Tag Archives: Friends

Indian Tales: A Barefoot Collection

Eight traditional tales from all over the Indian Subcontinent are included in this colorful anthology. Each story is taken from a different region in India, from Punjab in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south. A “Welcome to India!” introduces the country and provides a map. Each tale is accompanied by two pages of information about the state – geography, history, food, dance, culture, traditions, and more. Bright, colorful folk style illustrations in gouache present story elements and frame the narratives. mjw

Title: Indian Tales: A Barefoot Collection
Author: Shenaaz Nanji
Illustrator: Christopher Corr
Publisher: Barefoot Books, Cambridge, MA
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Barefoot Books
Original Copyright: 2007
ISBN: 978-1-78285-357-2
Paperback pages: 96
Age range: 7-10
Genre: Folktales, Fairytales
Book setting: India
Author’s ethnicity: Indian
Author’s residence: Calgary, Canada
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: London
Subjects: Anthologies, Gods and goddesses, Myths

Little Polar Bear: Where Are You Going Lars?

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Lars, the little polar bear, is so tired after going with his father on his first hunting trip. He falls asleep on the ice and sleeps so soundly that he doesn’t hear the ice crack. His ice bed breaks off, he drifts south, and he wakes up in the middle of the sea, where it is getting warmer and warmer. This is where his adventures begin. He makes new friends, including Henry the hippopotamus. Lars gets homesick and wants to find his way back home. He gets help from Marcus the eagle and Samson the whale. Lars is finally reunited with his father, who catches Samson a big fish to thank him. The soft-colored illustrations have been refreshed in this Little Polar Bear 30^th Anniversary Edition. mjw

Title: Little Polar Bear: Where Are You Going Lars?
Author: Hans de Beer
Illustrator: Hans de Beer
Publisher: NorthSouth Books, Inc.
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: German
Original Title: Kleiner Eisbar – Wohin fahrst du, Lars?
Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag AG, Switzerland
Original Copyright: 1987
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4052-2
Paperback pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: North Pole, Tropics
Author’s ethnicity: Dutch
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Dutch
Subjects: Bears, North Pole, Polar bears

The Day I Became A Bird

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A young boy narrates the story about how, on the first day of school, he fell in love with Sylvia. Sylvia is a bird lover. She observes them, cares for them, and even wears bird barrettes in her hair. Her voice sounds like a birdsong to the boy. To get her attention, he creates a bird costume, which he wears to school, even though climbing trees and playing soccer are difficult for him in the costume. When he and Sylvia finally meet face to face, she puts her arms around him and the boy feels like he is flying. Black line drawings tenderly illustrate this love story. mjw

Title: The Day I Became A Bird
Author: Ingrid Chabbert
Illustrator: Guridi (Raul Nieto Guridi)
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: Spanish
Original Title: El dia en que me converti en un pajaro
Original Publisher: Editiones TTT
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77138-621-0
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: French
Author’s residence: France
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish
Illustrator’s residence: Spain
Subjects: Birds, Costumes, Friendship, Love

The Rumor

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Pandurang, a fruit seller in the village of Baddbaddpur, is an ill-tempered, grumpy man who never smiles. One day he coughs up a feather. The story of Panduang’s feather is passed on from one person to another until it is barely recognized. All the villagers come to see the forest, tigers, and birds that supposedly come out of his mouth. Pandurang listens to them and his frown grows lighter and lighter until he finally smiles. Funny, brilliant illustrations complement this version of “broken telephone” by the Indian Dr. Seuss. mjw

Title: The Rumor
Author: Anushka Ravishankar
Illustrator: Kanyika Kini
Publisher: Tundra Books. Toronto, Canada
Copyright: 2012
Original Title: The Rumour
Original Publisher: Karadi Tales Company Pvt. Ltd. India
Original Copyright: 2009
ISBN: 978-1-77049-280-6
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: India
Author’s ethnicity: Indian
Author’s residence: India
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Indian
Illustrator’s residence: Munich
Awards: 2013 South Asia Book Award
Subjects: Fairytales, Folktales, Myths

Jamal’s Journey

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Jamal is a little camel that has to walk, walk, walk through the desert to keep up with his friend, the boy, and the other camels in the caravan. A sandstorm separates them. He meets different desert animals, but none can help him. A wise falcon reunites Jamal with his family. Eventually they reach Dubai and the colorful marketplace. Rich watercolor paintings show the sights of the desert and the city. An author’s note tells that the story was inspired by Foreman’s visit to Dubai and that the word jamal means beauty and camel. mjw

Title: Jamal’s Journey
Author: Michael Foreman
Illustrator: Michael Foreman
Publisher: Andersen Press. USA
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd. London
Original Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5124-3949-6
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-9
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Dubai
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: England
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: England
Awards: Author/illustrator has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice
Subjects: Adventure, Camels, Cities, Deserts, Friendship

Colette’s Lost Pet

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Colette is new to the Mile End neighborhood of Montreal. She wants to make friends, but doesn’t know what to talk about. She invents a problem: she has lost her pet parakeet named Marie Antoinette. Her fib escalates a bit out of control and a neighborhood-wide search party is assembled. Do her new friends really believe her or is it just more fun to pretend? Artwork rendered in pencil, watercolor, and ink with digital coloration depicts Montreal’s urban setting. The text is hand-lettered. mjw

Title: Colette’s Lost Pet
Author: Isabelle Arsenault
Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault
Publisher: Random House, New York
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-553-53659-1
Hardcover pages: 48
Age range: 3-7
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Montreal
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Montreal
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Montreal
Awards: Author/illustrator has won Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature three times
Subjects: Birds, New experiences, Pets

The Treasure Of Barracuda

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Eleven-year-old Sparks is a deck hand on the Southern Cross, a pirate ship led by Captain Barracuda. Sparks and the crew discover a book left by the infamous pirate, Phineas Johnson Krane, but they cannot read. The fifty-three zany pirates learn to read and decipher the book’s contents so they can go in search of Krane’s real hidden treasure. In this laugh-aloud story, the pirates learn that the most valuable treasures are reading, writing, and family. An extensive Barracuda’s Glossary is included. mjw

Title: The Treasure Of Barracuda
Author: Llanos Campos
Illustrator: Julia Sarda
Publisher: Little Pickle Press, Inc. California
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: Spanish
Translator: Lawrence Schimel
Original Title: El Tesoro de Barracuda
Original Publisher: Ediciones SM
Original Copyright: 2014
ISBN: 978-1-939775-14-6
Hardcover pages: 156
Age range: 9-12
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: The Caribbean
Author’s ethnicity: Spanish
Author’s residence: Spain
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish
Illustrator’s residence: Spain
Awards: 2014 Barco de Vapor Award for Children’s Literature in Spain
Subjects: Books, Pirates, Reading

Can I Build Another Me?

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Young Kevin decides to make a clone of himself to do all the things he really doesn’t want to do, like homework, but it becomes very difficult when he considers what actually makes him. In pondering his individuality, he looks at facts about himself, his likes and dislikes, growing up, what others think about him, what he knows, and much more. He concludes that “thinking about yourself isn’t always easy, but it can be fun.” Quirky line drawings in greens and golds add humor to this philosophical comic-style book. mjw

Title: Can I Build Another Me?
Author: Shinsuke Yoshitake
Illustrator: Shinsuke Yoshitake
Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd. London
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: Japanese
Original Publisher: Bronze Publishing, Inc.
Original Copyright: 2014
ISBN: 978-0-500-65078-3
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 8 up
Genre: Picture book, Graphic novel
Author’s ethnicity: Japanese
Author’s residence: Japan
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese
Illustrator’s residence: Japan
Subjects: Cloning, Comics, Identity, Inventions, Robots, Self

A Child Of Books

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a-child-of-books The young girl is a child of books. She uses books and their words to go on adventures. On a journey after she crosses a sea of words, she meets a young boy at his house. The two go on an exploration into the worlds of words. The word artwork is amazing in this picture book. The background and landscape are made of words from classic novels and lullabies and the main characters interact with the text throughout the story. Moreover, the endpages of the book are packed with titles and authors of several classics of children’s literature. Readers can use the book as a game of trying to find quotes and classic titles on each page. This is a brilliant picture book that all bibliophiles must read. ema

Title: A Child Of Books
Author: Oliver Jeffers
Illustrator: Sam Winston
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9077-9
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4 and up
Genre: Picture Book
Authors’ ethnicity: Irish
Authors’ residence: Brooklyn, New York
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: London
Subjects: Books, Classic Books, Readers, Words

Peter Pan

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Peter Pan is a mischievous and free-spirited young boy who can fly and who never grows up. He kidnaps three ordinary children, Wendy Darling and her two brothers, and the adventures begin. They fly to Neverland and interact with the Lost Boys, fairies, pirates, mermaids, Indians, and Captain Hook. Enchanting, delicate paintings bring the classic story to life. mjw

Title: Peter Pan
Author: J.M. Barrie (1860-1937)
Illustrator: Silke Leffler
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Title: Peter Pan, Or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up
Original Copyright: 1904
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4259-5
Hardcover pages: 176
Age range: 9 up
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Book setting: England
Author’s ethnicity: Scottish
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Born in Austria
Illustrator’s residence: Lake Constance at the border of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Subjects: Fairies, Flying, Neverland, Pirates

How The Squirrel Got His Stripes

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Long ago, King Rama was expelled from his father’s kingdom and sent to the forest with his faithful wife, princess Sita, and his loyal brother, Laxmanan. They lived there happily until King Ravana of Lanka tricked Sita. Rama then waged war on Ravana and set off to battle. They traveled until they came to a vast sea. Men and animals worked to complete a bridge. They clever black squirrels helped by covering themselves and their bushy tails with sand and dirt that they shook over the cracks in the bridge to fill the cracks. When the bridge was complete, Rama thanked the squirrels. As he stroked their dusty backs, their black fur beneath the dust was revealed and that is how the squirrels got their stripes. This tale is referred to in the Ramayana of India. The story emphasizes the dignity of labor and that even the smallest contribution is important in some way. The small-format book is enhanced by colorful folk-art illustrations inspired by miniature paintings of medieval Europe. mjw

Title: How The Squirrel Got His Stripes
Author: Sam Perera
Illustrator: Alex Stewart
Publisher: Popsicle Books, an imprint of Perera Hussein Publishing House, Sri Lanka
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-955-0041-08-4
Paperback pages: 28
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book, Folktale
Book setting: Sri Lanka and India
Illustrator’s residence: U.K. and Sri Lanka
Subjects: Bridges, Folktales, Ramayana, Squirrels, Monkeys

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

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Nine-year-old Bruno and his family leave Berlin in 1942 to take up residence near a concentration camp, where his father will be commandant. Unhappy and lonely, Bruno disobeys his parents and goes out exploring near his new home. He finds Shmuel, a Jewish boy, behind a barbed-wire fence. They become friends. They do not understand the true nature of the camp. Bruno wants to help Shmuel find his father, who has mysteriously disappeared. He sneaks into the camp, wearing a striped prisoners’’ outfit. The two boys are taken on a march with other inmates. Briuno’s family never sees Bruno again. This tenth anniversary edition of the book, told from Bruno’s point of view, features powerful illustrations. There is also a 2008 award-winning movie adaptation of this international bestseller. mjw

Title: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Author: John Boyne
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 978-0-399-55931-0
Hardcover pages: 352
Age range: 12 up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book setting: Germany
Author’s ethnicity: Irish
Author’s residence: Dublin, Ireland
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Irish
Illustrator’s residence: New York
Subjects: Auschwitz, Concentration camp, Holocaust, Jews, Nazis, Poland, World War II