Running The Road To ABC

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/

Tap-Tap

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

Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope

Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope

Written by: Youme Landowne

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Through the story of one Haitian child, this stirring picture book puts a human face on news images and tells of young people caught up in the terror of war at home. Selavi finds family with a group of other street children. Helped by a church, they build a shelter. After "others" set fire to the building, the house is rebuilt, and the children start a radio station to reach young people. The simple watercolors show the boy alone, then the warmth of his community and the angry faces of men in uniform. In a moving afterword accompanied by her own documentary photos, Youme, as she's identified on the jacket, tells more of the story, which is based on the experience of homeless kids in Port-au-Prince."

Booklist Review

Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Master List, 2005