Riya 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 |
Tag Archives: Arts
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The Paper Bridge
Music Of The Mountains: A Story In Pakistan
The Yellow Road
The Cities Of The Future
The Color Of Your Skin
Vega 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
![]() 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
John The Skeleton
Big Gorilla: A Book Of Opposites
This 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
Kaveri 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
Buffy 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 |












