Tap Dancing on the Roof

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

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

Way Down Deep

Way Down Deep

Written by: Ruth White

Elementary and Junior High Grades

"In the summer of 1944, a red-headed, curly-haired toddler mysteriously appeared on the courthouse steps in Way Down Deep, WV. No trace of how she got there or to whom she belonged was ever found. For 10 years Ruby June has lived a happy, comfortable life, well loved and cared for by Miss Arbutus Ward, owner of the local boardinghouse. The arrival of a new family in town sets in motion the unraveling of Ruby's past and the mystery of her appearance. In the process, readers are introduced to a colorful cast of characters who not only add to the rich Appalachian tone of the novel, but also lace it together with sweet humor, timeless truths, and expert foreshadowing. At first thought to be the senile ramblings of Mr. Bird Reeder, a former resident of Yonder Mountain, VA, bits of information lead Ruby to discover that she might be the child thought to have been carried off by a panther years earlier. She learns of her parents' death when she was a baby, that she has family living on top of the mountain, and of her mystical connections to Miss Ward. Captivating and thoughtful on many levels, White's novel offers humor, mystery, and a feel-good ending that a multitude of readers will find satisfying "way down deep."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://kidswings.com/2008waydowndeep.html

The Year of the Dog

The Year of the Dog

Written by: Grace Lin

Elementary Grades

"A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist. Readers follow Grace, an American girl of Taiwanese heritage, through the course of one year–The Year of the Dog–as she struggles to integrate her two cultures. Throughout the story, her parents share their own experiences that parallel events in her life. These stories serve a dual purpose; they draw attention to Graces cultural background and allow her to make informed decisions. She and her two sisters are the only Taiwanese-American children at school until Melody arrives. The girls become friends and their common backgrounds illuminate further differences between the American and Taiwanese cultures."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://www.mcelmeel.com/curriculum/childrenslit/gracelin_bykirstenrendell.html

Circle Unbroken

Circle Unbroken

Written by: Margot Theis Raven
Illustrated by: E.B. Lewis

Elementary Grades

"A book about the origins of the intricate technique and art of basket making as preserved by the Africans who were brought to America as slaves and their descendants. A grandmother guides her granddaughter's hands as she teaches her the art of basket sewing. When the child asks her how she came to make baskets, the woman's answer harkens back to a time when one of their ancestors, the child's "old-timey grandfather," is being initiated into manhood in a village in Africa. Part of the rite involves being able to make a grass basket woven or coiled so tightly that it can hold water. Soon after this event, the young man is captured, transported to America, and sold as a slave at an auction in Charleston, SC. During the day he works the fields, but by night he makes baskets, and this skill is passed down from one generation to the next.

Raven's text masterfully frames several hundred years of African-American history within the picture-book format. Lewis's double-page, watercolor images are poignant and perfectly matched to the text and mood. A section at the end of the book offers information about the "coil" or "Gullah" baskets, as they are known today, as well as the regions of Africa where this art form originated."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://suzyred.com/2005circle.html

Gabriel's Horses

Gabriel's Horses

Written by: Alison Hart

Upper Elementary and Middle School Grades

"On a Kentucky plantation during the Civil War, slave Gabriel Alexander, 12, cares for his master's thoroughbred racehorses and dreams of being a great jockey, just like his dad. After Pa enlists with the Yankees, the boy also yearns to be a soldier and fight for freedom. At the core of this stirring historical novel is the question of what freedom means. Runaway slaves and freemen join the Yankee army only to dig ditches and collect firewood for white soldiers. The boy's first-person, present-tense narrative brings close the thrilling horse racing––on the plantation, at the race course, and in the war––and the African American history in all its complexity."

Booklist Review

Awards:
Texas Bluebonnet Nominee, 2008-2009

Web Resources:
http://suzyred.com/2008gabrielshorses.html

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom

Written by: Tim Tingle
Illustrated by: Jeanne Rorax Bridges

Elementary Grades

"Dramatic, quiet, and warming, this is a story of friendship across cultures in 1800s Mississippi. While searching for blackberries, Martha Tom, a young Choctaw, breaks her village's rules against crossing the Bok Chitto. She meets and becomes friends with the slaves on the plantation on the other side of the river, and later helps a family escape across it to freedom when they hear that the mother is to be sold. Tingle is a performing storyteller, and his text has the rhythm and grace of that oral tradition. It will be easily and effectively read aloud. The paintings are dark and solemn, and the artist has done a wonderful job of depicting all of the characters as individuals, with many of them looking out of the page right at readers. The layout is well designed for groups as the images are large and easily seen from a distance. There is a note on modern Choctaw culture, and one on the development of this particular work. This is a lovely story, beautifully illustrated, though the ending requires a somewhat large leap of the imagination."

School Library Journal Review

Awards:
Texas Bluebonnet Nominee, 2008-2009
American Indian Youth Literature Award, 2008

Web Resources:
www.cincopuntos.com/pdf/crossing_bok_chitto_guide.pdf
http://suzyred.com
/2008crossingbokchitto.html

Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!

Yum! Mmmmm! Que Rico! America's Sproutings

Written by: Pat Mora
Illustrated by: Rafael Lopez

Elementary Grades

"This collection of haiku introduces 14 foods from the Americas. López's colorful double-page spreads, rendered in acrylic on wood panels, add to the imaginative presentation of such gastronomic favorites as chocolate, corn, prickly pear, pumpkin, and more. Each haiku is also accompanied by an informative paragraph about the food, including its history and probable origin.

Book Links, January 2009

Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Nominee, 2008-2009
Americas Award, 2007

Web Resources:
http://www.patmora.com/book_pages/yum.htm

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Written and illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

Upper Elementary, Junior High, and High School Grades

" The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The voice is so authentic, you will feel as if you are sitting on dusty bleachers listening intently to the memories of a man who has known the great ballplayers of that time and shared their experiences. But what makes this book so outstanding are the dozens of full-page and double-page oil paintings--breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game."

Publisher Description

Awards:
Coretta Scott King Award, 2009
Texas Bluebonnet Nominee, 2009-2010


Web Resources:
http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/

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

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale
Retold by Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Michael Austin

Elementary Grades

"Martina is 21 days old and ready to give her leg in marriage. With the help of her Abuela's shocking advice, she interviews a cast of unlikely suitors to find her true love. Deedy's lively and humorous retelling of this classic Latino folktale sparkles with wit as well as aspects of the Cuban culture."

Publishers Description

Pura Belpre Honor Book, 2008
Texas Bluebonnet Nominee, 2009-2010

Web Resources:
http://www.beautifulmartina.com/