Tag Archives: Arts

When I Coloured In The World

A young child gets a box of crayons and an eraser from his mum. He rubs out bad words and replaces them with good words. He rubs out desert and writes red roses. He makes roses grow all over the world. He rubs out darkness and replaces it with yellow light. Hunger gives way to green wheat, drought to silver rain, war to light blue peace, and much more. The abstract, colorful drawings complement the poetic text and its positive message. mjw

Title: When I Colored In The World
Author: Ahmadreza Ahmadi
Illustrator: Ehsan Abdollahi
Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd. London
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: Persian
Translator: Azita Rassi
Original Publisher: Nazar Publisher. Tehran, Iran
Original Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-910328-07-1
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 5-9
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Iranian
Author’s residence: Iran
Awards: Iranian Flying Turtle Medal, 2010 Hans Christian Andersen shortlist
Subjects: Colors, Crayons, Creativity, Erasers, Imagination, World

Who Built That? Modern Houses

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Who Built That? Modern Houses Part-biography, part-introduction to modern homes; this book offers up an incredible amount of information about the lives and design styles of architects such as Gerrit Rietveld and Frank Lloyd Wright. Primary color pen illustrations clearly depict the materials and floor layouts of each architect’s unique design and creative voice. mm

Title: Who Built That? Modern Houses
Author: Didier Cornille
Illustrator: Didier Cornille
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, New York
Copyright: 2014
ISBN: 9781616892630
Hardcover pages: 75
Age range: 10-13
Genre: Nonfiction, Information books
Author’s ethnicity: French
Author’s residence: Le Mans, France
Illustrator’s ethnicity: French
Illustrator’s residence: Le Mans, France
Subjects: Architecture, Color, Design, Houses

No Ballet Shoes In Syria

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Eleven-year-old Aya has just arrived in Manchester, England, from Syria, with her Mumma and her baby brother. She is an “asylum seeker, a would–be refugee, a poor little girl from Syria, a fatherless child from a war zone.” Her passion is dance. One day she comes across a ballet class and the teacher recognizes her talent and thinks she might earn a position at the prestigious Northern Ballet School. Aya is a powerful, brave character. Her story engages in a series of flashbacks about her life in Syria. There is a parallel story about her ballet teacher who had to flee the holocaust. This incredibly moving, well-written story shows how dance transcends borders. A map of Aya’s journey from Syria is included. mjw

Title: No Ballet Shoes In Syria
Author: Catherine Bruton
Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd. U.K.
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-78800-4-503
Paperback pages: 272
Age range: 8-12
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Syria, Turkey, Greece, England
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: England
Subjects: Aleppo, Asylum seekers, Ballet, Dance, Prejudice and racism, Refugees

Ojiichan’s Gift

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Mayumi visits her grandfather (Ojiichan) in Japan every summer. She helps him in his beautiful rock garden. But one summer, everything changes. Ojiichan has grown older and he cannot tend the garden any more. Mayumi makes him a mini rock garden in a bento box. This is a heartwarming story about the bond of love. The watercolor paintings are detailed and calming just like a Japanese rock garden. The Japanese words used in the story are explained in a brief glossary. mjw

Title: Ojiichan’s Gift
Author: Chieri Uegaki
Illustrator: Genevieve Simms
Publisher: Kids Can Press. Toronto
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77138-963-1
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Japan
Author’s ethnicity: Japanese
Author’s residence: British Columbia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Toronto, Ontario
Subjects: Asia, Gardens, Multigenerational, Rock gardens

Pashmina

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Pryanka is a teenage girl whose mother emigrated from India years ago, leaving Pri’s father behind. After finding a magical pashmina, Pri travels to India to learn more about her family and her culture. She is greeted by an elephant and a peacock, that show her around the country. This story of self-discovery is heartwarming, inspiring, funny, and thought-provoking. Most of the artwork is black and white with thick lines, but whenever someone wears the pashmina, the pages become full-colored. mjw

Title: Pashmina
Author: Nidhi Chanani
Illustrator: Nidhi Chanani
Publisher: First Second, an imprint of Roaring Book Press
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-62672-087-9
Paperback pages: 176
Age range: 10-14
Genre: Fiction, Graphic novel, Fantasy
Book setting: U.S.
Author’s ethnicity: born in Kolkata, India
Author’s residence: San Francisco, U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: born in Kolkata, India
Illustrator’s residence: San Francisco, U.S.
Awards: 2018 South Asia Book Award
Subjects: Asia, Cashmere shawls, Comics, Culture, East Indian Americans, Heritage, Magic realism, Mothers and daughters, Self-discovery, Teenage girls

The Fox Girl And The White Gazelle

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Twelve-year-old Reema is a Syrian refugee trying to find her place in Glasgow. She struggles with a new language and culture and misses her older brother who got left behind in Aleppo. Caylin feels completely alone. She has to look after her alcoholic mother. She bullies the other kids and steals from them so that she can eat. Reema and Caylin become friends when they discover an injured fox and her babies. The girls also discover that they both like to run. Told in alternating perspectives, this is a great story of friendship. mjw

Title: The Fox Girl And The White Gazelle
Author: Victoria Williamson
Publisher: Kelpies, an imprint of Floris Books. Edinburgh, Scotland
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-178250-490-0
Paperback pages: 272
Age range: 10-12
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Scotland
Author’s ethnicity: Scottish
Author’s residence: U.K.
Subjects: Foxes, Glasgow, Poetry, Prejudice and racism, Refugees, Running, Syria

Mina Vs. The Monsoon

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Mina, a young girl living in India, really wants to go outdoors to play soccer, but it’s monsoon season and she has to stay in. Her mother prepares to celebrate the monsoon by making chai and samosas. Mina plays her tabla (drum) to cheer herself up. The doodh wallah (milkman) explains how important rain is for the rice paddies, but Mina is still sad. When her mother asks her to get thread for stringing flower garlands, Mina discovers her mother’s soccer jersey. As her mother explains that she used to play soccer, the dark clouds disappear and they head outside together. The bold, bright illustrations accompany the energetic text. The book concludes with a glossary of Urdu and Hindi words and a note to parents and educators. mjw

Title: Mina Vs. The Monsoon
Author: Rukhsanna Guidrozz
Illustrator: Debasmita Dasgupta
Publisher: Yali Books, New York
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-949528-98-5
Hardcover pages: 38
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture book
Book setting: Bijar and Jharkhand, India
Author’s ethnicity: Persian-Indian-Chinese
Author’s residence: Hawaii
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian
Illustrator’s residence: Singapore
Subjects: Drums, Girls and women, Monsoons, Peacocks, Soccer