Multi-Cultural Book Reviews by Jennie

Running The Road To ABC

2011-05-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Running The Road To ABC

Written by: Denize Lauture
Illustrated by: Reynold Ruffins

Elementary Grades

"The joy of learning shines through in this lyrical, freewheeling tale of a group of Haitian children on their way to school. Leaving at dawn, these barefoot students race through the countryside and town to their school to learn to read and write another letter, sound, word, line, and page in the "great and beautiful books on the Road to ABC." The text flows along with the youngsters, evoking the sounds of the early morning and the shapes of the varied terrain over which they travel. Details of the town with its bread sellers and horse tamers provide another memorable backdrop to the children's passage. This rhythmic, richly descriptive account of a "day in the life" of these young Haitians takes readers into this activity as they follow along."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://playonwords.com/blog/2009/12/08/teach-diversity-lesson-plans-for-running-the-road-to-abc/

Where There Is No Name for Art: The Art of Tewa Pueblo Children

2011-05-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Where There Is No Name for Art: The Art of Tewa Pueblo Children

Written by: Bruce Hucko

Elementary Grades

"The Pueblo Indian children of northern New Mexico straddle two worlds. They participate in traditional dances and play video games; they paint airplanes and horses, basketball stars and sacred kivas. This book portrays the lives of Tewa Pueblo children through their own drawings, paintings, and words, complemented by their humorous and thoughtful commentary about living in a changing culture."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.brucehuckophoto.com/

A Rainbow at Night: The World in Words and Pictures by Navajo Children

2011-05-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

A Rainbow at Night: The World in Words and Pictures by Navajo Children

Written by: Bruce Hucko

Elementary Grades

"Using their words and their paintings, 23 Navajo children, ranging in age from 5 to 13, share views of home and family, daily activities, and myth and culture. Cathlena, age 8, tells of Water Ox, a mythological creature who makes trees grow; Steward, 12, depicts an evil Navajo chiindi; 8-year-old Trista writes and paints the story of round dancing at a pow-wow. The illustrations aren't simply isolated examples of children's art; rather they make visible connections between communal values and specific aspects of Navajo culture and life. Photos of the young artists appear alongside their work. Hucko, who served as the children's "art coach," supplies background and guidance to help children better understand and relate to the pictures and text. An unusual collection that will be welcomed by both students and teachers, particularly those interested in art, myth, and history."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.brucehuckophoto.com/

This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World

2011-05-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World

Written by: Naomi Shihab Nye

Junior High and High School Grades

"An award-winning multicultural compilation of poetry introduces more than 125 poems from sixty-eight countries around the world, many translated into English for the first time, and offers glimpses of similarities across people despite cultural differences."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/naomi-shihab-nye

When the Shadbush Blooms

2011-04-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

When the Shadbush Blooms

Written by: Carla Messinger and Susan Katz
Illustrated by: Daniel Kanietakeron Fadden

Elementary Grades

"My grandparents’ grandparents walked beside the same stream where I walk with my brother, and we can see what they saw. Today when a Lenape Indian girl ventures to the stream to fish for shad, she knows that another girl did the same generations before. Through the cycle of the seasons, what is important has remained: being with family, knowing when berries are ripe for picking, listening to stories in a warm home. Told by Traditional Sister and Contemporary Sister, each from her own time, this is a book about tradition and about change. Then and now are not so very different when the shadbush blooms. Includes afterword about the culture and history of the Lenni Lenape (formerly known as the Delaware Indians)."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.whentheshadbushblooms.net/
http://www.lenapeprograms.info/news/new_book.htm

Blue Jasmine

2011-04-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Blue Jasmine

Written by: Kashmira Sheth

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"When 12-year-old Seema, her sister, and parents leave India for Iowa City, she is surprised to receive a farewell gift from Mukta, a poor classmate. In the U.S. Seema makes friends but she struggles not only with American English and customs but also with Carrie, a classmate who mocks her. As Seema copes with Carrie, she regretfully recalls how her classmates had made fun of Mukta. A serious family illness pulls Seema's family back to India for a short stay and a chance to visit Mukta. Returning home to Iowa City, Seema realizes, "like an airplane attached to two shimmering wings, I was attached to two precious homes." Filled with details that document an immigrant's observations and experiences, Seema's story, which articulates the ache for distant home and family, will resonate with fellow immigrants and enlighten their classmates. A glossary of terms and expressions is appended, but most of the Gujarati words can be understood in context."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://kashmirasheth.typepad.com/my_weblog/blue_jasmine/index.html
*Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download pdf teachers guide**

Rickshaw Girl

2011-04-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Rickshaw Girl

Written by: Mitali Perkins
Illustrated by: Jamie Hogan

Elementary Grades

"Ten-year-old Naima longs to earn money to help her poor Bangladeshi family, but her talent in painting traditional patterns, or alpanas, is no use. While considering whether she could disguise herself as a boy and try to drive her father's rickshaw, she wrecks the vehicle and its painted tin sides on a test-drive, threatening the family's sole livelihood. Her solution is to steal away, disguised as a boy, to a repair shop and offer her services painting decorations on the rickshaws. She is surprised to find that the owner is a woman. When Naima reveals herself, she is hired on the condition that her father will keep bringing her for training at the shop, so that her paintings will help the business. The future looks bright for the girl and her family. Short chapters, well-delineated characters, soft black-line pastel illustrations, and a child-appropriate solution enrich this easy-to-read chapter book that would also appeal to less-able middle school readers. The rich back matter includes an informative glossary of Bangla words, plus a valuable author's note that explains the process of microfinance and its results for poor women in rural markets."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.mitaliperkins.com/rickshaw_girl.html

The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen

2011-04-28T19:05:00.001-07:00

The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen

Written by: Mitali Perkins

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"When her (Eastern) Indian grandparents arrive for a year-long visit, outgoing eighth grader Sunita Sen feels caught between two cultures. Her Westernized upbringing is threatened when her parents discourage visits from boys; her cosmopolitan mother dons traditional dress and takes a sabbatical from her college teaching job; and the aroma of curry fills the house each day. Embarrassed by her heritage, Sunita withdraws from her classmates. But her friends are admirably patient and tolerate her rebuffs, and gradually she begins to appreciate her grandparents' wisdom and values. Her adolescent angst over social acceptance, family discord, and personal identity will be familiar to readers; positive solutions and role models are presented for dealing with cultural differences, peer relationships, and domestic problems."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.mitaliperkins.com/sunita.html

The Key Collection

2011-04-11T19:31:00.001-07:00

The Key Collection

Written by: Andrea Chang
Illustrated by: Yangsook Choi

Elementary Grades

"Ten-year-old Jimmy has a close relationship with his grandmother, Ni Ni, whom he visits nearly every day. She cooks delicious treats for him, teaches him Chinese characters, tells wonderful stories about growing up in Shanghai, and shows him such things as a fascinating collection of keys. Jimmy is heartbroken when he learns Ni Ni is moving to San Francisco to live with his aunt, but the blow of losing Ni Ni is softened somewhat by a friendship that develops between Jimmy and a boy named Jason. Jimmy is reunited with Ni Ni after his aunt sends a ticket for him to fly out to San Francisco for his grandmother's eightieth birthday. During the visit, Jimmy comes to realize that there are ways for him and his grandmother to bridge the distance between them. This warm, reassuring story of inter-generational friendship is decorated with black-and-white illustrations of key scenes that add further emotional content."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.papertigers.org/interviews/archived_interviews/acheng.html
http://www.andreacheng.com/books/chapter_book/thekeycollection

Honeysuckle House

2011-04-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Honeysuckle House

Written by: Andrea Chang

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Alienation, longing, prejudice, and cultural difference is touched on in this immigrant story told in the voices of two ten-year-old girls. Sarah and Tina are fourth graders. The most important thing in the world to Sarah - American-born Chinese - is the recent departure of her best friend, Victoria. She misses her terribly. Tina has just recently moved to Cincinnati from Shanghai, and is trying to make sense of a whole new world - pretty much clueless to all the things Sarah is hip to.

The two girls are paired together in school, as if Asian appearance were proof of parallel lives and experience. ("I don't speak Chinese," Sarah keeps having to explain.) It's the daily, common stuff of childhood intrigue that finally manages to connect their stories and forge a friendship. A whole constellation of adult concerns swirl around them - green card worries, assimilation, absent fathers, family tensions - but Andrea Cheng remains true to the heart and voice and vision of two ten-year-old girls, in a story which blends tears and games, drama and play."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.andreacheng.com/books/middle_grade_novel/honeysucklehouse

I Want To Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia

2011-04-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

I Want To Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia

Written by: Nina Lugovskaya

Junior High and High School Grades

"Recently unearthed in the archives of Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD, Nina Lugovskaya’s diary offers rare insight into the life of a teenage girl in Stalin’s Russia—when fear of arrest was a fact of daily life. Like Anne Frank, thirteen-year-old Nina is conscious of the extraordinary dangers around her and her family, yet she is preoccupied by ordinary teenage concerns: boys, parties, her appearance, who she wants to be when she grows up. As Nina records her most personal emotions and observations, her reflections shape a diary that is as much a portrait of her intense inner world as it is the Soviet outer one."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://womenineuropeanhistory.org/index.php?title=Critical_Biography

Babushkas Doll

2011-04-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

Babushkas Doll

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

"Natasha isn't really a bad girl. It's just that she wants to play on the swing now, not after the wash has been hung up to dry. And she wants her soup now, not after the goats have been fed. Looking after Natasha keeps Babushka, Natasha's grandmother, very busy. Then, after lunch, Natasha notices a doll sitting on Babushka's shelf...a doll Babushka tells Natasha she played with just once when she was a little girl. When Natasha plays with the doll while Babushka goes to the store for groceries, she discovers why once is enough with Babushka's doll...and finds out just how tiring it can be to take care of a child who wants everything now."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/babushkas_doll/babushkas_doll.html
http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=27

Babushka Baba Yaga

2011-04-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Babushka Baba Yaga

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

"Baba Yaga is a witch famous throughout Russia for eating children, but this Babushka Baba Yaga is a lonely old woman who just wants a grandchild--to love. "A warm, lively tale, neatly mixing new and old and illustrated with Polacco's usual energetic action, bright fold patterns and affectionate characterizations."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/babayaga/index.html

The Mitten

2011-04-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

The Mitten

Written and Illustrated by: Jan Brett

Elementary Grades

"Set in a snowy forest, the fun begins when, one by one, animals crawl into Nicki's lost white mitten to get warm until the bear sneezes, sending the animals flying up and out of the mitten. On each turn of the page, Jan hints at what animal is coming next in her signature borders, inspired by Ukrainian folk art."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.janbrett.com/
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1021

The Firebird

2011-04-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Firebird

Written by: Jane Yolen

Elementary Grades

"In a certain land, in a certain kingdom -- as they say in old Russia -- on the far side of a certain tangled wood, a garden shimmered like a green jewel.... Inside that jewellike garden, an evil wizard named Kostchei the Deathless holds a princess and her nine maidens captive, turning all those who attempt to save them to stone. But help is nearby -- Prince Ivan searching the nearby tangled wood for food, finds the young women and vows to save them. And with some help from the powerful and mischievous Firebird, as well as with much true courage from within, Prince Ivan will slay a horde of demons and Kostchei himself in order to free the damsels."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://janeyolen.com/

At the Wish of a Fish: A Russian Folktale

2011-04-04T16:25:00.001-07:00

At the Wish of a Fish: A Russian Folktale

Written by: J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by: Katya Krenina

Elementary Grades

"In this imaginative classic Russian tale, Emelya, a lazy simpleton, catches an enchanted fish. The pike promises to grant Emelya his every desire if he will pitch the fish back into the sea, and soon everyone is transfixed by Emelya's powers. Formerly, he did no chores; but now, buckets of water march into his house, and kindling is split and stacked at his command. When Emelya meets the tsar's daughter, he falls in love with her and requests the pike to make her fall for him, too. When they want to marry, the tsar refuses his daughter's hand to a simpleton and casts them both into the sea. The pike rescues them and turns Emelya into a nobleman, and the tsar finally approves the marriage. Children will marvel at the cleverness of a man who, though a fool, knows what to wish for and gets what he wants. Krenina's richly colored watercolors provide additional magic to a delightful, fanciful romance."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/russia.html
http://www.jpatricklewis.com/

Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina

2011-04-04T16:17:00.001-07:00

Tallchielf: American's Prima Ballerina

Written by: Rosemary Wells
Illustrated by: Gary Kelley

Elementary Grades

"Music flowed through young Maria Tallchief as naturally as the wind in her hair. She had only to hear a melody and out it came under her fingers on the piano or through her body in dance. But it was soon clear that she would have to make a choice. "Piano or dance," her father told her when she was twelve. "One or the other, but follow that one star." So Maria chose from the heart--and she chose dance. It was a decision that would change not only the course of her life, but the face of classical ballet in America forever. From her early years on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma to her dance training in Los Angeles to her departure for New York and a professional career, the fascinating story of Maria Tallchief, America's prima ballerina, is sure to captivate the hearts of young readers and dance lovers alike."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.valdosta.edu/~blbrothers/global.html
http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall/details/2/154-Tallchief

At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England

2011-04-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England

Written by: Walter Dean Myers

Upper Elementary, Junior High Grades

"Myers pieces together bits of history and letters to form a unique and dramatic mosaic: the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a seven-year-old African (Egbado) princess saved by an English naval officer from a rival tribe's ritual sacrifice in 1850. Sarah is brought to England, where Queen Victoria puts the girl under her protection until Sarah's marriage. The queen also acted as godmother to Sarah's first child and met and corresponded with Sarah throughout her life. Through Sarah's story, Myers offers insights into Victorian attitudes and society and examines the flow of people and ideas between England and Africa during the period. The inclusion of passages from Sarah's correspondence helps bring her to life, and Sarah's photo on the jacket brings readers face-to-face with this remarkable young woman. An intriguing biography as well as an unusual source for those interested in British or African history."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=1036_type=Book_typeId=3965
http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/athermajestysrequest/

Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey

2011-03-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey

Written and Illustrated by: James Rumford

Elementary Grades

"Linking the Chinese mythological creature, the Chee-Lin, to a 1414 Chinese portrait of a giraffe, Rumford imagines how a giraffe may have journeyed to China. From his birth and capture in East Africa to a short stay in Bengal and a stay in Nanjing and finally landing in Peking, lonely Tweega (Swahili for giraffe) survives frightening voyages, cruel and tender caretakers, and cramped quarters, ending up in the emperor’s spacious grounds. Tweega inspires awe everywhere and stirs optimism among the Chinese, who believe the Chee-Lin to be an omen of good fortune."

Booklist Review

The Butter Man

2011-03-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

The Butter Man

Written by: Elizabeth Alalou and Ali Alalou
Illustrated by: Julie Klear Essakali

Elementary Grades

"Every Saturday night, Nora watches her Moroccan-born baba (father) prepare a couscous meal in a special pot that he carried with him to the U.S. in his suitcase. One evening, Baba shares a story about how he coped with a famine during his childhood, spent in the mountains of Morocco. The authors, a married couple who drew on Ali’s personal experience, write in descriptive language that speaks directly to children. Baba says that hunger, for example, feels like “a little mouse gnawing on my insides.” The folk-art paintings, created by a textile designer, feature whimsical characters and cozy domestic scenes, while the ochre, gold, and rust palette evokes the feeling of the dusty, sunlit landscape. An authors’ note adds cultural context, and an appended glossary defines the Berber words used in the text. This warm family story about a rarely viewed culture will have particular appeal among children of immigrants, who, like Nora, wonder about their parents’ mysterious, former lives in another land."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.elizabethletts.com/butter.php

Afgan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan

2011-03-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Afgan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan

Written by: Tony O'Brien and Mike Sullivan
Photographs by: Tony O'Brien

Upper Elementary, Junior High and High School Grades

"This handsome photo-essay features contemporary Afghan children ranging in age from 8 to 18 years. They were asked about their families, lives, and hopes for the future. The young people's straightforward statements tell much about the devastating effects of decades of war. Some of them are still able to attend school; others wish they could. Even the youngest children work part of the day, often at street markets or in their family businesses, such as rug making. Two 10-year-olds pick pockets to survive. The matter-of-fact way they describe losing parents, siblings, and homes to war is jarring. Overall, the book provides a sensitive, poignant, and respectful look at the lives of these young people. It avoids sentimentality and politicizing. While the book will need an introduction, it offers Western children insight into a country and society often featured in the news. This is a timely, relevant, and well-executed offering."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.vervegallery.com/?p=artist_gallery&a=TO&g=1&r=1&photographer=Tony%20O%27Brien

Way Up and Over Everything

2011-03-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Way Up and Over Everything

Written by: Alice McGill
Illustrated by: Jude Daly

Elementary Grades

"This African American “flying” tale details the miraculous escape of five African slaves from Ol’ Man Deboreaux’s plantation. After a day of toil in the cotton fields, Jane, a 16-year-old slave, notices that the newly arrived Africans are nowhere to be found. When the vicious overseer and the plantation owner set out to find the fugitives, Jane bravely follows and witnesses the Africans taking to the air and soaring over the rolling countryside toward their home across the sea. Jane is warned not to repeat what she has seen, but repeat it she does, as this tale of transcendence and freedom is handed down from generation to generation, until it is finally related to readers by the story’s narrator, Jane’s great-great-granddaughter. Daly’s delicate and elongated figures, small in scale against the vast watercolor landscapes of the Georgia countryside, present a bird’s-eye view of the story and suggest the enormity of such an escape. McGill finishes with a note about the origins and variations of African American flying stories."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.theteller.com/index.html

A Long Walk to Water

2011-02-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

A Long Walk to Water

Written by: Linda Sue Park

Junior High and High School Grades

"A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way."

**Jennie's note ... to build background knowledge for this book teachers could use Brothers in Hope written by Mary Williams prior to reading. There are additional stories about "The Lost Boys of Sudan" in the online resources section below.

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.lindasuepark.com/books/longwalk/longwalk.html
http://www.lostboysfilm.com/

90 Miles to Havana

2011-02-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

90 Miles to Havana

Written by: Enrique Flores-Galbis

Junior High and High School Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

"Drawing on his own experience as a child refugee from Cuba, Flores-Galbis offers a gripping historical novel about children who were evacuated from Cuba to the U.S. during Operation Pedro Pan in 1961. Julian, a young Cuban boy, experiences the violent revolution and watches mobs throw out his family’s furniture and move into their home. For his safety, his parents send him to a refugee camp in Miami, but life there is no sweet haven. He tries to avoid the powerful camp bullies (“the big eat the small”) while he waits in anguish for his parents, and in a wrenching parting, his two older brothers are sent away to a harsh orphanage in Denver. The messages get heavy at times about the meaning of democracy, at odds with the political and the camp power games. But this is a seldom-told refugee story that will move readers with the first-person, present-tense rescue narrative, filled with betrayal, kindness, and waiting for what may never come."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.efgportraits.com/pages/bio.htm

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba

2011-02-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba

Written by: Margarita Engle

Junior High and High School Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Books**

"The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 to learn about the people of this magical island, she is accompanied by Cecilia, a young slave who longs for her lost home in Africa. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture.

In this quietly powerful new book, award-winning poet Margarita Engle paints a portrait of early women’s rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://us.macmillan.com/thefireflyletters

Dear Primo, A Letter to My Cousin

2011-02-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Primo, A Letter to My Cousin

Written and Illustrated by: Duncan Tonatiuh

Elementary Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

"From first-time Mexican author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes the story of two cousins, one in America and one in Mexico, and how their daily lives are different yet similar. Charlie takes the subway to school; Carlitos rides his bike. Charlie plays in fallen leaves; Carlitos plays among the local cacti. Dear Primo covers the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of two very different childhoods, while also emphasizing how alike Charlie and Carlitos are at heart. Spanish words are scattered among the English text, providing a wonderful way to introduce the language and culture of Mexico to young children. Inspired by the ancient art of the Mixtecs and other cultures of Mexico, Tonatiuh incorporates their stylized forms into his own artwork."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://duncantonatiuh.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/dear-primo/

Me, Frida

2011-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Me, Frida

Written by: Amy Novesky
Illustrated by: David Diaz

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

"This picture book focuses on the year that Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, spent in San Francisco while he worked on murals for the Pacific Stock Exchange. It was 1930 and Frida was young, newly married, and just beginning her own career as a painter. She had never been out of Mexico and everything about this trip was new and overwhelming. Novesky adeptly tells how Kahlo began to gain her confidence and find her place in the world, using the city and its surroundings as inspiration for her own work. The writing is succinct and careful, and a portrait of Frida as a strong, feisty woman comes through clearly. Diaz's acrylic and charcoal paintings echo Kahlo's own folkloric style, brimming with color and detail, but are unique as well, providing a rich complement to the text."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/weta/fridakahlo/life/index.html

Fiesta Babies

2011-02-14T14:16:00.001-08:00

Fiesta Babies

Written by: Carmen Taffola
Illustrated by: Amy Cordova

Early Elementary Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

This is a fun book for young elementary students who learn all about celebrations and holidays celebrated in Hispanic culture. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the book giving teachers an opportunity to use this as a language building and vocabulary exercise as well as a great cultural read.

Jennie's Review

Online Resources:
http://www.carmentafolla.com/

Ole! Flamenco

2011-02-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Ole! Flamenco

Written and Illustrated by: George Ancona

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

Elementary Grades

"FLAMENCO-it's dancing, it's singing, it's guitar playing! It's a way of expressing oneself that has evolved from many influences over hundreds of years. Today flamenco is practiced throughout the world and all across the United States. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, we meet Janira Cordova, the youngest member of a company studying to perform flamenco. Here the students learn the tools of their art-how to move their hands, arms, bodies, and feet to the traditional rhythms of the music and songs. Each aspect of flamenco is explored in detail. The origins of the art form are also explained, which draw upon the musical traditions of Indian, Arab, and North African cultures, among others. Janira's flamenco has progressed well, and at Santa Fe's annual Spanish Market in July, she finally has a chance to join the older dancers and perform in the town plaza. With colorful, action-packed photographs and accessible text, readers are sure to feel Janira's excitement and catch flamenco fever. ¡Olé!"

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.leeandlow.com/books/388/hc/ole_flamenco

The Dreamer

2011-02-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Dreamer

Written by: Pam Munoz Ryan
Illustrated by: Peter Sis

**2011 Pura Belpre Award Winner**

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Ryan’s fictional evocation of the boy who would become Pablo Neruda is rich, resonant and enchanting. Simple adventures reveal young Neftalí’s painful shyness and spirited determination, his stepmother’s love and his siblings’ affection and his longing for connection with his formidable, disapproving father. The narrative captures as well rain falling in Temuco, the Chilean town where he was raised, and his first encounters with the forest and the ocean. Childhood moments, gracefully re-created, offer a glimpse of a poet-to-be who treasures stories hidden in objects and who recognizes the delicate mutability of the visible world, while the roots of Neruda’s political beliefs are implied in the boy’s encounters with struggles for social justice around him.

Lines from a poem by Ryan along with Sís’s art emphasize scenes and introduce chapters, perfectly conveying the young hero’s dreamy questioning. The illustrator’s trademark drawings deliver a feeling of boundless thought and imagination, suggesting, with whimsy and warmth, Neftalí’s continual transformation of the everyday world into something transcendent. A brief selection of Neruda’s poems (in translation), a bibliography and an author’s note enrich an inviting and already splendid, beautifully presented work."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=42676

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1971/neruda-bio.html

Grandma's Gift

2011-02-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Grandma's Gift

Written and Illustrated by: Eric Velasquez

Elementary Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Award Winner**

"This companion to Grandma's Records (Walker, 2001) is another memoir of Velasquez's boyhood visits with his grandmother in Spanish Harlem. This time it is Christmas. After helping to shop for ingredients and make her famous pasteles, Eric and his grandmother venture from El Barrio to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The boy has a school assignment to complete and together they discover the work of Diego Velázquez, including the famous portrait of Juan de Pareja. The woman nurtures the boy's fascination with painting by giving him art supplies for Christmas. This beautifully illustrated slice-of-life is sprinkled with Spanish phrases (all translated into English) and rich details about Puerto Rican traditions and culture. Velasquez's full-bleed paintings transport readers to another time and place and expertly capture the characters' personalities and emotions."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.bloomsburykids.com/books/catalog/grandmas_gift_hc_825

Grandma's Records

2011-02-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

Grandma's Records

Written and Illustrated by: Eric Velasquez

Elementary Grades

"Every summer, Eric goes to live with his grandmother in El Barrio (Spanish Harlem) while his parents work. Through the long hot days, Grandma fills her apartment with the blaring horns and conga drums of Bomba y Plena, salsa, and merengue-the music she grew up with in Puerto Rico-sharing her memories and passions with Eric.

But Eric sees Grandma in a new light when she gets them tickets to hear their favorite band in concert. The music sounds so different than it does at home on their scratchy records. And then the lead singer serenades Grandma right in front of the whole audience!

Join Eric Velasquez on a magical journey through time and across cultures, as a young boy's passion for music and art is forged by a powerful bond between generations."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.ericvelasquez.com/books/grandmasrecords.html

Seeds of Change: Wangari's Gift to the World

2011-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Seeds of Change: Wangari's Gift to the World

Written by: Jen Cullerton Johnson
Illustrated by: Sonia Lynn Sadler

**2011 Coretta Scott Award Winner**

Elementary Grades

"As a young girl in Kenya, Wangari was taught to respect nature. She grew up loving the land, plants, and animals that surrounded her -from the giant mugumo trees her people, the Kikuyu, revered to the tiny tadpoles that swam in the river. Although most Kenyan girls were not educated, Wangari, curious and hardworking, was allowed to go to school. There, her mind sprouted like a seed. She excelled at science and went on to study in the United States. After returning home, Wangari blazed a trail across Kenya, using her knowledge and compassion to promote the rights of her countrywomen and to help save the land, one tree at a time. Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women's rights."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.jencullertonjohnson.com/Jen_Cullerton_Johnson/Seeds_of_Change.html

Zora and Me

2011-02-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Zora and Me

Written by: Zora Neale Hurston

**2011 Coretta Scott King Award**

Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Told in the immediate first-person voice of 10-year-old Carrie, Zora Neale Hurston’s best childhood friend, this first novel is both thrilling and heartbreaking. Each chapter is a story that evokes the famous African American writer’s early years in turn-of-the-last-century Eatonville, Florida, and the sharp, wry vignettes build to a climax, as Carrie and Zora eavesdrop on adults and discover secrets. Family is front and center, but true to Hurston’s work, there is no reverential message: Carrie mourns for her dad, who went to Orlando for work and never came back; Zora’s father is home, but he rejects her for being educated and “acting white,” unlike her favored sister. Racism is part of the story, with occasional use of the n-word in the colloquial narrative.

Like Hurston, who celebrated her rich roots but was also a wanderer at heart, this novel of lies and revelations will reach a wide audience, and some strong readers will want to follow up with Hurston’s writings, including Their Eyes Are Watching God (1937). The novel’s back matter includes a short biography of Hurston, an annotated bibliography of her groundbreaking work, and an endorsement by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/books/02zora.html?_r=1
http://www.zoranealehurston.com/index.html

Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix

2011-01-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix

Written by: Gary Golio
Illustrated by: Javaka Steptoe

Upper Elementary, Junior High and High School Grades

**2011 Coretta Scott Book Award**

"Before he was famous, little Jimmy Hendrix tuned into a world colored with the sounds of the city outside the Seattle boarding house where he lived with his father. As a boy he strove to reproduce those sounds on his one-string ukulele, and eventually on a secondhand guitar. Golio's lyrical text sings with delicious description, and Steptoe's wildly colored mixed-media illustrations show the hues of the boy's imagination, with Hendrix always standing out from his surroundings. The story itself focuses on the musician's rise to fame, with a supplementary note and a bibliography providing more detailed background information. His tragic death is dealt with in a separate author's note, accompanied by a list of resources about substance abuse. A fascinating "Illustrator's Note" illuminates the process behind the intriguing artwork and underscores the book's theme of exploring the creative process. This book is likely to fascinate older children and reluctant readers who might be familiar with Hendrix's music, and could easily be tied into art and music curricula."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2H5T7S5QOJG0L/ref=ent_fb_link
http://www.garygolio.com/

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

2011-01-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Written by: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrated by: Bryan Collier

Elementary Grades

**2011 Coretta Scott King Award**

"To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on... But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago.

Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.labanhill.com/dave_the_potter_53284.htm

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

2011-01-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Written by: G. Neri
Illustrated by: Randy DuBurke
**2011 Coretta Scott King Award**

Content should be read and previewed by teacher to determine if content is appropriate for the age of student due to mention of gangs and violence. I think the relevance of this topic will be enjoyed by teens, and the graphic novel format will appeal to struggling readers.

Junior High and High School Grades

"Eleven-year old Roger is trying to make sense of his classmate Robert "Yummy" Sandifer's death, but first he has to make sense of Yummy's life. Yummy could be as tough as a pit bull sometimes. Other times he was as sweet as the sugary treats he loved to eat. Was Yummy some sort of monster, or just another kid? As Roger searches for the truth, he finds more and more questions. How did Yummy end up in so much trouble? Did he really kill someone? And why do all the answers seem to lead back to a gang-the same gang to which Roger's older brother belongs? Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty is a compelling graphic dramatization based on events that occurred in Chicago in 1994. This gritty exploration of youth gang life will force readers to question their own understandings of good and bad, right and wrong."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://gregneri.com/yummy.html
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/yummy_dq.mhtml
Above link includes a teachers guide

Lockdown

2011-01-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

Lockdown

Written by: Walter Dean Myers

Junior High and High School Grades

**2011 Coretta Scott King Award**

"Myers takes readers inside the walls of a juvenile corrections facility in this gritty novel. Fourteen-year-old Reese is in the second year of his sentence for stealing prescription pads and selling them to a neighborhood dealer. He fears that his life is headed in a direction that will inevitably lead him “upstate,” to the kind of prison you don’t leave. His determination to claw his way out of the downward spiral is tested when he stands up to defend a weaker boy, and the resulting recriminations only seem to reinforce the impossibility of escaping a hopeless future. Reese’s first-person narration rings with authenticity as he confronts the limits of his ability to describe his feelings, struggling to maintain faith in himself; Myers’ storytelling skills ensure that the messages he offers are never heavy-handed. The question of how to escape the cycle of violence and crime plaguing inner-city youth is treated with a resolution that suggests hope, but doesn’t guarantee it. A thoughtful book that could resonate with teens on a dangerous path."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.harperteen.com/books/Lockdown-Walter-Dean-Myers/?isbn=9780061214806
*scroll down the page to the PDF teachers guide for this book!

One Crazy Summer

2011-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

One Crazy Summer

Written by: Rita Williams-Garcia

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

*2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner, Newberry Honor Book, National Book Award Finalist*

"Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.

When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.

Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.ritawg.com/

Acolytes

2011-01-26T13:59:00.001-08:00

Acolytes
Written by: Nikki Giovanni

Junior High and High School Grades

This collection of eighty new poems from distinguished author and poet Nikki Giovanni offers a variety of subjects evoking images from history such as Rosa Parks and Civil Rights activists as well as contemporary events like Hurricane Katrina. I've read many of Giovanni's works and this one in particular struck me as a book that teachers could use for a read-a-loud choosing one poem to read and focus on for a literary, social, or political discussion.

Jennie's Review

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://nikki-giovanni.com/acolytes.shtml

Roots and Blues

2010-12-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

Roots and Blues

Written by: Arnold Adoff
Illustrated by: R. Gregory Christie

Elementary Grades

"Through poems and poetic prose pieces, acclaimed children's author Arnold Adoff celebrates that uniquely American form of music called the blues. In his signature “shaped speech” style, he creates a narrative of moments and joyous music, from the drums of the ancestors, the red dirt of the plantations, the current of the mighty Mississippi, and the shackles, blood, and tears of slavery. Each chop of the ax is a beat, each lash of the whip fashions another line on the musical staff. But each sound also creates the chords and harmonies that preserve the ancestors and their stories, and sustain life, faith, and hope into our own times."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.arnoldadoff.com/

Forge

2010-12-20T11:33:00.001-08:00

Forge

Written by: Laurie Halse Anderson

Junior High and High School Grades

Award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson have delivered an equally thrilling novel to follow up her National Book Award Finalist book Chains with Forge. Readers can pick up right where Curzon and Isabel left off at the end of Chains as they escaped from Revolutionary New York City in the middle of the night. After their escape, Curzon and Isabel take different paths with Curzon becoming a soldier at Valley Forge. He later meets up with Isabel after his master has captured him forcing him to leave the army to become a servant again. This novel details the treacherous living conditions soldiers at Valley Forge faced during that harsh winter. Halse-Anderson also discusses how many black soldiers fought in the Revolution with the hopes of gaining their freedom when the war was over. Curzon is a well-developed character that students will be able to relate, especially those who are interested in black soldiers serving in the war. Female students will connect with Isabel and the determination she possess in spite of the struggles she faces being torn from her family. This book will have a follow-up story as well which readers (including myself) will be eagerly waiting for!"

Jennie's Review

Online Resources:
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Forge/Laurie-Halse-Anderson/9781416961444
*Readers guide at bottom of the page*
http://madwomanintheforest.com/historical-forge/
http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/links/index.html

Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States

2010-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States

Written by: Lori Carlson

Junior High and High School Grades

"Carlson follows up Cool Salsa (1994) with another bilingual collection of poems that appear in both Spanish and English. Included are many well-known writers, such as Gary Soto and Luis J. Rodriguez, who appeared in the first volume, as well as emerging poets. Divided into loose categories--language, identity, neighborhoods, amor, family moments, "victory"--the poems often speak about the complex challenges of being bicultural."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2005/09/author-interview-lori-m-carlson-on-red.html

Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States

2010-12-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States

Written by: Lori Carlson

Junior High and High School Grades

"As hot as jalapenos and as cool as jazz, this collection serves up "ingles con chile" and Spanish that "you feel in the blood of your soul." Lyrical, traditional poems share space with street-smart free verse, and works by the likes of Sandra Cisneros and Gary Soto are juxtaposed with entries from lesser-knowns. Illustrating the "beat and pulse" of generations of U.S. writers of Latin American heritage, the poems are presented both in the original and in translation; poems making use of both languages are easily accessible to English-only readers by virtue of an appended glossary of Spanish terms."

Publishers Weekly Review

Online Resources:
http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2005/09/author-interview-lori-m-carlson-on-red.html

Tap-Tap

2010-12-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tap-Tap

Written by: Karen Lynn Williams
Illustrated by: Catherine Stock

Elementary Grades

"The journey to market is long, and eight-year-old Sasifi wants to take the "tap-tap"-the brightly painted bus that is the principal mode of public transportation in Haiti-but her mother tells her that they do not have enough money. At the market the child does an excellent job helping to sell oranges, and her mother rewards her with a straw hat and a few coins. The girl chooses to spend them by treating herself and her mother to a tap-tap ride home. As they speed down a road, Sasifi's hat blows off. It is rescued, however, and all ends well. Lively storytelling and illustrations make this an appealing if predictable picture book."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.karenlynnwilliams.com/guide.html

The Color of My Words

2010-12-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

The Color of My Words

Written by: Lynn Joseph

Upper Elementary, Junior High Grades

"Sometimes you have no control over what will happen next, as I discovered the year I was twelve years old. . .

Ana Rosa is a blossoming young writer growing up in a poor seaside village in the Dominican Republic. At twelve, she finds herself faced with turning points that will make up who she is--watching her brother's search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be a part of a community.

But in a country where words are feared, Ana Rosa must struggle to find her own voice and the means for it to be heard. Gradually she learns that her words have the power to transform the world around her-celebrating what is most beautiful on her island and transcending even the most unthinkable of tragedies.

This debut novel from poet Lynn Joseph is a lush and lyrical journey into the landscape and culture of the Dominican Republic. The Color of My Words explores the pain and the poetry behind what it means to be part of a family, what it takes to find your place in the world-and what it feels like to write it all down."

Online Resources:
http://www.learner.org/libraries/engagingliterature/voices/lessonplan.html

Diez Deditos and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America

2010-12-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

Diez Deditos and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America

Written by: Jose-Luis Orozco
Illustrated by: Elisa Kleven

Elementary Grades

"Singer-songwriter Jose-Luis Orozco has assembled a collection of finger rhymes and other action songs from Latin America. Including favorites such as "The Wheels on the Bus" as well as folk songs from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries, Diez Deditos is a treat for the eyes, ears, and fingers. Lyrics are presented in both English and Spanish, and easy-to-follow musical accompaniment and diagrams for the corresponding actions are also provided. As in the companion volume De Colores, bright collage illustrations by Elisa Kleven complete the appeal of this fun-filled book."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.begintoread.com/articles/reading-with-activities.html

De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children

2010-12-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children

Written by: Jose-Luis Orozco
Illustrated by: Elisa Kleven

Elementary Grades

"Fiesta-bright folk art accompanies songs from locales ranging from Argentina to the Dominican Republic. Complete with music and lyrics in both Spanish and English this bilingual collection of Latin American folk songs for children is truly a musical treasure. Each of the 27 songs is presented with background notes; lyrics in both Spanish and English; simple arrangements for the voice, piano, and guitar; and suggestions for group sing-alongs and musical games. Gathered from Spanish-speaking countries but including two of Orozco's own songs, the compilation is a programming gold mine. Included are songs for special occasions ("La pinata"), counting songs ("El chocolate"), and animal songs ("La arana pequenita"--"The Eensy, Weensy Spider" in Spanish!). There is even a handy subject index to locate appropriate songs. The book is a delight for the eye as well as the ear."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/ninos/songsrhymes.html

Grandfather’s Story Cloth/ Yawg Daim Paj Ntaub Dab Neeg

2010-12-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Grandfather’s Story Cloth/ Yawg Daim Paj Ntaub Dab Neeg

Written by: Linda Gerdner and Sarah Langford
Illustrated by: Stuart Loughridge

Elementary Grades

"Chersheng starts to feel distant from his beloved grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Their bond is strengthened, however, when his mother gives him a story cloth made by his grandfather that represents his life as a Hmong hill farmer in Laos and his time in a refugee camp in Thailand before coming to America. A beautiful book which bridges the generation gap between children and the elderly."

**This is a bilingual book written with English and Hmong with an informative afterword written about Hmong culture**

Online Resources:
http://www.hmongculture.net/

My VIllage: Rhymes from Around the World

2010-11-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

My Village: Rhymes from Around the World

Collected by: Danielle WRight
Illustrated by: Mique Moriuchi

Elementary Grades

"My Village is a beautiful collection featuring nursery rhymes and verses from around the world: New Zealand, China, Australia, Norway, Ireland, Tonga, Jamaica, Japan, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Indonesia, Denmark, Iran, Germany, Samoa, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil, France, Holland, Iceland, and India. Readers delight in quirky, touching, and funny verses from the 22 different countries, brought vividly to life by the appealingly fresh artwork from exciting young illustrator Mique Moriuchi, who captures each verse with a uniquely beautiful and child's-eye focus. Danielle Wright has included some familiar rhymes along with others that are less well known. Internationally acclaimed poet and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen introduces the collection, discussing the origins of nursery rhymes as well as reviewing some of his favorites. Also endorsed by the International Youth Library, this book is an essential addition to any school or library."

**What I loved about this book when I read it is that the native language is printed right next to the English text throughout - Jennie

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/my-village-rhymes-from-around-the-world/

Chains

2010-11-22T20:36:00.001-08:00

Chains

Written by: Laurie Halse Anderson

Upper Elementary, Junior High and High School Grades

This beautifully written piece of historical fiction written by well-known young adult author Laurie Halse Anderson gives readers a very close up view of a young slave girls experience living in New York City during the time of the American Revolution. Isabel and her sister Ruth are sold to a couple who are very involved in the political scene in New York as Loyalists to the British crown. Isabel becomes involved with a boy whose master promises her freedom if she is able to deliver secret information to and from her master to the Rebel forces. Isabel endures many hardships including the loss of her sister Ruth whom her master sells right from under her without her knowing. She must dig deep to make the biggest leap of faith she has ever made by running away in the middle of the night to freedom. This story continues into the next novel, Fever which is the second in a series of three books written by Anderson. Readers will feel a connection to this time period in US history through the authenticity of the characters in this story. There is a very well written question and answer section in the back of the book that explains the historical aspects of this novel that readers will find as a great companion to this book.

This book has received numerous awards and honors including a National Book Award Finalist in 2008, and the 2009 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

Jennie's Review

Online Resources:
http://madwomanintheforest.com/teachers/historical-chains/
http://www.slavenorth.com/index.html

Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told

2010-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told

Written by: Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by: Bonnie Christensen

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Ida B. Wells was an extraordinary woman. Long before boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides, Ida B. Wells was hard at work to better the lives of African Americans.

An activist, educator, writer, journalist, suffragette, and pioneering voice against the horror of lynching, she used fierce determination and the power of the pen to educate the world about the unequal treatment of blacks in the United States. Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of this legendary figure, which blends harmoniously with the historically detailed watercolor paintings of illustrator Bonnie Christensen."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit17/lesson4.html
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/african-american-journalist-wells-20660.html#websites

On My Journey Now: Looking at African-American History Through the Spirituals

2010-11-19T12:50:00.001-08:00

On My Journey Now: Looking at African-American History Through the Spirituals

Written by: Nikki Giovanni

Junior High and High School Grades

"The songs written and first sung by African-American slaves were inspired by a host of human needs: to express emotion, to call God, to remain heartened under oppression, and, perhaps most importantly, to communicate covertly, often about the Underground Railroad. Giovanni brings these motives home in this short, impressionistic look at the lives of the slaves, beginning with their holding in places such as Cape Coast Castle and Goree Island, through the end of the Civil War, when members of divided families desperately attempted to track one another down. Giovanni is a poet, and the book has cadence; in tone, it almost reads like the transcript of a speech or sermon, as the author is generous with her own opinions and often refers to herself within the text."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://nikki-giovanni.com/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/nikki-giovanni

Namaste!

2010-10-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Namaste!

Written by: Diana Cohn
Illustrated by: Amy Cordova

Elementary Grades

"Nima Sherpa lives in Nepal at the top of the world, where the tallest mountain on earth, Chomolongma--the mountain we call Everest--towers above the clouds. Nima has promised her father, a mountain guide, that she will find a way to help make the world a better place. Every day, on the long walk to the market village where she goes to school, Nima meets porters and caravans carrying their goods to market, travelers trekking to their next lodge, and monks on their way to their monastery. After school, she meets her friend Tenzing, an old Tibetan trader, who shares some honey with her at the market place.

Whenever Nima sees someone, she brings her hands together with her fingers almost touching her chin, bows her head slightly, and says "Namaste"--the light in me meets the light in you. Her mother tells her, "When you say `Namaste,' try to see the special spark of light that shines within every person's heart."

In Namaste! Nima learns that she brightens the day for friends and strangers alike when she shares her sweetness and light, every time she says "Namaste." Woven into this simple, gentle story about recognizing and honoring the sacred in one another are delightful details of daily life in Nepal."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.dreamcarver.org/namaste.php

Rubia and the Three Osos

2010-10-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

Rubia and the Three Osos

Written by: Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrated by: Melissa Sweet

Elementary Grades

"A marvelous retelling of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” with a lively bilingual twist. Rubia makes herself at home while the three osos go out for a stroll. Where the original story concludes with confrontation and flight, Elya's surprise ending offers conflict resolution and friendship. The narrative includes bouncy rhythms and smoothly intersperses Spanish words into the English. This technique helps children use context to determine their meaning. The book will also help preschoolers grasp the concept of opposites while expanding their vocabularies in both languages. Spanish is printed in a purple font, and a glossary is provided in the back."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.susanelya.com/files/home.htm

No More, Por Favor

2010-10-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

No More, Por Favor

Written by: Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrated by: David Walker

Elementary Grades

"The rain forest is lush with delicious things to eat, but it’s also full of terribly picky eaters! Mangoes are too sweet for the baby iguana, bananas are just too yellow for monito (little monkey), and little quetzal can’t take even one more squishy avocado. Then fed-up Mamá Macaw has an idea that brings all the kids together to share a meal, and everyone finds exciting new foods to try. And what could be more fun than sharing a feast with friends?"

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.susanelya.com/files/home.htm

Dream Carver

2010-10-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Dream Carver

Written by: Diana Cohn
Illustrated by: Amy Cordova

Elementary Grades

"Inspired by the life of renowned Oaxacan woodcarver Manuel Jimenez, newcomer Cohn and Cordova (My Land Sings) tell of Mateo, a young woodcarver who bravely breaks with a generations-old artistic tradition. The subsistence farmers of the boy's village are known for their juguetes, tiny carvings of wooden animals so small they could fit in the palm of a hand, carved by men and boys, and painted in fiesta-bright colors by women and girls. But Mateo dreams of carving life-size animals, with surfaces that tingle with vibrant, improbable colors and surreal patterns. I see animals so big and bright that I will need to carve them with a machete! he tells his disapproving father. When Mateo ultimately produces a glorious wooden menagerie including a quetzal with majestic feathers he wins over not only Papa, but the entire village, and a new way of carving is born."

Publishers Weekly Review

Online Resources:
http://www.dreamcarver.org/dreamcarver.php

Love To Mama: A Tribute To Mothers

2010-10-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Love To Mama: A Tribute To Mothers

Written by: Pat Mora
Illustrated by: Paula Barragan

Elementary Grades

"In this beautifully illustrated book, 13 Latino poets write with joy, humor, and love about the powerful and undeniable bond between mothers, grandmothers, and children. These talented poets write passionately and vividly about the tremendous influence their mothers and grandmothers had on them."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/mama_tg.mhtml

Poems to Dream Together/poemas Para Sonar Juntos: Poemas Para Sonar Juntos

2010-10-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Poems to Dream Together/poemas Para Sonar Juntos: Poemas Para Sonar Juntos

Written by: Francisco X. Alacorn
Illustrated by: Paula Barragan

Elementary Grades

"A young boy dreams that "all humans / and all living / beings / come together / as one big family / of the Earth." So begins this delightful bilingual collection of poems by Francisco X. Alarcón. As we travel through the boy's colorful universe, we learn about his family and community working together and caring for each other and the world in which they live. Neighbors help repair adobe homes. The boy and his family share old photographs, tend their garden, and pamper Mamá who "works day and night." Tribute is paid to those who toil in the fields, and to César Chávez. Most of all, we see how dreams can take many forms, from the fantastic imaginary ones that occur while we sleep to the realistic ones that guide our lives and give us inspiration for the endless possibilities of the future."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/alarcon_interview.mhtml

Animal Poems of the Iguazu/Animalario del Iguazu

2010-10-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Animal Poems of the Iguazu/Animalario del Iguazu

Written by: Francisco X. Alacorn
Illustrated by: Maya Christina Gonzalez

Elementary Grades

"In the lush rainforest of the Iguazú National Park, toucans and butterflies flit through the trees while sleek jaguars prowl the jungle floor. Dazzling waterfalls provide a thunderous backdrop while great dusky swifts keep watch overhead. In this magical journey through one of the wonders of the natural world, renowned poet Francisco X. Alarcón follows the Amerindian oral tradition, allowing the animals to speak for themselves in their own roaring, soaring, fluttering voices. Maya Christina Gonzalez’s glorious mixed media illustrations bring the vibrant colors and textures of the rainforest to life."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.iguazuargentina.com/espanol/

Abuelita Full of Life/Abuelita Llena de Vida

2010-10-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Abuelita Full of Life/Abuelita Llena de Vida

Written by: Amy Costales
Illustrated by: Martha Aviles

Elementary Grades

"José's grandmother is coming to live in his house and he does not know what to expect. First he has to move some of his belongings to make room for his abuelita, since she will be sharing his room. Then he has to give up some of the backyard where he plays ball so abuelita can grow a vegetable garden. He does not mind in the end since he gets to savor the sweet corn, pumpkin, and other produce. Abuelita changes his life in other ways, all for the better."

Children's Literature Review

Online Resources:
http://www.amycostales.com/connect.htm
http://labloga.blogspot.com/2007/09/interview-with-author-amy-costales.html

Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish

2010-10-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish

Written by: Cynthia Weill

Illustrated by: Martín Santiago, and Quirino Santiago

Elementary Grades

"Oaxacan folk art in the form of hand-carved wood sculptures abounds in this bilingual concept book about opposites. Contrasting concepts include inside and outside, high and low, and left and right, to name a few. At the turn of each page, readers see brightly painted wood characters set against equally vibrantly colored background pages that effortlessly convey the concept the author sets out to teach. On each spread, the English and Spanish words for a single concept face the opposing concept. This attractive volume conveys the concept in a unique and inviting fashion and provides youngsters with an introduction to some Mexican art in the process."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.cincopuntos.com/teacher_resources.sstg
http://maisonceleste.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/932/

ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish

2010-10-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish

Written by: Cynthia Weill
Illustrated by: Moisés Jiménez, Armando Jiménez, K.B. Basseches (Photographer)

Elementary Grades

"Every ABC book worth its cover price is bound to have bright colors and big letters. But not every ABC book has magical hand-carved animals to illustrate every letter. And very few alphabet books present those letters in more varieties than English! Very few alphabet books except the ABeCedarios, that is! In this brightly colored book, the alphabet is presented in both Spanish and English, and includes the four additional letters—and whimsical animals—that make the Spanish alphabet so much fun.

The famous folk artists, brothers Moisés and Armando Jiménez, carved the wonderful animal figures that illustrate each letter in ABeCedarios. Working with their wives and children in the beautiful village of Arrazola in Oaxaca, Mexico, they carved and painted each enchanting animal by hand. For many centuries, people in Oaxaca have carved wood to make toys and household objects. However, it was Moisés and Armando’s grandfather Manuel who started making animal figures. Now more than sixty families in Arrazola make their living from wood carving."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.cincopuntos.com/teacher_resources.sstg
http://maisonceleste.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/932/

Voices: Poetry and Art From Around the World

2010-10-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Voices: Poetry and Art From Around the World

Written by: Barbara Brenner

Junior High and High School Grades

"Voices: Poetry and Art From Around the World juxtaposes poetry and visual art from around the world. The poems and artworks vary from ancient to modern, urban to folk, with different styles displayed on the same pages. Whether they’re environmental, political, historical or simply loving, the messages of the words and images are generally uplifting, lending them to multiple applications in many classroom settings."

National Geographic Society

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4545

The Story of Religion

2010-10-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

The Story of Religion

Written by: Betsy Maestro
Illustrated by: Erika Weihs

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"This informational book provides a brief introduction to various religious such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The art in the book is related to the cultures of each of the religious groups. This book can introduce a study in which students research one of the religions discussed."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.uri.org/kids/world.htm

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela: A Tale from Africa

2010-10-03T17:07:00.001-07:00

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela: A Tale from Africa

Written by: Cristina Kessler
Illustrated by: Leonard Jenkins

Elementary Grades

"A traditional Ethiopian tale describing one girl’s attempt to challenge society’s
views of women and their roles, and her quest to be the best beekeeper in her village."

Online Resources:
http://www.cristinakessler.com/Books_8.htm

Geronimo

2010-10-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Geronimo

Written by: Joseph Bruchac

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Thoroughly researched “memories” of Geronimo and the captivity of the Chiracahua
Apaches are narrated by Geronimo’s fictional adopted grandson. Geronimo is portrayed as
a dignified, caring, resourceful, and humorous leader of his people."

Notable Trade Books for Social Studies

Online Resources:
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/B/geronimo/geronixx.htm
http://www.biography.com/articles/Geronimo-192835

The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl

2010-10-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl

Written by: David Kherdian

Junior High and High School Grades

"David Kherdian re-creates his mother's voice in telling the true story of a childhood interrupted by one of the most devastating holocausts of our century. Vernon Dumehjian Kherdian was born into a loving and prosperous family. Then, in the year 1915, the Turkish government began the systematic destruction of its Armenian population."

Online Resources:
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/resources/cob0005t.html

Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia

2010-09-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia

Written and Illustrated by: Ted and Betsy Lewin

Elementary Grades

"This colorful travelogue recounts the Lewins' trip to Mongolia to experience the annual summer celebration Naadam, in particular the horse-racing competition. It focuses on young Tamir as he prepares for and participates in the event. Information about Mongolian culture and the holiday's traditions are interspersed with an account of the competition. An introduction provides brief background, and unfamiliar terms are explained in context and in the glossary."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/horse_song_talk.mhtml

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

2010-09-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Written by: Dee Brown

Junior High and High School Grades

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's classic, eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold over four million copies in multiple editions and has been translated into seventeen languages.

Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the series of battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them and their people demoralized and decimated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was won, and lost. It tells a story that should not be forgotten, and so must be retold from time to time."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wounded_Knee,_South_Dakota

Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears

2010-09-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears

Written by: Alex W. Bealer

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"From 1837 to 1838, thousands of Cherokee Indians were marched from their homelands in Georgia to exile in Arkansas by the same white men they has once befriended. The Cherokees journeyed through bitter cold and blazing heat, with little food or water. One out of every four died and with them died a culture that had existed for hundreds of years, a civilization that had existed for hundred of years, a civilization that had embraced the white man's ways only to perish through his betrayal. Today, only the names remain of this once great nation."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/history/trail.html
http://www.cherokeebyblood.com/trailtears.htm

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

2010-09-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Written by: Judith Kerr

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Nine-year-old Anna was too busy with schoolwork and friends in 1933 to take much notice of Adolf Hitler's rise to power in her native Germany. But when her father is suddenly, unaccountably missing, and her family flees Berlin in secrecy, Anna is forced to learn the skills needed to be a refugee and finds she's much more resilient than she thought."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.remember.org/educate/moretta.html

My Place

2010-09-28T18:03:00.001-07:00

My Place

Written by: Nadia Wheatley & Donna Rawlins

Elementary Grades

"My Place is a wonderfully intimate history of Australia starting in 1988 and going back 200 years to 1788. Young readers learn its history by being told the story of one particular place by the generations of Australian children who have lived there. Rich in detail, with maps that the successive generations of children have draw, My place could completely occupy a child (or an entire class of children). Nadia Wheatly is an historian and in collaboration with illustrator Donna Rawlins have successfully combined their mutual curiosity about the past to show the story of Australia as seen by children."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://kcac.kennesaw.edu/classroom_resources/Xhullender.html

A Single Shard

2010-09-28T18:01:00.001-07:00

A Single Shard

Written by: Linda Sue Park

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Set in 12th century Korea, this is the story of Tree-ear who lives under a bridge with his disabled older friend Crane-man. Tree-ear becomes fascinated with the potter's craft and longs to create celadon ceramics. However pottery is a trade passed on from father to son and Tree-ear is an orphan. He works long and hard hoping to become an apprentice."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://eduscapes.com/newbery/02a.htm

Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain

2010-09-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain

Written by: Li Keng Wong

Junior High and High School Grades

"An elementary school teacher for 35 years tells about her family's journey to America, their interrogation at Angel Island, and the difficult life they faced in Oakland, CA, where her father ran an illegal lottery business. Paw Paw worked in Gold Mountain and sent money home. One day, the author, her two sisters, and their mother received a letter announcing that they would be returning with him after his next visit. The family studied the papers that he sent to prepare them for the difficult questions they would be asked upon their arrival. Particularly worrisome was the fact that Paw Paw wasn't allowed to bring his wife to America, so she would be posing as his sister. This memoir clearly shows the hardships, sacrifices, and eventual successes of the Chinese families who came to America during the Depression."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-american/angel_island/

Tap Dancing on the Roof

2010-09-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tap Dancing on the Roof
*2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award*

Written by: Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by: Istavan Banyai

Elementary Grades

"A sijo, a traditional Korean verse form, has a fixed number of stressed syllables and a humorous or ironic twist at the end. Like haiku, sijo are brief and accessible, and the witty last line winds up each poem with a surprise. The verses in this book illuminate funny, unexpected, amazing aspects of the everyday--of breakfast, thunder and lightning, houseplants, tennis, freshly laundered socks. Carefully crafted and deceptively simple, Linda Sue Park's sijo are a pleasure to read and an irresistible invitation to experiment with an unfamiliar poetic form. Istvan Banyai's irrepressibly giddy and sophisticated illustrations add a one-of-a-kind luster to a book that is truly a gem."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://suzyred.com/2010_Tap_Dancing_on_the_Roof.html

Sparrow Girl

2010-09-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sparrow Girl

*2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award*

Written by: Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by: Yoko Tanaka

Elementary Grades

"Ming-Li looked up and tried to imagine the sky silent, empty of birds. It was a terrible thought. Her country's leader had called sparrows the enemy of the farmers--they were eating too much grain, he said. He announced a great "Sparrow War" to banish them from China, but Ming-Li did not want to chase the birds away.

As the people of her village gathered with firecrackers and gongs to scatter the sparrows, Ming-Li held her ears and watched in dismay. The birds were falling from the trees, frightened to death! Ming-Li knew she had to do something--even if she couldn't stop the noise. Quietly, she vowed to save as many sparrows as she could, one by one..."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://suzyred.com/2010_Sparrow_Girl.html
http://www.sarapennypacker.com/pennypacker-sparrow.htm

City Boy

2010-09-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

City Boy

Written by: Jan Michael

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Samuel Sangala has grown up in urban areas in Malawi. His parents wanted nothing to do with those “ignorant” people in the bush, and they never returned to the rural valley where their families live. But after both his father and his beloved mother die of the “The Disease” (AIDS), Sam has to move to his aunt’s small, dark hut in a country village, where there is no electricity and no computer, and he is expected to share his stuff with his cousins. Readers will recognize from the start that Sam will eventually find a way to feel at home in his new community, but that predictability doesn’t detract from the story, which remains true to his viewpoint and shows, without condescension or sentimentality, the wrenching upheaval, the ravages of AIDS, and Samuel’s grief. Even as he longs for the technology he learned to rely on, he also recognizes that his parents lost a lot when they broke from their roots. Above all, he learns that the definition of “family” encompasses more than just relatives."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/africa_malawi_village/html/1.stm

Ninth Ward

2010-09-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Ninth Ward

Written by: Jewell Parker Rhodes

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina is the setting for this tense novel that blends the drama of the catastrophic storm with magic realism. Twelve-year-old Lanesha’s teenage mother died while giving birth to her, and, because her mother’s wealthy uptown family won’t have anything to do with her, she is raised in the Ninth Ward by loving Mama Ya-Ya, 82, who feels like her “mother and grandmother both.” Born with a caul over her eyes, Lanesha is teased at school, but she is strengthened by her fierce caretaker’s devotion and by a teacher who inspires Lanesha to become an engineer and build bridges. Lanesha also has “second sight,” which includes an ability to see her mother’s ghost. As the storm nears and the call comes for mandatory evacuation, Mama Ya-Ya envisions that she will not survive, but Lanesha escapes the rising water in a small rowboat and even rescues others along the way. The dynamics of the diverse community enrich the survival story, and the contemporary struggle of one brave child humanizes the historic tragedy."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/books/ninth-ward/

Mama's Saris

2010-09-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Mama's Saris

Written by: Pooja Makhijani

Illustrated by: Elena Gomez

Elementary Grades

"On her seventh birthday, the narrator helps her mother select a sari to put on for her party and they recall the various occasions at which she wore each beautiful outfit. In the process, readers learn that the girl's mother only dons a sari for special events, while her grandmother dresses in one every day. The child pleads to be allowed to wear one and her mother finally agrees, saying, "just today, because it's your birthday." Mama wraps the cloth around her, finishing with bangles and a bindi (a decorative mark worn on the forehead). The child's happiness is evident in her expression as she tells her mother, "I think I look like you!" The colorful, detailed acrylic illustrations complement the simple storyline by showing the designs of the various saris mentioned in the text. A glossary of the Hindi words is provided. A pleasant offering about family traditions that depicts a positive interaction between mother and daughter."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.poojamakhijani.com/mamassaristg.html
http://www.poojamakhijani.com/note.html

P is for Pakistan

2010-09-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

P is for Pakistan

Written by: Shazia Razzak

Elementary Grades

"In this photographic alphabet, the author introduces young readers to some of the customs, religions and cultures - both ancient and modern - that make up this fast-developing country. Focusing on both city and country life, this is a celebration of Pakistan in all its aspects, from dhobi to jasmine, from hijab to water buffalo."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.katw.org/pages/sitepage.cfm?id=119
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,28138,1612040,00.html

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea

2010-09-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea

Written by: Greg Mortonson
Illustrated by: Susan Roth

Elementary Grades

"Best-selling author Mortenson told his remarkable story in the adult book Three Cups of Tea (2006). After getting lost while trying to climb the mountain K2, he found himself in a Pakistani village. This, as it turned out was the beginning of a different journey. Here Mortenson and Roth retell his remarkable story through the eyes of Pakistani children. After being rescued and nursed to health by the villagers, Mortenson wonders what he can do to thank them. Advised by a wise elder to “listen to the wind,” Mortenson becomes aware of children’s voices, children he has helped teach during his convalescence, and he decides to build them a school. The steep terrain and remote setting present nearly overwhelming obstacles, but finally, the school is opened with great celebration. The picture-book narrative successfully compresses Mortenson’s story by focusing on the elements most important to children: the stranger’s appearance, the drama of the construction, the happy conclusion."

Book List Review

Online Resources:
http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time

2010-09-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time

Written by: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Junior High and High School Grades

"Hiking in the mountains of Pakistan in 1993, Mortenson got lost. He found his way to a small village where the locals helped him recover from his ordeal. While there, he noticed that the students had no building and did all of their schooling out of doors. Motivated to repay the kindness he had received, he vowed to return to the village and help build a school. Thus began his real life's journey. Mortenson's story recounts the troubles he faced in the U.S. trying to raise the money and then in Pakistan, trying to get the actual supplies to a remote mountain location. His eventual success led to another, and yet another, until he established a foundation and built a string of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson manages to give the story an insider's feel despite being an outsider himself. His love of the region and the people is evident throughout and his dedication to them stalwart."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.threecupsoftea.com/
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/literature-guide/printable/60117.html

One Hen - How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference

2010-09-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

One Hen - How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference

Written by: Katie Smith Milway

Elementary Grades

"Families in a Ghanan village pool their small savings into a community bank that makes loans available to members. When Kojo’s mother borrows money, he asks her for a few coins to buy a hen. The hen produces eggs for the family as well as a few for him to sell at the market, and Kojo uses that money to grow his business into a thriving enterprise. As a successful adult entrepreneur, Kojo now loans money to other aspiring businesspeople. Kojo’s inspiring, upbeat microfinance story makes the economic concept easy to grasp and admire. Sunny acrylic illustrations incorporate African animals and scenery into impressionistic full-page art that reflects the optimistic tone of the story. Back matter includes a photograph and short biography of a “real Kojo,” information on microcredit organizations, and a glossary."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://onehen.opportunity.org/

Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad

2010-09-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad

Written by: James Rumford

Elementary Grades

"When bombs begin to fall, Ali drowns out the sound of war with a pen. Like other children living in Baghdad, Ali loves soccer, music and dancing, but most of all, he loves the ancient art of calligraphy. When bombs begin to fall on his city, Ali turns to his pen, writing sweeping and gliding words to the silent music that drowns out the war all around him. Gorgeously illustrated with collage, pencil and charcoal drawings and, of course, exquisite calligraphy, this timely and yet universal story celebrates art and history but also offers young children a way to understand all they see and hear on the news."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/iraq/0,8805,424876,00.html
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share

Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan

2010-09-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan

Written and Illustrated by: Jeanette Winter

Elementary Grades

"This story begins with an author's note that succinctly explains the drastic changes that occurred when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in 1996. The focus is primarily on the regime's impact on women, who were no longer allowed to attend school or leave home without a male chaperone, and had to cover their heads and bodies with a burqa. After Nasreen's parents disappeared, the child neither spoke nor smiled. Her grandmother, the story's narrator, took her to a secret school, where she slowly discovered a world of art, literature, and history obscured by the harsh prohibitions of the Taliban."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://unplugyourkids.com/tag/peace/

My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World

2010-09-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World

Written by: Margriet Ruurs

Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Ruurs visits 13 countries and explores the manner in which librarians provide services to patrons using everything from boats and wheelbarrows to elephants. Many of the full-color photographs were actually taken by the librarians themselves. A boxed section also provides a map and basic facts about the featured country. While this is an attractive browsing item, the amount of text on each page and the textbook style of writing may discourage students from reading it cover to cover. However, with little information available about libraries of the world, this title offers a glimpse into the world of books, which several countries consider as important as air or water. This might be an interesting revelation to many students who consider reading a laborious task and to those who take an abundance of books very much for granted."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources
Look for "online teachers guide" at the bottom of this page:
http://www.margrietruurs.com/books/my_librarian_is_a_camel.html

Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia

2010-09-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia

Written and Illustrated by: Jeanette Winter

Elementary Grades

"One person can make a difference, and in this book Luis Soriano makes all the difference in the world. A Colombian schoolteacher with a passion for reading, he had so many books in his house that he decided to take them to children high up in the mountains where no libraries existed. With the help of two burros, Soriano made the mountainous trek each weekend to spread literacy where it was desperately needed. Winter has a gift for creating nonfiction that is accessible to and appeals to very young readers."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://elbiblioburro.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuTswmx9TQU
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/25/cnnheroes.soriano/index.html

Shinchi's Canoe

2010-09-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Shinchi's Canoe

Written by: Nicola I. Campbell
Illustrated by: Kim LaFave

Elementary Grades

"A follow up to the book Shi-shi-etko also written by Campbell, this realistic, tender story recounts the experiences of Native siblings sent to a government-mandated, church-run boarding school such as those that were common in Canada and the United States from the late 1800s until the 1970s. Hauled away with the other reservation children in a cattle truck, six-year-old Shin-chi and his older sister, Shi-shi-etko, try to memorize life at home from the "trees, mountains, and river below." Shin-chi clutches a tiny carved canoe, a forbidden memento homemade by her father. During the school year (until the sockeye salmon return), Shin-chi and Shi-shi-etko are not allowed to speak to one another and must endure the cruel treatment and restrictions forced upon Native children as they work and go to mass and to school. Hungry and lonely, young Shin-chi tries desperately to hold on to his Native traditions, sneaking out to sing his grandfather's prayer song and release his canoe in the river. An author's introduction details the practice of sending Native children to residential schools. An accessible and important contribution to Native literature."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol15/no7/shinchiscanoe.html

Shi-shi-etko

2010-09-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

Shi-shi-etko

Written by: Nicola I. Campbell
Illustrated by: Kim LaFave

Elementary Grades

"This is a moving story set in Canada about the practice of removing Native children from their villages and sending them to residential schools to learn the English language and culture. An introduction explains that governments believed Native people were ignorant and made laws to educate their children. Shi-shi-etko counts down her last four days before going away. She tries to memorize everything about her home–tall grass swaying to the rhythm of the breeze, determined mosquitoes, working bumblebees. There is a family party to say good-bye. Her father takes her out in a canoe and implores her to remember the trees, the water, and the mountains, and her grandmother gives her a small bag made of deer hide in which to keep her memories. The vivid, digital illustrations rely on a red palette, evoking not only the land but also the sorrow of the situation and the hope upon which the story ultimately ends. This contemplative narrative will help children see how Native people have been treated in both Canada and the United States. A good choice to enhance units on Native North American cultures."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2009/10/news-about-nicola-campbells-shi-shi.html
http://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol12/no9/shishietko.html

Grandfather Counts

2010-09-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Grandfather Counts

Written by: Andrea Cheng
Illustrated by: Ange Zhang

Elementary Grades

"Helen has to adjust to changes in her household when Gong Gong, her grandfather from China, comes to live with her family. Gong Gong can't speak any English, nor can Helen speak Chinese. So it's difficult for them to communicate. Worse, she has had to give up her back bedroom, so she can no longer watch the passing trains from her window. But Helen soon learns that Gong Gong is also a train watcher, and the two find they can enjoy counting the cars together, in both English and Chinese. Several Chinese words, including the numbers one to eight, are naturally incorporated into this moving story of a bicultural, biracial family."

Publishers Description

Online Resources
Classroom Guide for Book Use:
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/counts_tg.mhtml

Salsa Stories

2010-08-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Salsa Stories

Written by: Lulu Delacre

Elementary Grades

"This compilation of stories provides excellent insight into a variety of Latin American cultures and traditions. Characters come from places as diverse as Argentina, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico in this entertaining reverie of family traditions and the good old days."

Críticas Starred Review

Online Resources:
http://www.luludelacre.com/

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela: A Tale from Africa

2010-07-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Hunt

2010-06-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Hunt

Written by: Russell Freedman

Elementary Grades

"As in his other acclaimed pictorial histories, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman brings a lost world vividly to life for young readers. In accessible text full of fascinating details, he describes the importance of the buffalo to the way of life of the Great Plains Indians, paying particular attention to their various hunting methods, and the uses found for each part of the animal. He then moves on to the devastation caused by the gradual encroachment of white settlers, whose ferocious, firearm slaughter of the animals brought the species to near-extinction."

Scholastic Book Review

Online Resources:
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-literature/Mabey.html

Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa

2010-06-15T11:27:00.001-07:00

Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa

Written by: Shonto Begay

Junior High and High School Grades

"Begay presents a very personal view of contemporary Navajo life in this picture-book collection for older readers. Pairing 20 of his paintings with original poetry, Begay moves from the spiritual aspects of Navajo life through personal childhood memories into striking present-day images, concluding with an affirmation of continuing life and rebirth. Although his poetry especially speaks to the ongoing struggle of living in a "dual society," his paintings are firmly rooted in the Navajo culture. His work is not angry or sentimental; there is an honesty and straightforwardness that allows his readers/viewers insight into his world-view. The variety of images reflects the complexity of life that many contemporary Navajo face. An excellent addition to poetry and art collections."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://shontogallery.com/
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSLANavajoPoetryCulture36.htm

Pink and Say

2010-06-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Pink and Say

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"This a story of interracial friendship during the Civil War between two 15-year-old Union soldiers. Say, who is white and poor, tells how he is rescued by Pinkus (Pink), who carries the wounded Say back to the Georgia home where Pink's black family were slaves. In a kind of idyllic interlude, Pink and his mother nurse Say back to health, and Pink teaches his friend to read; but before they can leave, marauders kill Pink's mother and drag the boys to Andersonville prison. Pink is hanged, but Say survives to tell the story and pass it on across generations."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=975
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/acquiring-vocabulary-through-book-170.html

The Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons

2010-06-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons

Written by: Nancy Bo Flood

Elementary Grades

"For the Navajo people, the new year begins in October, when summer meets winter. The Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons follows the Navajo calendar, and provides poetic descriptions of the many sights, sounds, and activities associated with each month. In November, there are string games and stories; in April, planting of corn, beans, and squash; and in July, rodeos and monsoon rains. Follow Coyote through the year, and explore how the Navajos observe the rites and passages of each month."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://navajopeople.org/

The Bakery Lady / La señora de la panadería

2010-05-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Bakery Lady / La señora de la panadería

Written by: Pat Mora
Illustrated by: Pablo Torrecilla

Elementary Grades

"Mónica spends her life around a bakery, not just because she likes the sweets, but also because she loves her grandparents, the baker and the bakery lady. She watches the bustle of la panadería, and she knows that she will one day be the baker.

Her first real test comes as she and her beloved grandparents prepare for the coming celebration of January sixth, El Día de los Reyes Magos, the Feats of the Three Kings. When Mónica finds the baby in the round bread ring, the King's Ring, it becomes her responsibility to plan the celebration: invitations, decorations, and most important of all, the lemon cookies that Mónica will bake especially for her family and friends. And though she wants to do it all herself, she realizes that the love and help of family can make any job a joy."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.patmora.com/book_pages/bakerylady.htm

A Good Night for Freedom

2010-05-14T15:23:00.001-07:00

A Good Night for Freedom

Written by: Barbara Olenyik Morrow
Illustrated by: Leonard Jenkins

Upper Elementary Grades

"In the winter of 1839, Hallie discovers two runaway slave girls in the cellar of Quaker abolitionist Levi Coffin. She finds herself in a predicament when slave hunters arrive and her Pa advises her not to meddle in their business. As she struggles with her conscience, she weighs the concepts of freedom and obedience, and eventually offers wrong directions to the men in an attempt to save the fugitives, despite her father's warning. Hallie is a spunky heroine, and the story is thrilling. The well-written text smoothly blends fact and fiction. Levi and his wife are real, and their Indiana homestead can be visited today. The first-person narrative adds a personal touch and helps to bring this piece of history to life. In an author's note, Morrow describes her research and lists useful print resources and Web sites. Jenkins's mixed-media illustrations capture the emotions of the characters as well as the details of pre-Civil War life."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.whispersofangels.com/opposing.html

Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Athena Gibson

2010-05-14T15:20:00.001-07:00

Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Athena Gibson

Written by: Sue Stauffacher
Illustrated by: Greg Couch

Elementary Grades

"ALTHEA IS NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! Everyone agrees: her mama, her daddy, her teacher, even the policeman. But when Buddy Walker, the play leader on Althea's street in Harlem, watches her play paddle tennis, he sees something more: pure possibility. Buddy buys Althea her very own stringed tennis racket, and before long, she's on her way to becoming a great athlete—and to proving that she's more than just trouble.

Althea Gibson was the first African American ever to compete in and win the Wimbledon Cup. Sue Stauffacher's lively text, paired with vibrant paintings by artist Greg Couch, captures the exuberance, ambition, and triumph of this remarkable woman."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.suestauffacher.com/pages/books/altheagibson.html