Tag Archives: Language

You Can’t Be Too Careful

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

Birthdays Around The World

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Birthday celebrations of seventeen kids from around the world are shared in this fun information book. Shinobu from Japan dresses in a kimono. Mercedes in Peru eats cake and purple pudding called mazamorra morada. Alana and Kainoa have a luau in Hawaii. And Dimitry in Russia eats blini with caviar and dumplings. A note to parents and teachers gives activities for children, like locating the countries mentioned on a map, sending cards, and making a birthday paper chain. A glossary is included. The author has also written Children Around the World, Families Around the World, and School Days Around the World. mjw

Title: Birthdays Around The World
Author: Margriet Ruurs
Illustrator: Ashley Barron
Publisher: Kids Can Press. Toronto, Canada
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77138-624-1
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 3-7
Genre: Picture Book, Information Book
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: British Columbia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Toronto, Ontario
Subjects: Birthdays, Celebrations

The Sun Is Also A Star

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Natasha has hours left before she is deported to Jamaica. The logical aspiring scientist believes in facts and refuses to fall in love with someone she just met. Dreamer Daniel, who lives under the pressure of pleasing his Korean parents, believes Natasha is the one. That fate has made several events fall into place for them to meet. With all of the possible futures there are, will their one day in New York City lead to a future together? Yoon’s multiple points of view in narration brings to light a variety of perspectives and emotions of the human experience. ema

Title: The Sun Is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-0553496680
Hardcover pages: 384
Age range: 14 and up
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
Authors’ ethnicity: American, Jamaican
Authors’ residence: Los Angeles
Awards: National Book Award finalist, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner
Subjects: Immigration, Jamaican, Love, Multiple POVs, Poetry, Racism, Science, South Korean

Danza ! Amalia Hernandez And El Ballet Folklorico De Mexico

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Amalia Hernandez was born in Mexico City in 1917. She saw her first dance performance as a young girl and decided she was going to be a dancer. She studied ballet and modern dance and soon began to choreograph. She formed her own troupe of dancers that focused on traditional Mexican dances and also blended ballet, drama, and colorful costumes. Her company, El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, was successful nationally and internationally and still performs today. Digitized, hand-drawn illustrations rendered in Tonatiuh’s Mixtec-inspired signature style celebrate Hernandez’s life and the history of dance in Mexico. An author’s note, glossary, and bibliography are included.mjw

Title: Danza! Amalia Hernandez And El Ballet Folklorico De Mexico
Author: Duncan Tonatiuh
Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York
Copyright: 2017
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2532-6
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 6-10
Genre: picture Book Biography
Book setting: Mexico
Author’s ethnicity: Mexican
Author’s residence: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Mexican
Illustrator’s residence: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Awards: Author/illustrator has won the Pura Belpre Medal
Subjects: Arts, Dancers, Folk dancing, Mexico, Music, Performing arts

Ada’s Violin: The Story Of The Recycled Orchestra Of Paraguay

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Eleven-year-old Ada Rios lives with her family in a landfill in Cateura in Paraguay’s capital city of Asuncion. It is one of the poorest slums in all of South America. Favio Chavez, an environmental engineer sent to Cateura to teach safety practices to the gancheros (recyclers) working in the dangerous heaps of trash, worried about the children and decided to offer them music lessons. Since they could not afford instruments, they created cellos, flutes, guitars, violins, and more out of garbage. In time, Chavez’s music class became the Recycled Orchestra. Now, the orchestra plays around the world, spreading their message of hope and inspiration. They even opened for a Metallica concert. This true story is illustrated with mixed media collages. Spanish words are smoothly integrated into the text. An author’s note; websites, videos, and sources; and a photo of string instruments made from oil drums, paint cans, and pieces of wooden crates are included. The book is also available in a Spanish edition, El Violin de Ada: La historia de la Orquesta de Intrumentos Reciciados del Paraguay. mjw

Title: Ada’s Violin: The Story Of The Recycled Orchestra Of Paraguay
Author: Susan Hood
Illustrator: Sally Wern Comport
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3096-8
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Paraguay
Author’s ethnicity: U.S.
Author’s residence: Connecticut, U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S.
Illustrator’s residence: Maryland, U.S.
Subjects: Classical music, instruments, Music, Musicians, orchestra, Recycling, Spanish

Cloudwish

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Van Uoc Phan is a shy, quiet Vietnamese teenager living in Australia with her parents who were asylum seekers after the fall of Saigon. She is a scholarship student at a prestigious Melbourne International Baccalaureate school. She plays the oboe, loves photography and Jane Eyre, and is being pushed by her parents to a high-prestige profession. She has a crush on Billy Gardiner. Billy lives in a mansion, is a star on the crew team, and loves pranks. Van Uoc wishes that Billy would notice her and fall in love with her. Miraculously, he does, but Van Uoc questions how this could happen. Fans of Jane Eyre will appreciate the writing style and all the mentions of Jane in this first-love story. mjw

Title: Cloudwish
Author: Fiona Wood
Publisher: Little Brown and Company, New York
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Pan Macmillan, Australia PTY, Ltd.
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-0-316-24212-7
Hardcover pages: 320
Age range: 12 up
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Melbourne, Australia
Author’s ethnicity: Australian
Author’s residence: Melbourne, Australia
Awards: 2016 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year: Older Readers
Subjects: Australia, Dating, Jane Eyre, Magic, Vietnamese, Wishes

La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes For Los Niños

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la-madre-goose Classic nursery rhymes are creatively reimagined in this bilingual picture book. The softly colored illustrations are absolutely adorable. Rhymes in this book include: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, “This Little Piggy Went to Market”, and other classics. This is perfect for teaching both English and Spanish. English Language Learners whose primary language is Spanish will be familiar with Spanish words while learners whose primary language is English will benefit from learning a second language. The book has a helpful glossary with definitions of Spanish words translated into English. It also includes explanations of how to pronounce the words. A great resource for teachers teaching the English or Spanish language to young students. ema

Title: La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes For Los Niños
Author: Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: English and Spanish
Original Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-0399251573
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Picture Book and Nursery Rhymes
Authors’ ethnicity: American
Authors’ residence: California
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Peruvian
Illustrator’s residence: Arizona
Subjects: Bilingual, Nursery Rhymes

Ticket To India

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After their grandmother’s death, twelve-year-old Maya and her older sister Zara set off on a mission from Delhi to their grandmother’s childhood home in Aminpur in northern India. They are looking for valuable heirlooms that are buried in a trunk on the property. The family left them decades earlier when they fled to Pakistan during Partition in 1947. Along the way, Maya is kidnapped, makes some very bad decisions, but ultimately finds the treasure and her inner bravery. Maya’s journal fills readers in on the backstory of India and Pakistan. A Map, a Glossary, an Author’s Note, and a Reading Group Guide are also included in this action novel packed with fascinating information about the history and culture of India and Pakistan. mjw

Title: Ticket To India
Author: N.H. Senzai
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books. New York
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2259-8
Paperback pages: 304
Age range: 8-12
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Book setting: Pakistan and India
Author’s ethnicity: Indian
Author’s residence: U.S.
Subjects: Asia; Historical, Asia; Multigenerational; Partition, 1947

Metropolis

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Using both traditional and digital techniques, Benoit Tardif highlights the amazing differences that we see in many of the metropolises around the world. With 34 different cities in this non-fiction picture book, readers will take a trip around the world exploring sights, smells, and sounds as they flip through the pages. The cities are from every continent except Antarctica and show a fantastic variety of cultures. Beautiful world-map end papers show the location of all of the cities. With a table of contents and legend in the front of the book, as well as a glossary of foreign words at the end, readers will be highly informed after completing this book. amo

Title: Metropolis
Author: Benoit Tardif
Illustrator: Benoit Tardif
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: French
Translator:
Original Title: Metropolis
Original Publisher: Comme des geants inc.
Original Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-7713-8721-7
Hardcover pages: 72
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Non-Fiction, Picture Book
Book setting: Around the World
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Montreal, Canada
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Montreal, Canada
Subjects: Food, Landmarks, Metropolises, Sports