 This humorous story is a fictional incident in the childhood of Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary hero. From the age of seven, Emiliano has struggled to understand why the children of the village are unhappy. Upon explanation from his mother, he learns this is because they are malnourished. One night, a group of bandits steal all of his family’s horses including his favorite horse, Sombra. Emiliano, ten years old at the time, takes the one remaining horse, an old mare named Lucita, and tracks down the bandits. If he can make all of the bandits laugh, he will get to take the horses back. After trying several tricks, Emiliano finally succeeds when he suggests that in the future he will help the farmers in the land so that no one has a need to become a bandido. The bandidos laugh hysterically and even split their pants. A short biography of Emiliano Zapata follows the story. The black and white illustrations are dramatic and bold, making this story a perfect introduction to a great historical figure. cc |
| Title: Viva Zapata Author: Emilie Smith and Margarita Kenefic Tejada Illustrator: Stefan Czernecki Publisher: Tradewind Books, Canada/Great Britain Copyright: 2009 Original language: English ISBN: 978-1-896580-55-5 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Fiction Author’s ethnicity: Argentinian, Guatemalan Author’s residence: Canada, Guatemala Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Canada Subjects: Emiliano Zapata, Food, Horses, Malnutrition, Mexican revolution, Mexico, Thieves |
Viva Zapata
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When Papa Rabbit doesn’t return home as expected after many seasons of working in the great carrot and lettuce fields of El Norte, Pancho sets out on a dangerous journey to find him. He packs up Papa’s favorite meal: mole, rice and beans, warm tortillas and a jug of aguamiel. A cunning coyote offers to guide Pancho on his journey in exchange for some of the sustenance he brought along. The pair travel until all the food is gone and the coyote decides he’s still hungry…for rabbit. In this allegorical tale, Tonatiuh sheds light on the hardships faced by thousands of families who seek out opportunities at better lives for their children and cross the Mexican border into the U.S. illegally. cc
This 1932 masterpiece is a picture of life as it once was in Norway. Ola is a young boy who travels from one end of Norway to another. He meets new friends, attends a traditional bridal feast, gets caught in a tree, and learns folklore from fishermen before he returns home. Charming stone lithographs illustrate the fantastic Northern landscape. mjw
Ten-year-old Yannick leaves Paris to stay with his aunt and uncle at their inn in Provence. He is excited to go because Provence is where Cezanne, “the greatest painter in the world,” painted his picture. He works in the inn, setting tables, clearing tables, filling carafes of water, and cutting bread. Uncle Bruno teaches him to cook and make chocolate mousse and creme brulee. When a famous painter visits the inn and Yannick accidentally throws the drawing the painter scribbled on the paper tablecloth into the fireplace, he follows him back to his chateau to ask for another drawing. Yannick thinks the artist is Cezanne, but the artist signs another name, Picasso. Soft watercolor illustrations decorate the charming description of the culture of 1960s Provence. mjw
On Hal’s tenth birthday, he receives a dog that he calls Fleck from Easy Pets. He knows they will be friends for life. But no one tells him that Easy Pets is a rent-a-pet agency and that Fleck has to be returned. Hal and his friend Pippa run away to his grandparents with a pack of escapee dogs from Easy Pets. On their cross country adventures, they meet up with a circus, a detective, greedy adults, and wonderful friends. This light, fun story about Hal and his dog, loyalty, and determination has a happy ending. All of the dogs find the right owners to belong to. mjw
Nine-year-old Sophie accompanies her dad, the captain of an ice breaker, on a month-long journey to Mawson Station in Antarctica. Her diary is packed with facts about the South Pole’s early explorers, Antarctic animals, and life in an Antarctic research station. Endpapers with detailed maps; photographs of icebergs and sunsets; diagrams of the ship; and student paintings from Kids Antarctic Art, a traveling exhibition of children’s interpretations of the continent, reveal the wonder of Antarctica through a little girls eyes. A glossary is included. This book is based on the author’s own six-week excursion on the Aurora Australis. mjw
Zeraffa was a female giraffe who lived in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris for 18 years. She was a gift from Muhammad Ali of Egypt to King Charles X of France. Magical watercolor illustrations, with detailed decorative patterns bring exotic Zeraffa’s 2,000 mile journey down the Nile, three-week sail across the sea, and 550 mile walk across France to life. When she arrived in 1827, all of Paris fell in love with her. Bakers even baked giraffe biscuits. The beautiful, lush text creates a fairytale sense of wonder in this true story. An author’s note tells more about Zeraffa. mjw
Toda is forced to flee her village as war escalates in her unnamed country. When her father, a pastry chef, leaves to defend his country, she is sent to live with her mother across the border. Her journey is frightening and fascinating and filled with struggles, misunderstandings, and hope. Fear never overwhelms innocent and frank Toda as she tries to make sense of the war-torn world around her. The author uses Toda’s off-beat sense of humor to point out the absurdity of war. Gentle line drawings offer comic relief and further insight into what this young refugee goes through. mjw
Parisian eight-year-old Ronnie, short for Myron, visits his grandparents and rowdy older cousins in England, while his parents move apartments. It is his first vacation away from his mama. There is a competition to see who can shower the least, a wild bike ride without helmets, the family tradition of jumping off the ten-foot diving board, and the shame of having his bathing suit slip off in the pool. This touching, funny story of Ronnie’s growth from timid mama’s boy to confidence and independence is written in journal format with energetic, expressive watercolor images. mjw
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