Tag Archives: Families

Brown

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Three bullies – Anton, Ruben, and the minister’s son – destroy the fort that young Rusty and his friend Jack have constructed from scrap.  Dressed in a brown cape and mask, Rusty, as super hero “Brown”, sneaks out at night to paint Ruben’s bicycle brown. Jack becomes “Black” who paints Anton’s bike black. Another friend Lou, as “Blue” joins them, only to discover that most of their stash of blue paint has disappeared. They still manage to paint all three bikes blue. Rusty feels guilty, but does not get into trouble because the three bullies have written rude words in blue on the church’s spire. This is the first book to be translated from the award-winning trilogy My Alter Ego Is A Superhero series from Norway.  It has been translated into more than thirty languages. Fine-lined ink drawings with washes of color add humor to this fun story. mjw

Title: Brown Author: Hakon Ovreas Illustrator: Oyvind Torseter Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books, New York Copyright: 2019 Original Language: Norwegian Translator: Kari Dickson Original Title: Brune Original Publisher: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-1-59270-212-1 Hardcover pages: 136 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Fiction Author’s ethnicity: Norwegian Author’s residence: Norway Illustrator’s ethnicity: Norwegian Illustrator’s residence: Norway Awards: 2020 ALA Mildred Batchelder Award, Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s Literature Prize Subjects: Grandfathers, Superheroes

The Pencil

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Based on the author’s childhood memories of growing up in an iglu, this story is about being responsible for belongings and community.  Susan, her sister Rebecca, and brother Peter are home with their father in their iglu. Mother has gone to help a neighbor.  The children get tired of playing games. Father brings out a pencil from the box where they keep special things. All of the children begin drawing and drawing until they start to worry about what Mother will say when she gets home. They are supposed to use things wisely. Mother just reminds them that they shouldn’t waste things because they are hard to get. They only have one pencil. But she is glad that drawing brought them such joy. The illustrations have a sketch-like quality and are done in pencil. mjw

Title: The Pencil Author: Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula Illustrator: Charlene Chua Publisher: Inhabit Media Inc. Iqaluit, Nunavut Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77227-216-1 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 5-7 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Nunavut, Canada Author’s ethnicity: Avinngaq born in Nunavut Author’s residence: Both authors – Nunavut Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Hamilton, Ontario Subjects: Canada, Community, Drawing, Iglu, Inaktitut, Polar regions, Thrift, Writing

When Spring Comes To The DMZ

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The beautiful paintings in this book show the changing seasons and the variety of wildlife that live peacefully in the Demilitarized Zone of Korea. Readers can also see the ever-present fences and soldiers. Salmon swim bravely upstream and mountain goats jump after their mother.  Grandfather goes to the DMZ every season and dreams of flinging the gates wide open and walking inside and looking up into the blue sky. The book is part of the Peace Picture Book Project by illustrators from Korea, China, and Japan. A map of Korea and historical facts are included as back matter and the endpapers provide a world map. mjw

Title: When Spring Comes To The DMZ Author: Uk-Bae Lee Illustrator: Uk-Bae Lee Publisher: Plough Publishing House. New York Copyright: 2019 Original Language: Korean Translator: Aileen Won Original Title: Bimujang chidae e bom i omyon Original Publisher: Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. Paju, Korea Original Copyright: 2010 ISBN: 978-0-87486-972-9 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book, Historical Fiction Book setting: Korea Author’s ethnicity: Korean Author’s residence: Korea Illustrator’s ethnicity: Korean Illustrator’s residence: Korea Awards: 2020 ALA Mildred Batchelder Honor Award Subjects: Grandfathers, Korean Demilitarized Zone, Seasons, Soldiers

The Distance Between Me And The Cherry Tree

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Ten-year-old Mafalda has Stargardt Disease, which causes progressive vision loss and eventual blindness. She has six months of sight left and she hides this fact from her family and friends. She keeps a list of all the things she cares about, like climbing the cherry tree near her school and counting stars. She makes a plan for when she can’t see and runs away to live in her favorite cherry tree.  This is a powerful, thought-provoking story of a young girl’s fears. mjw

Title: The Distance Between Me And The Cherry Tree Author: Paola Peretti Illustrator: Carolina Rabei Publisher: Hot Key Books, London Copyright: 2018 Original Language: Italian Translator: Denise Muir Original Publisher: Rizzoli Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-4714-0755-0 Paperback pages: 195 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Italy Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Verona, Italy Translator’s residence: Edinburgh and Abruzzo, Italy Awards: 2020 ALA Mildred Batchelder Honor Award, 2020 IBBY Honor List Subjects: Blindness, Cats, Emotions and feelings, Sight, Special needs, Stargardt disease, Trees

Stand On The Sky

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Twelve-year-old Aisulu is an expert equestrienne who loves to ride horses across the mountains. She is one of the Kazakh people of Mongolia, who are nomads and androcentric. It goes against all tradition for her to train eagles. But because her brother is disabled and he and their parents have to travel to a hospital in a faraway big city, she is left with her aunt and uncle and she secretly starts caring for an orphaned baby eagle. She becomes an Eagle Hunter. The setting for this animal-friendship story is unique and fascinating. A glossary of Kazakh and Arabic words and phrases, a list of characters, and an author’s note help readers gain a better understanding of Mongolia and nomadic culture. mjw

Title: Stand On The Sky Author: Erin Bow Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. New York Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-328-55746-9 Hardcover pages: 336 Age range: 9-14 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Kazakh nomads in Mongolia Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Ontario, Canada Awards: 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award Subjects: Asia, Birds, Eagles, Horses, Mongolia, Mountains, Nomads, Wildlife

The Village By The Sea

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Thirteen-year-old Lila and her twelve-year-old brother Hari live in a small village called Thul in western India.  They also have two younger sisters.  They live with their mother, who is ill and bed-ridden.  Lila and Hari manage the family because their father is an alcoholic. Their life is hard.  Hari decides he has had enough and leaves for Bombay to find work.  He gets a job in a restaurant and befriends Mr. Panwallah, the watch repairer.  Back home in Thul, a rich family offers to help them and their mother is taken to a hospital for treatment.  And their father turns over a new leaf.  Hari returns to the village with plans to open a repair shop. Together, the whole family starts a small chicken farm. A helpful list of Indian words is included. mjw

Title: The Village By The Sea Author: Anita Desai Publisher: New York Review of Books Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Heinemann. London Original Copyright: 1982 ISBN: 978-1-68137-351-5 Paperback pages: 263 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Thul and Bombay, India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: U.S.A. Awards: 1983 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize Subjects: Asia, Brothers and sisters, Family life, Family problems, Poverty, Rural life, Siblings

Child Of St. Kilda

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Norman John Gilles was one of the last children born on St. Kilda, a group of islands with high cliffs off the Scottish coast.   People lived there for over four thousand years, thriving in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. They survived on sea birds, eggs, and potatoes. There was no crime or need for money.  They had no automobiles.  They trusted and cared for each other. The community came to an abrupt end in 1930 when the remaining St. Kildans begged the British government to evacuate them to the mainland. No one knows what happened. Today, the islands have become a World Heritage Site, recognized for their unique wildlife and vanished culture. The book concludes with a St. Kilda Sketchbook that provides more information and a map.  The stunning images were created by hand using monoprinting techniques. mjw

Title: Child Of St. Kilda Author: Beth Waters Illustrator: Beth Waters Publisher: Child’s Play. Auburn, Maine. USA Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-78628-188-3 Hardcover pages: 64  Age range: 4-9 Genre: Picture Book, Information Book, Nonfiction Book setting: Scotland Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Cambridge, U.K. Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: Cambridge, U.K. Subjects: Birds, History, Immigration, Mystery, Storms, Survival

The Girl Who Stole An Elephant

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Chaya is a rebellious and fearless schoolgirl.  She steals from the rich in her Serendib (Sri Lanka) village to help the poor.  One day, she goes too far and takes some of the Queen’s jewels and, consequently, gets her best friend arrested.  She and her friends, loyal Neelan and clever Nour, escape to the jungle where they have amazing adventures.  She also manages to steal the King’s elephant Ananda.  This fast-paced novel is full of gorgeous and vivid imagery and bits of interesting information about jungle flora and fauna. The book ends with a little twist. mjw

Title: The Girl Who Stole An Elephant Author: Nizrana Farook Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd. London Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-78800-634-7 Paperback pages: 247 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Serendib. Sri Lanka Author’s ethnicity: Born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka Author’s residence: Hertfordshire, England Subjects: Adventure, Bandits, Elephants, Girls, Jungles, Royalty, Theft

My Long List Of Impossible Things

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Sixteen-year-old Katja, her eighteen-year-old sister Hilde, and their mother are forced out of their house in Germany when Soviet troops take over their village after WW II. German society has collapsed and there is much hardship and violence.  Their mother is killed and the two girls make a long and dangerous journey to another town on their own.  The story is told from the point of view of Katja and the German teenage post war perspective and is rarely examined in young adult fiction.  Katja questions so much about her country, but manages to make a new life for herself.  One thing that saves Katja is her love of the piano.  Interesting facts about famous composers are sprinkled throughout this brilliant novel. mjw

Title: My Long List Of Impossible Things Author: Michelle Barker Publisher: Annick Press. Toronto Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-77321-364-4 Paperback pages: 360 Age range: 9 up Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Germany Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Vancouver, BC, Canada Subjects: Music, Musicians, Nazism, Piano, Soviet occupation, Violence, World War II

Song Of The River

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Cam the mountain boy wishes he could go to the sea.  He follows the river from its source as a trickle of water running through pine trees all the way to the coast.  He follows it through the forest, farmlands, and towns.  Rich, detailed landscape illustrations explore the world of the river. mjw

Title: Song Of The River Author: Joy Cowley Illustrator: Kimberly Andrews Publisher: Gecko Press. New Zealand Copyright: 2019 Original Language: English  ISBN: 978-1-776572-53-3 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: North America Author’s ethnicity: New Zealander Author’s residence: Wellington, New Zealand Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: New Zealand Subjects: Grandfathers, Rivers, Sea, Stream

Thukpa For All

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Young Tsering can’t wait to taste his grandmother’s thukpa – noodle soup.  On his way home, he invites many friends, neighbors, and family members to join him.  Just as his grandmother is preparing the soup, the power goes out. Tsering helps with the soup-making steps by identifying spices and other ingredients by their smells. The power comes back on and everyone can enjoy the thukpa.  Told from a blind child’s perspective – Tsering is blind – this story is enhanced by beautiful illustrations that teach about the Ladakhi culture which is not often depicted in picture books.  Alliteration and onomatopoeia make it a fun read.  A Glimpse into Ladakhi Life gives information about the culture and geography of Indian Ladakhi. A glossary and a recipe for thukpa are also included. mjw

Title: Thukpa For All Author: Prada Ram and Sheela Preuitt Illustrator: Shilpa Ranade Publisher: Karadi Tales. Chennai, India Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-81-9338-898-3 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Ladakhi, India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian Illustrator’s residence: Mumbai Awards: 2019 IBBY Catalog of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities, 2020 USBBY Outstanding International Books List Subjects: Blind, Cooking and food, Culture, Diversity, Family life, Grandmothers, Sense and sensations, Special needs

A Grain Of Rice

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Thirteen-year-old Yen and her family live in rural Vietnam. A flood destroys their village.  Famine and persecution because they are of Chinese ancestry lead the family to flee from their war-torn homeland after the fall of Saigon.  They become boat people and are eventually rescued by the Malaysian Coast Guard. There is a glossary of Vietnamese words. The story is based on events from the author’s childhood. mjw

Title: A Grain Of Rice Author: Nhung N. Tran-Davies Publisher: Tradewind Books. Vancouver Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-926890-25-8 Paperback pages: 154 Age range: 12 up Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Vietnam Author’s ethnicity: Vietnamese Author’s residence: Edmonton, Alberta. Canada  Subjects: Famine Food, Persecution, Poverty, Prejudice, Refugees