
: Pakistani (Pashtun)
Author’s residence
: Singapore
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Muslim American Pakistani
Illustrator’s residence
: Chicago, IL
Subjects
: Courage, Culture, Eid, Grandfathers, Holidays, Instruments, Intergenerational, Music, Muslim fiction, Pashtun, Performing arts, Rabab

The Yellow Road

This whimsical tale follows Sam on an adventurous journey. The story unfolds along a mysterious yellow road, filled with enchanting encounters and unexpected surprises, as Sam navigates through various landscapes, with friendly folk, strange giraffes, scary trolls, a gruff submarine captain, and a magical painting.  The watercolor, acrylic paint, and ink illustrations are vibrant and meticulously detailed, bringing the characters and their fantastic world to life. Overall, this charming book captivates readers of all ages with its delightful narrative and stunning visuals.
Title: The Yellow Road
Author: Sven Nordqvist
Illustrator
: Sven Nordqvist
Publisher
: Floris Books, Edinburgh
Copyright
: 2025
Original Language
: Swedish
Original Title
: Vagen Hem
Original Publisher
: Bokforlaget Opal AB, Stockholm
Original Copyright
: 2023
ISBN
: 97178250-928-8
Hardcover pages
: 32
Age range
: 4-7
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: Swedish
Author’s residence
: Sweden
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Swedish
Illustrator’s residence
: Sweden
Awards
: The Author has won the Swedish Literature Award and the German Youth Literature Prize 
Subjects
: Fairy tales, Fantasy, Forests, Journey Magic, Mountains, Submarines, Trolls

The Cities Of The Future

This exciting book tells the story of how cities around the world are becoming greener, more innovative, and people-friendly spaces while continuing to evolve. Captivating, intricately detailed illustrations showcase pioneering cities, like London, Berlin, Chandigarh, Amsterdam, New York, and more. The book offers a glimpse into the future of urban environments and inspires readers to take action.
Title: The Cities Of The Future
Author: Didier Cornille
Illustrator
: Didier Cornille
Publisher
: Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd.
Copyright
: 2025
Original Language
: French
Translator
: Charis Ainslie
Original Title
: La Ville Quoi De Neuf Actes
Original Publisher
: Helium/Actes Sud
Original Copyright
: 2018
ISBN
: 979-8-89509-014-5
Hardcover pages
: 88
Age range
:7-9
Genre
: Picture Book, Nonfiction, Information Book
Book setting
: World cities
Author’s ethnicity
: French
Author’s residence
: Paris
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: French
Illustrator’s residence
: Paris
Subjects
: Architecture, Cities, Communities, Design, Ecology, Energy, Factories, Future, Gardens, Global awareness, Green, Homes, Museums, Parks, Pollution, Population, Railway stations, Renewable energy, Sustainability, Transportation,

The Color Of Your Skin

colorVega and her friend Alex are drawing pictures at an art table at school. Alex asks for the skin-colored pencil. Vega asks if he means the color of her skin or the color of his. Maybe he means the beautiful caramel brown skin color of his neighbor Vincent or the light apple shade of the new girl. With curiosity and creativity, they explore the diversity of skin colors of the people around them. They discover that skin color has many shades and that colors are like hugs: the more the better. The illustrations are brightly colored and rich. The book is printed on “stone paper,” a special paper made of limestone. The paper doesn’t come from cutting down trees, doesn’t use water, and doesn’t need chemical products. mjw
Title: The Color Of Your Skin
Author: Desiree Acevedo
Illustrator
: Silvia Alvarez
Publisher
: Cuento De Luz. Madrid, Spain
Copyright
: 2021
Original Language
: Spanish
Translator
: Jon Brokenbrow
Original Title
: El color de tu piel
ISBN
: 978-84-19464-43-9
Paperback pages
: 32
Age range
: 3-7
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: Spanish
Author’s residence
: Huelva, Spain
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Honduran and Spanish
Illustrator’s residence
: Seville, Spain
Subjects
: Colors, Crayons, Diversity, Multi-colored, Multiculturalism, Paints, Pencils, Skin color, Uniqueness

The Gray City

The Gray City
Robin has moved to a new city where everything is gray – buildings, traffic, people, streets, her school, and even all the paint in a paint shop. She sets out in search of color. At school, she meets Alani, who hates “all this gray business.” Together, they use their detective skills to discover that the faceless Gray Works is responsible for the lack of color in the city. She and Alani sneak into the building and adjust the company’s controls to colorful. The Gray City’s colors had been hidden. Now it’s full of color. This imaginative story has eleven chapters with quite a bit of text for a picture book. The illustrations are masterful in this introduction to color theory, which is explained in the back matter.
mjw
Title: The Gray City
Author: Torben Kuhlmann
Illustrator
: Torben Kuhlmann
Publisher
: NorthSouth Books, Inc., New York
Copyright
: 2024
Original Language
: German
Translator
: David Henry Wilson
Original Title
: Die graue Stadt
Original Publisher
: NordSud Verlag AG, Zurich, Switzerland
Original Copyright
: 2023
ISBN
: 978-0-7358-4554-1
Hardcover pages
: 64
Age range
: 6-10
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: German
Author’s residence
: Hamburg
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: German
Illustrator’s residence
: Hamburg
Awards
: 2019 Batchelder for Edison
Subjects
: Cities, Color, Color Theory, Discovery, Imagination, Libraries, Mystery, Science

Thirst


Twelve-year-old Minni and her older brother Sanjay live in a poor neighborhood in Mumbai, India. Their only access to clean water happens at a set time of the day when members of the community stand in line to fill their containers. One night, Sanjay and his friends witness the “water mafia” stealing water from a tanker truck. To be safe, Sanjay and his friend have to leave town. Minni’s ill mother has to move to the countryside to recover and Minni takes over her mother’s maid job until her she can return. On top of all of this, Minni has to balance school and an extra computer class she is enrolled in. Minni’s introspective narration and occasional poetry instill hope in her environment which is especially hard on women and children. Minni is a smart, strong, and optimistic girl. The book is a look at the importance of free water and how the unfairness surrounding its distribution impacts poor communities in India. It also reveals class differences that still exist today. An author’s note provides more information about the water crisis in India.  mjw

Title: Thirst
Author: Varsha Bajaj
Publisher
: Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. New York
Copyright
: 2022
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-0593-3544-14
Paperback pages
: 192
Age range
: 10-12
Genre
: Fiction
Book setting
: Mumbai, India
Author’s ethnicity
: Indian
Author’s residence
: Houston, Texas
Awards
: 2023 South Asia Book Award
Subjects
: Education, Environment, Injustice, Justice, Poetry, Water, Water crisis, Water security

John The Skeleton

John is a newly retired skeleton. He was a classroom teaching aid in a South Estonian school. Gramps and Grams bring John to their outdoor summer kitchen on their farm deep in the woods. Every day is exciting for John. He rides in a car, meets the farm animals, scares some crooks in the village, visits with the grandchildren, takes a bath and makes a snow angel. He even becomes part of an art exhibit at the city museum. Short chapters and folk art pencil illustrations in black and white with pops of beet red present a view of Estonian culture with saunas, pixies, and linden-blossom tea. The text is also medically accurate. This quirky, affectionate story portrays what it means to care for one another, grow old together, and appreciate the little things. mjw
Title: John The Skeleton
Author: Triini Laam
Illustrator
: Marja-Liisa Plats
Publisher
: Yonder, an imprint of Restless Books
Copyright
:2024
Original Language
: Estonian
Translator
: Adam Cullen
Original Title
: Luukere Juhani juhtumised
Original Publisher
: Paike ja Pilve, Saue, Estonia
Original Copyright
: 2020
ISBN
: 978-1632063700
Hardcover pages
: 64
Age range
: 6-12
Genre
: Picture Book
Book setting
: South Estonia
Author’s ethnicity
: Estonian
Author’s residence
: Estonia
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Estonian
Illustrator’s residence
: Estonia
Awards
:2025 Batchelder Award, soo5 ISBBY Outstanding International Books, 20221 White Raven Catalog
Subjects
: Aging, Death, Farms, Grandchildren, Grandparents, Retirement, Skeletons

Big Gorilla: A Book Of Opposites

GorillaThis brief, oversized concept book teaches young readers about opposites. What’s the opposite of alone? Together. What’s the opposite of old? Young. Anthony Browne’s delightful depictions of different kinds of primates, with their intriguingly detailed facial expressions, will educate and entertain. The surreal primate portraits were rendered in watercolor and gouache. mjw
Title: Big Gorilla: A Book Of Opposites
Author: Anthony Browne
Illustrator
: Anthony Browne
Publisher
: Candlewick Press
Copyright
: 2024
Original Language
: English
Original Publisher
: Walker Books Ltd. UK 
Original Copyright
: 2024
ISBN
: 978- 1-5362-3569-2
Hardcover pages
: 32
Age range
: 3-5
Genre
: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity
: English
Author’s residence
: England
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: English
Illustrator’s residence
: England
Awards
: 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Award
Subjects
: Apes, Concepts, Gorillas, Monkeys, Opposites, Primates

My Name Is Long As A River

my nameKaveri Thanjavur Jayalakshmi Ganesan doesn’t think her very long name is special. She wants to be called Kav. Her paati (grandmother) explains that her name comes from her family’s heritage, where she was born, and the powerful Kaveri River in South India. Kav learns that it is okay to have a long name and that she should be proud of it.  She was carefully named and each of her four names bonds her to her family and her homeland. The language in the book is beautiful and full of lovely imagery. The radiant artwork was rendered in gouache. Backmatter includes a glossary with pronunciations; an author’s note; tips on pronouncing names; a map and information about the Kaveri River; and some poems and sayings about Kaveri from ancient Tamil Sangam literature and Kannada, Kodav, and Sanskrit languages. mjw
Title: Hannah’s Winter
Author: Suma Subramaniam
Illustrator
: Tara Anand
Publisher
: Penguin Workshop
Copyright
: 2024
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-0593-522936
Hardcover pages
: 48
Age range
: 4-8
Genre
: Picture Book
Book setting
: India
Author’s ethnicity
: Indian
Author’s residence
: Seattle, Washington
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Indian
Illustrator’s residence
: New York City
Subjects
: Culture, Festivals, Ganesha, Goddesses, Multigenerational family life, Rivers, Sarees, Self-confidence, Self-esteem, Traditions

Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie

BSMdownloadBuffy Sainte-Marie was adopted out of her Nehiyawe (Cree) community as a baby and taught herself how to play the piano at age three. Her famous song “Universal Soldier” was released in 1963. She appeared regularly on Sesame Street from 1975 until 1981. She became a peace activist, an advocate for Indigenous-focused education, and a strong supporter of Indigenous rights. Buffy’s songs have inspired three generations of fans and received international fame and many awards. The comic-inspired illustrations in this engaging book were created using a blend of digital tools and traditional media. Sketches were created with a Wacom tablet and Photoshop, then traced onto watercolor paper, where color and texture were added using gouache and watercolor paints. Ink was used to add the black lines to finish the look. Back matter includes a timeline of Buffy’s life and historical photos of her performing. mjw
Title: Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie
Author: Elizabeth MacLeod
Illustrator
: Mike Deas
Publisher
: Scholastic Canada Ltd. Toronto, Canada
Copyright
: 2023
Original Language
: English
ISBN
: 978-1443196123
Hardcover pages
: 32
Age range
: 6-10
Genre
: Picture Book, Biography, Nonfiction, Information Book
Book setting
: Canada and U.S.
Author’s ethnicity
: Canadian
Author’s residence
: Toronto
Illustrator’s ethnicity
: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence
: British Columbia
Subjects
: Activism, Biography, Canadiana, Composers, Creativity, Cree Indians, Indigenous, Music, Musicians, Peace, Singers, Social activists