Tag Archives: Friends

My Sweet Orange Tree

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Zeze, a precocious five-year-old born to a poor family in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, taught himself to read at a very young age and wants to grow up to be “a poet with a bow tie.” Zeze is a naughty child with a heart of gold.  He plays clever pranks on his neighbors and is punished severely for them by his parents. Imaginative Zeze adopts a small orange tree that grows in his yard as his magical friend.  Inspired by the author’s childhood, the book is a Brazilian classic, adopted by schools and adapted for cinema, television, and the stage. It has been translated into nineteen languages. mjw
Title: My Sweet Orange Tree
Author: Jose Mauro De Vasconcelos (1920-1984)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: Portuguese
Translator: Alison Entrekin
Original Title: Meu pe de laranja lima
Original Publisher: Editora melhoramentos Ltda, Brazil
Original Copyright: 1968
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0328-8
Hardcover pages: 272
Age range: 14-17
Genre: Autobiographical novel
Book setting: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Author’s ethnicity: Brazilian
Subjects: Abuse, Imagination, Magic, Orange trees, Poverty

Bounce Back: Zayd Saleem, Chasing The Dream

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This is the third in a series about Pakistani-American fourth-grade basketball player Zayd Saleem. An ankle injury leaves him on the sidelines just as he is about to become team captain of the Gold Team. He is on the bench for several weeks and worries about how he can help his team win the championship.  Meanwhile, at home, his family is preparing Pakistani wedding festivities for his uncle. Specific cultural information is smoothly integrated into this universal story.  Black and white drawings enhance the text. mjw
Title: Bounce Back: Zayd Saleem, Chasing The Dream
Author: Hena Khan
Illustrator: Sally Wern Comport
Publisher: Salaam Reads, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-534412057
Hardcover pages: 144
Age range: 7-11
Genre: Fiction
Author’s ethnicity: Pakistani-American
Author’s residence: Rockville, Maryland. U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S.
Illustrator’s residence: U.S.
Subjects: Basketball, Family life,Leadership, Middle schools, Muslims, Urdu, Weddings

The Dark And The Light

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Shaggy is a furry creature who lives in darkness and who longs to visit the light. In the light lives Sparkle, who is fascinated yet fearful of the darkness. The two meet at the edge of the dark and light and soon become friends, meeting in the grey-blue inbetween.  When Shaggy visits Sparkle for the first time he brings a parasol to shield the light and when Sparkle visits him she brings a flashlight. While each is initially scared of entering the other’s world, their bond as friends helps them overcome their fears and enforces the importance of compromise. Cyanotype prints beautifully illustrate the contrast from dark to light in stunning indigos, navy blues, and brilliant whites. mm
Title: The Dark And The Light
Author: Kerstin Hau
Illustrator: Julie Völk
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780735843851
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: German
Author’s residence: Darmstadt, Germany
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Austrian
Illustrator’s residence: Vienna, Austria
Subjects: Darkness, Friendship, Light

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
Awards: 2020 Middle Eat Book Award for Youth Literature
Subjects: Aleppo, Asylum seekers, Ballet, Dance, Prejudice and racism, Refugees

Ida And The Whale

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Ida and the whaleIda, a curious little girl, spends her days sitting in a tree house pondering existential questions. One night, she befriends a giant flying whale who takes her on an incredible journey beyond the stars. They visit many strange and wonderful places including one where everything is upside down and one where everything is still and empty. Along the way, Ida’s questions are answered and she and the whale part ways as friends. Combined mediums of watercolor, pen, and computer graphics illustrate the beautiful and philosophically situated worlds Ida and the flying whale visit on their journey. mm

Title: Ida And The Whale
Author: Rebecca Gugger
Illustrator: Simon Rothlisberger
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780735843417
Hardcover pages: 33 
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: Swiss
Author’s residence: Thun, Switzerland
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swiss
Illustrator’s residence: Thun, Switzerland 
Subjects: Emotions, Human-animal relationships, Philosophy, Whales

 

Rasha: Little Girl Big Heart

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Feisty fourteen-year-old Rasha is abandoned by her mother in a village far from their cosmopolitan Dhaka home, where she is forced to live with her aged and probably mad grandmother. The village has no electricity, heavy rains, and nosy neighbors. Rasha has to attend a primitive school with a bullying teacher.  She rises against her circumstances and exposes the teacher, stops a child marriage from happening, builds a boat so that she can get to school, and teaches her new school friends how to use a computer.  She even wins a science Olympiad. mjw
Title: Rasha: Little Girl Big Heart
Author: Muhanned Zafar Iqbal
Publisher: Puffin Books.  Penguin Random House India
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: Bengali
Translator: Arunava Sinha
Original Title: Rashed Amar Bondhu
Original Publisher: Tamralipi, Dhaka
Original Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-780143434887
Paperback pages: 240
Age range: 12-15
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Bangladesh
Author’s ethnicity: Bangladeshi
Author’s residence: Bangladesh
Translator’s ethnicity: Bangladeshi
Translator’s residence: Bangladesh
Awards: Translator has won the Crossword Prize for Translated Books.  The book is on the 2019 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Award Shortlist
Subjects: Bangladesh liberation war, Dhaka, East Pakistan, Freedom, Freedom fighters, Intergenerational

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

The Moose Of Ewenki

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The Ewenki people live in the forest of Greater Khingan, in northern China, and they live on hunting and raising reindeer. The old hunter Gree Shek hunts a mother moose by mistake. She leaves a young moose.  He feels terrible because Ewenki hunters would never hunt a female moose that was raising a baby.  The motherless baby follows Gree Shek back to the campsite where Gree Shek feeds the hungry moose.  He names it Little Moose. The moose and the man form a bond and go on adventures together.  As Little Moose grows older and bigger, Gree Shek knows he must return the moose to the forest.  Beautifully detailed paintings complement this touching story, which highlights the traditional and vanishing way of life of the Ewenki people. mjw
Title: The Moose Of Ewenki
Author: Gerelchimeg Blackcrane
Illustrator: Jui Er
Publisher: Greystone Kids Books
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77164-538-6
Hardcover pages: 68
Age range: 5-9
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Inner Mongolia
Author’s ethnicity: Chinese
Author’s residence: Hulunbuir Grassland in Mongolia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Chinese
Illustrator’s residence: Beijing, China
Awards:  2020 USBBY Outstanding International Books List
Subjects: Asia, Caribou, Deer, Global studies, Moose, People and places, Reindeer

The Fox On The Swing

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Paul lives with his family in a tree house in a big city. On his way home from the bakery, where everyday he gets three fresh rolls, Paul befriends a wise, friendly, orange fox. Being friends with the fox is a magical and challenging experience for Paul.  He has to deal with an unexpected move; friendship; appreciating the little things in life, like carrot cake and marmalade; and the nature of happiness. Brightly colored digital collages portray people, very detailed buildings, vehicles, and animals in this unpredictable, quirky story. mjw
Title: The Fox On The Swing
Author: Evelina Daciute
Illustrator: Ausra Kiudulaite
Publisher: Thames & Hudson, U.K.
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: Lithuanian
Translator: The Translation Bureau
Original Title: Laime Yra Lape
Original Publisher: Tikra Knyga. Vilnius. Lithuania
Original Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-0-500-651-8
Hardcover pages: 48
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Lithuanian
Author’s residence: Lithuania
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Lithuanian
Illustrator’s residence: Lithuania
Awards: 2019 Batchelder Award
Subjects: Emotions, Fox and wolf, Happiness, Loneliness

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

Hello, Horse

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When the little boy’s friend Catherine asks him to come meet her horse named Shannon, he replies that he’s not so sure he likes horses.  Shannon is very big, but Catherine says she’s very kind.  Catherine teaches the boy to talk quietly to the horse, how to feed her carrots, how to lead her across a field, and even how to blow at her softly to show that he likes her.  Catherine helps him up onto the horse for his first ride.  Facts about horses are sprinkled throughout this gentle story. The book ends with an author’s note that tells that Shannon is the illustrator’s horse.  An index and more information are also included.  The beautiful illustrations were done in mixed media. mjw
Title: Hello, Horse
Author: Vivian French
Illustrator: Catherine Rayner
Publisher: Candlewick Press.  Somerville, MA
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0167-3
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Scotland
Author’s ethnicity: British
Author’s residence: Scotland
Subjects: Farm animals, Horses, New experiences

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