Tag Archives: Language

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

Water’s Children: Celebrating The Resource That Unites Us All

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Twelve young people from different countries around the world describe what water means to them. It is a burst of laughter for children playing in a lake in Quebec. It is a perfect crystal of snow to the Inuktitut child. It is the opening flower of springtime to a girl in Germany. And it is a bowl of rice to Chinese children. All the children convey the universal truth that water is life. The poetic text is accompanied by expressive artwork that examines the importance of water throughout the world. On the final page, a guide identifies the languages in which the phrase “water is life” appears in watermarks embedded in the illustrations. mjw

Title: Water’s Children: Celebrating The Resource That United Us All Author: Angele Delaunois Illustrator: Gerard Frischeteau Publisher: Pajama Press.  Toronto, Canada Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Translator: Erin Woods Original Title: Les Enfants de l’eau Original Publisher: Editiions de L;lsatis Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-77278-015-4 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: Canada Illustrator’s ethnicity: French  Illustrator’s residence: Canada Subjects: Earth science, Oceans and seas, Water, Water supply

Hello World: A Celebration Of Languages And Curiosities

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Learn to say hello in more than 150 languages in this oversize lift-the-flap atlas. Six continents (not Antarctica) are included. A pronunciation guide, the name of the language, and the number of speakers in the region are found under each flap. Native American Hand Talk and American Sign Language are also introduced. Colorful, engaging maps and delightful national costumes celebrate global languages in this fascinating book. mjw

Title: Hello World: A Celebration Of Languages And Curiosities Author: Jonathan Litton Illustrator: L-Atelier Cartographik Publisher: 360 Degrees, an imprint of Tiger Tales. Wilton, CT Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Caterpillar Books Original Copyright: 2106 ISBN: 978-1-944530-00-6 Hardcover pages: 16 Age range: 7-10 Genre: Picture Book Information Book, Nonfiction Subjects: Atlas, Foreign language learning, Languages, Salutations