Me, Frida


Amy Novesky - 2010
    It is the first time she has left her home in Mexico. And Frida wants to be a painter too.But as Frida begins to explore San Francisco on her own, she discovers more than the beauty, diversity, and exuberance of America. She finds the inspiration she needs to become one of the most celebrated artists of all time.Me, Frida is an exhilarating true story that encourages children to believe in themselves so they can make their own dreams soar.Praise for Me, Frida"The writing is lucid, the emotions are universal, and the illustrations soar. Glowing with warm, vibrant colors, the charcoal and acrylic paintings create distinctive, statuesque people within imaginatively conceived landscapes, cityscapes, and interiors." –Booklist

Martin Rising: Requiem For a King


Andrea Davis Pinkney - 2018
    Martin Rising packs an emotional wallop and, in perfect homage, soars when read aloud." --Booklist, starred reviewIn a rich embroidery of visions, musical cadence, and deep emotion, Andrea and Brian Pinkney convey the final months of Martin Luther King's life -- and of his assassination -- through metaphor, spirituality, and multilayers of meaning.Andrea's stunning poetic requiem, illustrated with Brian's lyrical and colorful artwork, brings a fresh perspective to Martin Luther King, the Gandhi-like, peace-loving activist whose dream of equality -- and whose courage to make it happen -- changed the course of American history. And even in his death, he continues to transform and inspire all of us who share his dream.Wonderful classroom plays of Martin Rising can be performed by using the "Now Is the Time" history and the 1968 timeline at the back of the book as narration -- and adding selected poems to tell the story!

14 Cows for America


Carmen Agra Deedy - 2007
    Hundreds of Maasai surround an American diplomat to bestow a gift on the American people. The gift is as unsought and unexpected as it is extraordinary. A mere nine months have passed since the September 11 attacks, and hearts are raw. Tears flow freely as these legendary warriors offer their gift to a grieving people half a world away. Word of the gift will travel news wires around the globe. Many will be profoundly touched, but for Americans, this selfless gesture will have deeper meaning still. For a heartsick nation, the gift of fourteen cows emerges from the choking dust and darkness as a soft light of hope and friendship. Master storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy hits all the right notes in this story of generosity that crosses boundaries, nations, and cultures. An afterword by Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, the Maasai warrior at the center of the story, provides additional information about his tribe and their generosity. Thomas Gonzalez's stunning paintings are saturated with rich hues of oranges and browns and blues and greens, which capture the nobility of the Maasai people and the distinctive landscape of the African plain.

Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU


Cory Silverberg - 2015
    Much more than the "facts of life" or “the birds and the bees," Sex Is a Funny Word opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their values and beliefs while providing information about boundaries, safety, and joy.The eagerly anticipated follow up to Lambda-nominated What Makes a Baby, from sex educator Cory Silverberg and artist Fiona Smyth, Sex Is a Funny Word reimagines "sex talk" for the twenty-first century.

A Boy Called Dickens


Deborah Hopkinson - 2012
    Yet it is a story worth telling. For it helps us remember how much we all might lose when a child's dreams don't come true . . . As a child, Dickens was forced to live on his own and work long hours in a rat-infested blacking factory. Readers will be drawn into the winding streets of London, where they will learn how Dickens got the inspiration for many of his characters. The 200th anniversary of Dickens's birth was February 7, 2012, and this tale of his little-known boyhood is the perfect way to introduce kids to the great author. This Booklist Best Children's Book of the Year is historical fiction at its ingenious best.

Show; Don't Tell!: Secrets of Writing


Josephine Nobisso - 2004
    Aspiring writers learn the essential nature of nouns and adjectives and how to use them to express their individual visions so that they “show and don’t tell” every time. Writing lessons are cleverly integrated into a tale that incorporates a sound chip, a scratch-and-sniff patch, and a tactile object to engage the aspiring writer’s five senses in fun proofs.American Booksellers Association "Picks List" Winner of a 2004 Parents' Choice Recommended Award Winner of the Best Trade Book with Educational Application award from Global Learning Initiative, a partnership of The Bologna Children's Book Fair and The Association of Educational Publishers Selected for The Original Art exhibition at the Museum of Illustration Winner of a Children's Choices Award from the International Reading Association/Children's Book Council Winner of the National Parenting Publications Honors Award Innovative yet accessible writing strategies appropriate for both fiction and nonfiction are presented in this enchanting tale of a writing lion who holds court for a cast of animal friends. Aspiring writers learn the essential nature of nouns and adjectives and how to use them to express their individual visions so that they “show and don’t tell” every time. Writing lessons are cleverly integrated into a tale that incorporates a sound chip, a scratch-and-sniff patch, and a tactile object to engage the aspiring writer’s five senses in fun proofs.

Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic


Ginnie Lo - 2012
    One weekend, on a Sunday drive among the cornfields near Chicago, Auntie Yang spots something she has never before seen in Illinois. Could it be one of their favorite Chinese foods--soybeans? Excited by their discovery, the families have their very first soybean picnic. Every year after that, Auntie Yang invites more people to share the food and fun. Pretty soon more than two hundred friends and neighbors are gathering at the picnic to play games and eat soybeans together. Unique illustrations painted on ceramic plates lend a quirky charm to this lighthearted intergenerational story. Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic is a delicious celebration of family traditions, culture, and community that will have readers asking for seconds, thirds, and more.

Illegal


Eoin Colfer - 2017
    From Eoin Colfer, previously Irish Children's Laureate, and the team behind his bestselling Artemis Fowl graphic novels. Ebo: alone.His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister. *Winner of the Judges' Special Award at the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards* 'Beautifully realised and punchily told.' Alex O'Connell, The Times Children's Book of the Week 'A powerful, compelling work, evocatively illustrated ... It would take a hard heart not to be moved by this book.' Financial Times

Legend of the Teddy Bear


Frank Murphy - 2000
    Now, nearly 100 years later, the legend that has grown around that fateful encounter will captivate you in this delightful tale.Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen brings his magical touch to another great American legend with illustratons for the origins of America's favorite stuffed animal and how it got its name. Author Frank Murphy shares the history and lucky timing of two candy store entrepreneurs who took the story of President Theodore Roosevelt's warm-hearted gesture in refusing to shoot a cornered bear and turned it into a legend of the toy world. Relive the memory of your own timeless, tattered "Teddy's" bear with The Legend of the Teddy Bear.

100 Women Who Changed the World


S.A. Caldwell - 2017
    "100 Women Who Changed the World" takes kids on a tour of the past and uncovers the stories of the women and girls who have shaped the modern world.From intelligent innovators like Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin to clever creatives like Emily Dickinson and J.K. Rowling to leading ladies like Joan of Arc and Eleanor Roosevelt, profiles explore the lives of each woman in detail, and photography and quirky "bobble-head" illustrations present history in a new and fun way. Kids can put each woman's story into context with "what came before " and "what came after " panels showing the things that influenced and were influenced by each woman. Special features highlight contemporaneous women and women in similar fields to paint a more complete picture for young readers.A wonderful inspiration for young girls and a great learning tool for all children, "100 Women Who Changed the World" proves that this isn't just a man's world."

Material World: A Global Family Portrait


Peter Menzel - 1994
    At the end of each visit, photographer and family collaborated on a remarkable portrait of the family members outside their home, surrounded by all of their possessions—a few jars and jugs for some, an explosion of electronic gadgetry for others. Vividly portraying the look and feel of the human condition everywhere on Earth, this internationally acclaimed bestseller puts a human face on the issues of population, environment, social justice, and consumption as it illuminates the crucial question facing our species today: Can all six billion of us have all the things we want?

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter


Adeline Yen Mah - 1999
    Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.Following the success of the critically acclaimed adult bestseller Falling Leaves, this memoir is a moving telling of the classic Cinderella story, with Adeline Yen Mah providing her own courageous voice.

The Magician of Auschwitz


Kathy Kacer - 2014
    Night after night, his fans applauded and called out for more astonishing feats of magic. "Bravo!" they would shout, as Nivelli bowed low with a great flourish. But that was in a different, happier time, before the Jews of Europe were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. This is the true story of a young boy on the inside of Auschwitz, whose life is changed by the actions of a prisoner who performs magic for the guards and who the boy later learns was the famous Nivelli.

Diwali


Hannah Eliot - 2018
    It’s time for Diwali, the festival of lights! In this lovely board book with illustrations from Archana Sreenivasan, readers learn that the five days of Diwali are a time to pray for a bountiful season, celebrate the special bonds between siblings, and rejoice in the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.

Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy


Kate Waters - 1993
    But as his hands become blistered and the sun beats down, he wonders if he's up to the task. An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists with more than 23,000 hardcover copies sold. Full color.