Book picks similar to
Yasmine's Belly Button by Charity Russell


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Snippets: A Story about Paper Shapes


Diane Alber - 2018
    Snippets is a fun story about paper shapes. The main character, Snippet, looks different from the perfect shapes (regular polygons), and because of that he is told he can't play. Snippet's kind heart leads him to show everyone in the paper place how to get along. In the end, the shapes realize the beauty of being unique and how they are better together than far apart.

Horrid High


Payal Kapadia - 2014
    For Mr. and Mrs. Gottin, parenting is an experiment gone badly wrong. So they look for a school where you can dump your kids and forget about them. At Horrid High, everything is downright horrid, from Chef Gretta's cooking to Master Mynus's truly mental maths classes. But Ferg finds four friends with extraordinary skills, and they make a series of startling discovering about their horrid school.Can Ferg and his friends survive Horrid High together? And can they stop Principal Perverse's wicked plans before it's too late? Open the gates of Horrid High and find out!

I Am Mixed


Garcelle Beauvais - 2012
    From Mommy's jazz beats to Daddy's classical piano, we will dance with the twins through a book that explores what it is to be of mixed ancestry, proving that a child is more than the sum of their parents.This book is the first in the I Am Book Series. Future books shallhelp shed light on topics such as divorce and adoption, all from a child's perspective.

When the Moon is Low


Nadia Hashimi - 2015
    But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their country is engulfed in war, and the Taliban rises to power.In Kabul, we meet Fereiba, a schoolteacher who puts her troubled childhood behind her when she finds love in an arranged marriage. But Fereiba's comfortable life implodes when the Taliban rises to power and her family becomes a target of the new fundamentalist regime. Forced to flee with her three children, Fereiba has one hope for survival: to seek refuge with her sister's family in London. Traveling with forged papers and depending on the kindness of strangers, Fereiba and the children make a dangerous crossing into Iran under cover of darkness, the start of a harrowing journey that reduces her from a respected wife and mother to a desperate refugee. Eventually they fall into the shadowy underground network of the undocumented who haunt the streets of Europe's cities. And then, in a busy market square in Athens, their fate takes a frightening turn when Fereiba's teenage son, Saleem, becomes separated from the rest of the family. Without his mother, Saleem is forced, abruptly and unforgivingly, to come of age in a world of human trafficking and squalid refugee camps. Heartbroken, Fereiba has no choice but to continue on with only her daughter and baby. Mother and son cross border after perilous border, risking their lives in the hope of finding a place where they can be reunited.

The Camel in the Sun


Griffin Ondaatje - 2013
    It often has to climb steep dunes, run when it is exhausted, and wait in the hot sun while Halim sits in the shade talking to the other merchants. One day the camel is overwhelmed by sadness and finds itself in tears. But still Halim shows no sympathy.When they arrive in the beautiful garden-filled city of Medina where the Prophet lives, the merchant refreshes himself with food and drink and then naps on a pillow of sand, once again leaving the tired camel to stand alone in the burning sun. But when the Prophet sees the camel's plight, everything changes. Halim finally empathizes with the camel's pain and suffering.The Camel in the Sun was inspired by a Muslim story told to the author when he was in Sri Lanka. That story was a retelling of a hadith, and this book was respectfully inspired by both the retelling and a translation of the hadith itself. It is an unforgettable story about empathy. It is beautifully, respectfully and sensitively illustrated by Linda Wolfsgruber, whose images and earthy palette reflect her time spent in the Middle East.

Maggie's Chopsticks


Alan Woo - 2012
    Poor Maggie struggles to master her chopsticks — it seems nearly everyone around the dinner table has something to say about the "right" way to hold them! But when Father reminds her not to worry about everyone else, Maggie finally gets a grip on an important lesson.

Snow in Jerusalem


Deborah da Costa - 2001
    To each boy, the other's neighborhood is an alien land. And although neither boy knows it, both are caring for the same beautiful white stray cat.One day the boys follow the cat as she travels the winding streets and crosses the boundaries between the city's quarters. And on this journey something wonderful happens, as unexpected as a snowfall in Jerusalem.

The Hard-Times Jar


Ethel Footman Smothers - 2003
    That means "no extras," so Emma must be content to make her own stories and books. Emma has a plan, though – she's going to save all the money she earns picking apples and put it in Mama's hard-times jar. Then there will surely be enough for extras. But when Mama tells Emma that this year she has to go to school instead of to work, it spoils everything. Now she will never own a store-bought book! But school turns out to have a wonderful surprise in store for Emma.Based on Ethel Footman Smothers's childhood, the story is brought to life with lush acrylic paintings, giving us a touching portrait of a book-hungry child.

Fly Free!


Roseanne Thong - 2010
    Mai loves feeding the caged birds near the temple but dreams that one day she'll see them fly free. Then she meets Thu and shares the joy of feeding the birds with her. This sets a chain of good deeds in motion that radiates throughout her village and beyond. Set in Vietnam, Roseanne Thong's inspiring story is elegantly illustrated with watercolor on wood by Eujin Kim Neilan.

The Three Lucys


Hayan Charara - 2016
    In early scenes, Luli describes life in his seaside home, where he revels in the company of three cats—the Lucys of the title. Following a trip to Beirut to visit Luli’s aunt and uncle, the family is driving home when a “red streak shoots across the horizon and a loud boom fills the air.” The bombs force Luli and his parents to return to Beirut, where they stay with their relatives for weeks, Luli’s thoughts often with the Lucys. Working in soft swathes of watercolor, Kahn confidently bridges the emotional transition from tender family meals under a setting sun to frightening moments hiding in gray basements. The disappearance of one of the Lucys and the evident destruction wrought by the bombing offer a somber, though not hopeless, entry point for discussions of loss and the consequences of war. Ages 8–9. (Publisher's Weekly)

Yuko-chan and the Daruma Doll: The Adventures of a Blind Japanese Girl Who Saves Her Village - Bilingual English and Japanese Text


Sunny Seki - 2012
    She confronts a temple burglar in the dead of night, and crosses treacherous mountain passes to deliver food to hungry people. During her travels, Yuko-chan trips and tumbles down a snowy cliff. She discovers a strange thing as she waits for help: her tea gourd, regardless of how she drops it, always lands right-side-up. The tea has frozen in the bottom of the gourd! Inspired by this, she creates the famous Daruma doll toy, which rights itself when tipped—a true symbol of resilience.Thanks to Yuko-chan's invention, the villagers are able to earn a living and feed themselves by selling the dolls. Yuko-chan never gave up, no matter the obstacles she faced, and the Daruma doll is a charming reminder of the power of perserverence.

New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story


April Halprin Wayland - 2009
    But there is one mistake on Izzy’s “I’m sorry” list that he’s finding especially hard to say out loud. Humor, touching moments between family and friends, and lots of information about the Jewish New Year are all combined in this lovely picture book for holiday sharing.Winner of the Sydney Taylor Gold Medal for best Jewish picture book of the year!

The Rainbow Tulip


Pat Mora - 1999
    Now her class is going to dance around the Maypole at the school's May parade, and Stella wants her tulip costume to be special, even if she won't look like the other girls at school. Sometimes being different can be exciting. This touching story that celebrates diversity is based on author Pat Mora's mother's childhood and is brought to life by Elizabeth Sayles's evocative paintings.Illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles.

Three Balls of Wool (Can Change the World)


Henriqueta Cristina - 2015
    Different as this new country is, however, it is far from ideal. In this new, gray world, the lack of freedom is felt in the simplest things, such as the colors one can and cannot wear.Yara Kono was born in Brazil. Her first drawings were made on the wall of her family's living room. Her mother wasn't pleased, but eventually embraced the artistic talents of her daughter.Henriqueta Cristina was born in Portugal into a family of many brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, and stories. She graduated Porto University and has been a teacher for over thirty years.

Sascha Martin's Rocket-Ship (Sascha Martin's Adventures,# 1).


John Arthur Nichol - 2016
    The first disastrous adventure of Sascha Martin, the eight year old inventor who brings new meaning, and catastrophe, to Show and Tell. A book designed to be read aloud, with pictures and verse that children will adore. Sascha Martin’s Rocket-Ship is a wild, funny, deliciously silly adventure wrapped in rhyming verse and Manuela Pentangelo’s wonderful illustrations. Flying pies meet screaming teachers high above the school in this debut disaster featuring Sascha Martin, an eight-year old boy whose genius knows no responsibility.