Tag Archives: Families

Step Up To The Plate, Maria Singh

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It is 1945, and with World War II going on, fifth-grader Maria Singh wants to play baseball.  When her teacher starts an all-girls team at her school, Maria is thrilled.  However she meets many challenges. Her father from India doesn’t want her wearing shorts.  Her mother form Mexico wants her to stay home to watch her younger brother.  Maria also wants to work to get the city council to approve a baseball field for her neighborhood.  And because her father isn’t a U.S. citizen, he can’t own their farm and the family is in danger of losing it.  As she learns about teamwork and baseball, she also learns about prejudice and racism in her community.  And most importantly, she learns to speak up and make a difference in her world.  This well-written, fascinating book, that covers a lot of social history, has great potential for the classroom.  mjw

Title: Step Up To The Plate, Maria Singh Author: Uma Krishnaswami Publisher: Tu Books, an imprint of Lee and Low Books.  New York Copyright: 2017 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-600602-61-0 Hardcover pages: 288 Age range: 9-12 Genre: Historical fiction Book setting: California Author’s ethnicity: born in New Delhi Author’s residence: Victoria, British Columbia Awards: 018 South Asia Book Award Subjects:East Indian Americans, Farm life, Mexican Americans, Prejudice, Racially mixed people, Racism, Sexism, Softball, World War II

This Is Me, Mayil

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This is the diary of spirited sixteen-year-old Mayil Ganeshan.  She is curious and intelligent and wants to be a writer.  Also included are her rhymes and doodles.  The diary feels natural and is third in a series. mjw

Title: This Is Me, Mayil Author: Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran Illustrator: Niveditha Subramaniam Publisher: Tulika Publishers.  Chennai, India Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-93-5046-996-5 Paperback pages: 124 Age range: 13 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: India Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s residence: India Subjects: Autobiography, Diary, Humor, Rhyme, Verse, Young adult

A Drop Of The Sea

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Ali lives with his great-grandmother at the edge of the desert, not far from a hundred-year-old palm tree.  Ali has grown worried that, in her old age, his great-grandmother is finding it harder to walk. Ali asks if all her dreams have come true.  She replies that she hasn’t seen the sea.  A determined Ali takes his pail and a pack of dates and walks the two days it takes to get to the sea.  He carefully fills his pail and walks the two days back to his great-grandmother.  Gently he offers her the pail.  At the very bottom only a few drops of the sea remain.  The old woman declares that this is one of the most beautiful days of her life.  The artwork in this sweet story was rendered digitally and in gouache and pencil.  A clever touch is the use of paper maps to indicate Ali’s journey. mjw

Title: A Drop Of The Sea Author: Ingrid Chabbert Illustrator: Raul Nieto Guriddi Publisher: Kids Can Press. Toronto, Canada Copyright: 2018 Original Language: French Original Title: Un Bout de Mer Original Publisher: Editions Frimousse Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-5253-0124-7 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: A Middle East desert Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish Illustrator’s residence: Spain Subjects: Bedtime story, Multigenerational, Seas, Sleep

Anne Arrives: Inspired By Anne Of Green Gables

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In this first of a charming early reader series that reimagines L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Anne Shirley arrives at the farm of Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. They had adopted what they thought would be a sturdy boy to help on their farm.  Instead, they got imaginative – and outspoken – red-headed Anne-with-an-e.  This book covers the first few chapters of Montgomery’s book.  The lovely illustrations are rendered in graphite, watercolor, and colored pencil and completed digitally.  And the chapters are short enough to keep young readers’ attention. mjw

Title: Anne Arrives: Inspired By Anne Of Green Gables Author: Kallie George Illustrator: Abigail Halpin Publisher: Tundra Books, and imprint of Penguin Random House. Canada Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77149-930-9 Hardcover pages: 72 Age range: 6-8 Genre: Historical fiction Book setting: Prince Edward Island, Canada Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Vancouver, British Columbia Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S. Illustrator’s residence: Maine.  U.S. Subjects: Farms, Foster homes, Orphans

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