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, born in 1927, 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.

    Other things are not so easy to change, however. When Oy draws a self-portrait that has brown hair and eyes round as coins, her classmate Frankie makes fun and calls her Chinese. And the popular girl, Liliandra, barely speaks to her, until she learns that Oy has something very special: a Thai dancing dress from her grandmother, shimmering with pink silk and golden threads that make her look like a princess. Will Oy risk shaming her family to win Liliandra’s approval - and be part of the club she has envied from afar?With compassion and rare insight, Carolyn Marsden tells a simple tale about a young girl who searches for acceptance in a complex culture, while learning to treasure all that she is.

    A young girl proudly watches her little brother--only to discover that caring neighbors have been watching them both all along. Full-color illustrations by the author.

    It cannot tell my story. If you want to know who I am, you have got to come inside and open your heart way wide.Race matters, but only so much--what's most important is who we are on the inside. Looking beyond skin, going straight to the heart, we find in each other the treasures stored down deep. Learning to cherish those treasures, to be all we imagine ourselves to be, makes us free.This award-winning book, celebrates all that makes us unique and different and offers a strong, timely and timeless message of loving yourself and others.

    A cumulative rhyme relating how Ki-pat brought rain to the drought-stricken Kapiti Plain. Verna Aardema has brought the original story closer to the English nursery rhyme by putting in a cumulative refrain and giving the tale the rhythm of “The House That Jack Built.”

    The morning of the ceremony, Auntie Amina prepares Nadia's hands in the traditional way. Using henna, a natural dye, she creates intricate designs, called mehndi, on Nadia's hands. But Nadia is worried. Mehndi lasts a long time and doesn't wash off right away. When she goes to school on Monday, what will her classmates think of her hands? Will they understand that mehndi is part of her Pakistani heritage? By the afternoon, Nadia is swept up in the excitement of the wedding. Now she can't wait till Monday, when she can "share her hands from Pakistan" with the kids at school. Karen English's loving story of a Pakistani-American girl, who comes to an understanding of the rich culture she has inherited, is vividly illustrated by Jonathan Weiner.

    Every time the girl insists that she will stay, her mother repeats that she must go—that there is more to life than labor in the coffee fields. Their loving exchange reveals the struggles and sacrifices that they will both have to make for the sake of the young girl’s future. The sweet, simple text captures a mother’s love and her wish for a life of opportunity for her daughter.

    A picture book about the love between parents and children.Based on a bedtime game author/illustrator Lulu Delacre played with her young daughters, How Far Do You Love Me? is an I love you book with a twist.With every expression of love, readers visit one of thirteen different locations around the world, each a beautifully illustrated scene of adults and children in a place of natural beauty.

    The tale of how a father with his magic wand and a boy with his music triumph over the giant Abiyoyo is based on a South African lullaby and folk story.

    As General Tubman she was a Union spy. As Moses she led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad. As Minty she was a slave whose spirit could not be broken.

    Combining warm prose with child-friendly watercolor illustrations, an introduction to the history of immigration to the United States offers young readers a perspective on the heritage that all Americans share.

    The two boys love playing sports watching movies, reading books, and talking about animals. By working together, a best friend’s understanding and compassion change Matt’s frustration into excitement. No matter where they go—from the basketball court to the playground swings to the neighborhood pool—the two friends enjoy spending time with each other.*Ideal for fans of My Brother Charlie, All My Stripes, and I See Things Differently: A First Look at Autism *A delightful autism story book*A sweet story about two friends and how they help each otherDavid Harrington’s bright illustrations delightfully compliment Celeste Shally’s sweet and touching story of friendship. This book is the perfect guide for parents and children to better understand people with autism spectrum disorders.

    A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is outwitted by a clever village girl.

    In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal. The energy and enthusiasm of the young narrator are conveyed in the whimsical illustrations, which bring details from the artist’s childhood in Korea to his depiction of a modern Korean American family. Even young readers who aren’t familiar with the dish will recognize the pride that comes from helping Mama, the fun of mixing ingredients together in a bowl, and the pleasure of sharing delicious food. Includes author’s own recipe.

    At seventeen Trudy won three medals at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. But what she planned to do next had never been done by a woman: She would swim across the English Channel in fourteen hours and set a world record.