Tag Archives: Language

When Morning Comes

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It is Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1976, and there is a secret movement of students plotting against the apartheid government.  This compelling account is written from the points of view of four young people in Soweto, the black township.  Zanele is the black female student organizer.  She works as a nightclub singer.  Meena is a South Asian girl who works in her father’s shop.  Jack is an affluent white student, who is about to go to Oxford and Thabo is a teen gang member.  The Soweto Uprising was the beginning of the end of apartheid.  A historical note and a glossary are very helpful. mjw

Title: When Morning Comes Author: Arushi Raina Publisher: Tradewind Books, Vancouver Copyright: 2017 Original Language: English  Original Publisher: Tradewind Books Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-926890-14-2 Paperback pages: 232 Age range: 14 up Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa Author’s ethnicity: Grew up in Johannesburg Author’s residence: Canada Awards: 2018 Children’s Africana Book Award for Older Readers Subjects: Ant-apartheid movements, High school students, Race relations, Resistance to government

Island Born

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Lola goes to a school where all the students are from faraway places.  Lola is from the Dominican Republic.  Her teacher wants the class to draw pictures of where their families immigrated from, but Lola can’t remember.  She was just a baby when she came here.  With the help of family and friends and their memories, she draws a lively picture of La Isla.  She also discovers a lot about her culture and heritage.  The digitally created illustrations are vibrant and bold. There is a Spanish edition called Lola. mjw

Title: Island Born Author: Junot Diaz Illustrator: Leo Espinosa Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, NY Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English Spanish Title: Lola ISBN: 978-0735-2298-60 Hardcover pages: 48  Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born in the Dominican Republic Author’s residence: U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: Bogota, Colombia Illustrator’s residence: U.S. Awards: Author has won a Pulitzer Prize Subjects: Central and South America, Hispanic and Latino, Multigenerational, School

Kakuma Girls: Sharing Stories Of Hardship And Hope From Kakuma Refugee Camp

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Clare Morneau is a 17-year-old author and speaker who lives in Toronto and is committed to working for real change.  As a student at Havergal College, she founded the Kakuma Toronto Girls Education Partnership. This illuminating book is a compilation of letters of hardship and hope from the girls in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya to girls at a high school in Canada.  The Kakuma girls have incredible hopes and dreams for their future.  They are fighting for their education and will do anything to go to university.  They dream of becoming doctors, engineers, pilots, or journalists and improving their families’ lives.  The book includes beautiful photographs, maps, a chronology, a glossary, and a list of ways to get involved. mjw

Title: Kakuma Girls: Sharing Stories Of Hardship And Hope From Kakuma Refugee Camp Author: Clare Morneau and contributors Publisher: Barlow Books, Toronto Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-988025-14-8 Hardcover pages: 184 Age range: 12 up Genre: Nonfiction, Information Book Book setting: Kenya Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Subjects: Refugee children. Refugees, Sudan, Women

Whisper Of The East: Tales From Arabia

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This magical collection of six folk stories from the fascinating world of the East contains The Secret of the Black Dress from Arabia, Jamil and Jamila from Syria, The Fisherman and the Djinn adapted from A Thousand and One Nights, The Little Camel from Palestine, The Old Pair of Shoes from Arabia, and The Fisherman and the Mermaid from Arabia.  The illustrations in red and teal are reminiscent of screen-printing.  This interactive book concludes with a glossary, a map of the Middle East, suggestions for making your own fairytales, the Arabic script, and drawing and painting ideas.  The final endpapers represent a fairytale alphabet in English and Arabic. mjw

Title: Whisper Of The East: Tales From Arabia Author: Franziska Meiners Illustrator: Franziska Meiners Publisher: North South Books, Inc. New York Copyright: 2018 Original Language: German Translator: David Henry Wilson Original Title: Das Flustern des Orients Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag AG. Zurich, Switzerland Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-0-7358-4323-3 Hardcover pages: 112 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Fiction, Short Stories, Folktales Book setting: Arabia, Syria, Palestine Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Cologne Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Cologne Subjects: Fairytales and folklore, Middle East, Storytelling

One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration Of Wordplay And A Girl Named Alice

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This wonderful picture book is part Lewis Carroll biography and part word game. Nonsense words and phrases take readers through Carroll’s fantasy world. Along the way readers learn about Carroll’s life as a mathematician and his friendship with the Liddell family and the real Alice. The frabjous illustrations breathe new life into the famous characters. A glossary explains the words and ideas invented by Carroll and reveals that nearly two hundred of them appear in the Oxford English Dictionary. A closing note gives more information about Carroll. mjw

Title: One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration Of Wordplay And A Girl Named Alice Author: Kathleen Krull Illustrator: Julia Sarda Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0544348233 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 6-9 Genre: Picture Book Biography Book setting: England Author’s ethnicity: U.S. Author’s residence: U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish Illustrator’s residence: Spain  Subjects: Authors, Books, Charles Dodgson, Language, Literature, Imagination, Wordplay

You Can’t Be Too Careful

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Follow the white rose and the gardener along alternative space-time paths in this study of causality, consequence, and the interconnectedness of life. More than a dozen eccentric characters are introduced – a circus monkey, a fake doctor who wants to play the bagpipes, Rajah the Malodorous, and more. The book expresses serious questions about the dangers of greed and the importance of kindness. Complex colored pencil drawings and torn paper illustrations will make you want to look again at this paradoxical story. mjw

Title: You Can’t Be Too Careful Author: Roger Mello Illustrator: Roger Mello Publisher: Elsewhere Editions.   Brooklyn, NY Copyright: 2017 Original Language: Portuguese Translator: Daniel Hahn Original Title: Todo Cuidado e pouco! Original Publisher: Companhia das Letras, Sao Paolo Original Copyright: 1999 ISBN: 978-0-914671-64-0 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Brazilian Author’s residence: Brazil Illustrator’s ethnicity: Brazilian Illustrator’s residence: Brazil Awards: 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award, 2018 Batchelder Honor Award Subjects: Action, Avarice, Kindness, Greed, Roses

Daytime Visions : An Alphabet

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This surrealistic alphabet book consists of letters, written in upper and lower case, manuscript, and cursive and a series of unconnected phrases. Some make sense (D shows a downpour and K is a kiwi), but many are obscure (X is for “XX chromosome and I am expanding” and R shows two birds – “never meant to be rude.”) This is not a book for teaching the alphabet, but one that tells stories for each letter. Square pages with mixed media collage illustrations of cut paper, charcoal sketches, and broad brushstrokes on thick paper provide the interpretations for the letters. The author/illustrator is also a well-known cartoonist, graphic artist, singer, and composer in Argentina. mjw

Title: Daytime Visions: An Alphabet Author: Isol (Marisol Misenta) Illustrator: Isol (Marisol Misenta) Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books, New York Copyright: 2016 Original Language: Spanish Translator: Isol and Elisa Amado Original Title: Abecedario a mano (Libros Para Ninos series) Original Publisher: Fondo de Cultura Economica Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-59270-195-7 Hardcover pages: 56 Age range: 2-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Argentine Author’s residence: Buenos Aires Illustrator’s ethnicity: Argentine Illustrator’s residence: Buenos Aires Awards: 2013 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, twice a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award – 2006 and 2008 Subjects: Alphabets, Animals