Tag Archives: Families

What A Party!

Be careful when your mother says you can invite anyone you like to your birthday party, or you may have the craziest party ever. Children, pets, parents, salsa dancers, and a reggae band all join together in this celebration of diversity. Jack brings Larry, a soccer ball, and coconut cookies. Jack tells Beto and Antonieta, who bring their parrot, pineapples, mangoes, and passion fruit. The buffet grows in this chain reaction to include pizza, couscous, sushi, and much more. This is a great introduction to different countries, and everyone relates to food! Friends, family, and food from around the world are illustrated in acrylic and oil pastels. mjw

Title: What A Party!
Author: Ana Maria Machado
Illustrator: Helene Moreau
Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press. Toronto
Copyright: 2013
Original Language: Portuguese
Translator: Elisa Amado
Original Title: Mas que festa!
Original Publisher: Nova Fronteira. Rio de Janeiro
Original Copyright: 1999 text, 2005 illustrations
ISBN: 978-1-55498-168-7
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Brazilian
Author’s residence: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Illustrator’s ethnicity: French
Illustrator’s residence: Paris, France
Awards: Author has won the 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Award
Subjects: Birthdays, Cautionary tales, Celebrations, Diversity, Holidays, Invitations, Multigenerational, Parties

Pablo And His Chair

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For his birthday, young Pablo receives a chair. What could he do with a chair? Disappointed and angry, he shuts himself in his bedroom. But Pablo is an imaginative kid. He is a musician, an astronaut, a cowboy, and a soccer player, but most of all he is a stunt boy. He becomes a skilled chair acrobat. He sets out into the world, performing for large crowds everywhere. Theatres and performance halls start to ask for Pablo. People even fight to get tickets. Then, one day, he packs up his chair to return home, where everyone and his dinner plate are waiting for him. Glorious, yet simple, line drawings in black fountain pen and colored ink applied with a brush illustrate this fun book. mjw

Title: Pablo And His Chair
Author: Delphine Perret
Illustrator: Delphine Perret
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, New York
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: French
Translator: Hannele and Associates
Original Title: Pablo et la chaise
Original Publisher: Editions Les Fourmis Rouges
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-61689-490-0
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: French
Author’s residence: France
Illustrator’s ethnicity: French
Illustrator’s residence: France
Subjects: Birthdays, Family life, Stunt performances

Lucky Broken Girl

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Fifth-grader Cuban-Jewish Ruthie and her family emigrated from Cuba to New York. Because she doesn’t speak English, she is placed in the “dumb” class at school. She works hard and is finally promoted to the “smart” class, but her dreams are derailed by a terrible car accident and a broken leg that leave her in a body cast for most of 1966 and 1967. While she is recovering, she is cared for by her mother, visited by her tutor from school, and befriended by her new Mexican neighbor who inspires her with stories of the artist, Frida Kahlo. Ruthie has a tough time overcoming cultural differences and her injury, but her strength, resilience, and hope help her grow and flourish. The book is based on the author’s own experience. mjw

Title: Lucky Broken Girl
Author: Ruth Behar
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Reader Group
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-399546-44-0
Hardcover pages: 256
Age range: 10 up
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Queens, New York
Author’s ethnicity: Born in Havana, Cuba
Author’s residence: U.S.
Awards: 2018 Pura Belpre Honor
Subjects: Accidents, Broken bones, Drawing and painting, Growing up, Health, Hispanic and Latino

Somos Como Las Nubes/We Are Like The Clouds

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Over 100,000 children have left Central America for the United States. The powerful poetry in this bilingual Spanish/English book describes the hardships and risks these children undertake and their hope for a new life in America. The first poems show the beauty of Central America. Next, they depict the problems, including gangs. The children face rough conditions with courage. The final poems take place in Los Angeles. The author was a refugee from El Salvador’s war in the 1980s. Beautiful surreal paintings complement the imagery of the poems. mjw

Title: Somos Como Las Nubes/We Are Like The Clouds
Author: Jorge Argueta
Illustrator: Alfonso Ruano
Publisher: Groundwood Books, Toronto
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: Spanish
Translator: Elisa Amado
ISBN: 978-1-55498-849-5
Hardcover pages: 36
Age range: 7-12
Genre: Picture Book/Poetry
Book setting: Central America and U.S.
Author’s ethnicity: Salvadoran and Pipil Nahua Indian
Author’s residence: San Francisco
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish
Illustrator’s residence: Madrid
Awards: Author has won the International Latino Book Award. Illustrator has won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
Subjects: Hispanic, Homelessness, Immigration, Latino, Poverty, Refugees, Stories in verse

Book Uncle And Me

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Since energetic Yasmin turned eight, she vowed, “to read one book everyday. Every single day, forever.” She’s already up to more than 400, thanks to Book Uncle’s street-corner lending library. His street sign invites “Books. Free. Give One. Take one. Read-read-read.” Book Uncle is a retired teacher who always has the “right book for the right person for the right day.” When an order from the mayor threatens to have the lending library shut down and a mayoral election is on the horizon, Yasmin convinces all her friends, family, and neighbors to write letters to the mayoral candidates. Her campaign succeeds in making the voices of her community heard and Book Uncle is allowed to re-open his library. This universal story about the power of reading and grassroots activism offers insights into Indian culture and daily life, including the istri lady, who irons for customers, and descriptions of tasty coconut puttu. Expressive pencil drawings are sprinkled throughout the text. mjw

Title: Book Uncle And Me
Author: Uma Krishnaswami
Illustrator: Julianna Swaney
Publisher: Groundwood Books. House of Anansi Press. Toronto
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Scholastic India, Pvt. Ltd.
Original Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55498-808-2
Hardcover pages: 96
Age range: 7-10
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: India
Author’s ethnicity: Indian
Author’s residence: Victoria, British Columbia
Illustrator’s residence: Portland, Oregon
Awards: Scholastic Asian Book Award
Subjects: Books, Community activism Elections, Karate, Libraries, Mayors, People and places – Asia

Dragonfly Kites/Pimithaagansa

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Two young Cree brothers, Joe and Cody, are spending the summer with their made-up toys, like stick friends and stone children. They find a wild baby Arctic tern, squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks, and they make up names for everything, even the ants. Their favorite activity is flying dragonfly kites. They make them by catching dragonflies and tying thread around the middle of each dragonfly before letting it go. They then chase their dragonfly kites. At night, when they go to bed, they dream of the dragonflies. The creative, clear, and delicate collage illustrations are influenced by Cree artists. The book is written in English and Cree and is the second book in the Magical Songs of the North Wind trilogy. mjw

Title: Dragonfly Kites/Pimithaagansa
Author: Tomson Highway
Illustrator: Julie Flett
Publisher: Fifth House Publishers, Canada
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English/Cree
Translator: Tomson Highway
Original publisher: Harper Collins
Original Copyright: 2002
ISBN: 978-1-897252-63-5
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 6-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Manitoba
Author’s ethnicity: Born in Manitoba, Canadian, Aboriginal
Author’s residence: Ontario
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Cree-Metis ancestry
Illustrator’s residence: Vancouver, BC
Awards: Illustrator has won the first PMC Aboriginal Literature Award in 2014
Subjects: Bilingual books, Canada, Cree children, Dragonflies, Dreams, Kites, Siblings, Sleep

Lasso The Wind: Aurèlia’s Verses And Other Poems

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Lasso-the-Wind-jacket-FINAL-copy-270x300 Poet Laureate of Toronto George Elliott Clarke’s collection of lyrical poetry will captivate readers of all ages. His poetry touches a variety of subjects, such as animals, school, exploration, poverty, and nature. The poems also describe the joy he has for his smiling daughter, Aurèlia. The colorfully captivating illustrations pair perfectly with the poems. Though some of the poems cover adult concepts that may be difficult for young readers to grasp, this collection is still great for emerging and early poets. ema

Title: Lasso The Wind: Aurèlia’s Verses And Other Poems
Author: George Elliott Clarke
Illustrator: Susan Tooke
Publisher: Nimbus
Copyright: 2013
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77108-050-7
Hardcover pages: 64
Age range: 7-12
Genre: Picture Book, Poetry Collection
Authors’ ethnicity: Canadian
Authors’ residence: Toronto
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Canada
Subjects: Insects, Music, Nature, Poetry, Poor,

Drawing From The City

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Thirteen-year-old Tejubehan lives with her lower caste family, in poverty, in western India. Her father works in fields and sings for a living. Teju dreams of traveling to unknown places. At age 16, her parents find her a husband with kind eyes, who is also a singer. He encourages her to sing, too. They move to Mumbai, where they meet an artist who inspires them to draw. Drawing is like magic for Teju and she loses herself in her rich imagination. Teju’s exquisite, intricate black ink drawings tell her autobiographical story. This oversize format, fine art book includes photos of Tejubehan and her husband Ganeshbhai Jogi and a note about the story. It is silk-screen printed and bound by hand on handmade paper. mjw

Title: Drawing From The City
Author: Based on the oral stories of Tejubehan. Tamil text by Saalai Selvam
Illustrator: Tejubehan
Publisher: Tara Books Pvt. Ltd
Copyright: 2012
Original Language: Tamil
Translator: V. Geetha and Gita Wolf
ISBN: 978-93-80340-17-3
Hardcover pages: 28
Age range: 10-13
Genre: Picture Book Biography
Book setting: India
Author’s ethnicity: Indian
Author’s residence: India
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian
Illustrator’s residence: India
Subjects: Ahmadabad, Biography, Drawing, Folk art, Music, Singers, Women artists

One

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Sixteen-year-old Tippi and Grace are conjoined twins. They were homeschooled all their lives, but the funding was pulled and now they attend Hornbeacon private school. They manage to make friends in Yasmeen and Jon. The girls have their own personalities, yet they obviously share a special closeness and love. They begin to have health issues and are faced with the toughest decision of their lives. Grace narrates their fascinating and powerful story, which is told in verse. An author’s note gives information about conjoined twins. mjw

Title: One
Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978-0-06-211875-2
Hardcover pages: 400
Age range: 14 up
Genre: Fiction, Novel in verse
Book setting: U.S.
Author’s ethnicity: Originally from Dublin
Author’s residence: London
Awards: 2016 CLIP Carnegie Medal
Subjects: Conjoined twins. Emotions and feelings, Family problems, High school, Sisters, Special needs, Twins

Hello World!

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Mr. and Mrs. Mo are too busy working to play with their monster so he decides to go see the world. He sets of with his globe in hand to see all of the sights he can find. Along the way he sees beautiful hills and landscapes. Unfortunately, he gets a bit lost. After a few moments of worry, Mrs. Mo finds him and helps him along his way. The warm colored illustrations help express the monster’s excitement as he treks through the hills. amo

Title: Hello World!
Author: Paul Beavis
Illustrator: Paul Beavis
Publisher: Gecko Press
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-9272-7189-8
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 3-6
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: New Zealand
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: New Zealand
Subjects: Monsters, Travel

Are You An Echo? The Lost Poetry Of Misuzu Kaneko

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Misuzu was born in a Japanese fishing village in 1903. She loved school and books and, unlike most girls, got to stay in school until she was seventeen. Her mother managed a bookstore, where Misuzu spent many hours. Young Misuzu wrote poetry and quickly became a successful children’s writer. She wrote about stars, snow, fish, silkworms on mulberry leaves, dandelions, and all the world. An author’s note and a translator’s note provide more information and tell that her work was nearly forgotten. This meticulously researched picture book, with lovely paintings of early 20^th century Japanese life, features Misuzu’s heart-breaking story and a collection of her poetry in English and the original Japanese. mjw

Title: Are You An Echo? The Lost Poetry Of Misuzu Kaneko
Author: Misuzu Kaneko (1903-1930), David Jacobson
Illustrator: Toshikado Hajiri
Publisher: Chin Music Press, Seattle, Washington
Copyright: 20116
Original Language: Japanese
Translator: Sally Ito and Michiko Tsuboi
Original Copyright: 1923-1928
ISBN: 978-1-634059626
Hardcover pages: 64
Age range: 9-14
Genre: Poetry, Picture Book Biography
Book setting: Japan
Author’s ethnicity: Japanese
Author’s residence: Kaneko lived in Japan
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese
Illustrator’s residence: Japan
Subjects: Authors, Fishes, Haiku, Japanese Poets

The World Beneath

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Eleven-year-old Joshua is growing up in South Africa in 1976. Because he is living as a young black boy during apartheid, he is not equal to the white people living around him. One day, by chance, Joshua meets a freedom fighter who is escaping the police and invites him home. While listening to the stories of the freedom fighter, Joshua learns the harsh reality of rebelling against power. As he becomes more involved in the fight for freedom, he struggles to understand his role in society. In this richly historic novel young readers will get a glimpse into the world of apartheid South Africa through a young perspective. amo

Title: The World Beneath
Author: Janice Warman
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7856-2
Hardcover pages: 176
Age range: 10-14
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book setting: South Africa
Author’s ethnicity: South African
Author’s residence: England
Subjects: Apartheid, Human Rights, South Africa