He dreamed of playing on a real pitch with the boys from another part of the city, but apartheid made that impossible. Then, in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and apartheid began to crumble. The march toward freedom in South Africa was a slow one, but when the beloved Bafana Bafana national soccer team won the African Cup of Nations, Hector realized that dreams once impossible could now come true. This poignant story of friendship artfully depicts a brief but critical moment in South Africa’s history and the unique role that sports can play in bringing people together.

    Being a twin is great! Sometimes our friends can't tell us apart.A boy and his twin do everything together--leapfrog and piggyback rides, dancing and disagreeing, and everything in between! Their relationship has its ups and downs, but in the end, it's great knowing there's someone in their world who is just like them. This charming picture book is a sweet and silly celebration of twinhood--whether you look alike or not!

    Evocative watercolor paintings from Caldecott Honor-winning E. B. Lewis perfectly capture the spirit of each letter topics poem and expository text.

    However, nothing is quite as she expected it to be, from the ring bearer whom she expected to be a bear, to her celery-colored dress, which she expected to be covered in real celery, to the wedding's two brides.

    . . A solid introduction to a brilliant writer”—Kirkus.Acclaimed writer Alice Faye Duncan tells the story of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize.SING a song for Gwendolyn Brooks. Sing it loud—a Chicago blues .   With a voice both wise and witty, Gwendolyn Brooks crafted poems that captured the urban Black experience and the role of women in society. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, reading and writing constantly from a young age, her talent lovingly nurtured by her parents. Brooks ultimately published 20 books of poetry, two autobiographies, and one novel. Alice Faye Duncan has created her own song to celebrate Gwendolyn’s life and work, illuminating the tireless struggle of revision and the sweet reward of success. Included on the Chicago Public Libraries list of Best Informational Books for Young Readers.

    Terrific sights and flavors welcome them with sweet possibility, reflected in the faces of people of all races, cultures, and ethnicities. Where oranges are as big as grapefruits and bears fish like men-California awaits, as one girl makes the exciting cross-country move by train with her family. Awe-inspiring scenes come to life as soaring mountains give way to the sweeping Golden Gate. The adventure of this world unfolds as the train takes them to a place where people from all paths come together, sipping Mexican hot chocolate and eating African bread, and music from the welcome party fills the air. This tells the tale of many who made this same trip, drawn by a land filled with plenty and promise, the land of milk and honey. in this breathtaking and gorgeous story, the dynamic duo of Joyce Carol Thomas and Floyd Cooper capture the anticipation and thrill of a girl on the brink of her new life.

    I might tell how you came from a land far away in a hot air balloon. The basket slowly drifted down like a feather into our yard. I dropped the firewood I was carrying and ran to you. You re home now, I said. Or maybe it was a lark and not a stork that brought the child to the mother. Or perhaps he was rescued from a dragon! Each lyrical and fantastic tale contains a small kernel of truth that pieces together the baby s journey across a wide ocean into his new mother's arms. Beautifully illustrated by Jessica Lanan, The Story I'll Tell is a gentle and moving story of adoption and parental love that is sure to touch the hearts of readers everywhere, no matter how they came to be a family."

    A young boy and his sister gather the ingredients and grind them up in a molcajete, just like their ancestors used to do, singing and dancing all the while.The children imagine that their ingredients are different parts of an orchestra — the tomatoes are bongos and kettledrums, the onion, a maraca, the cloves of garlic, trumpets and the cilantro, the conductor. They chop and then grind these ingredients in the molcajete, along with red chili peppers for the “hotness” that is so delicious, finally adding a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of salt. When they are finished, their mother warms tortillas and their father lays out plates, as the whole family, including the cat and dog, dance salsa in mouth-watering anticipation.Winner of the International Latino Book Award for Guacamole, Jorge Argueta has once again written a recipe-poem that families will delight in.Each book in the cooking poem series features a talented illustrator from the Latino world. In Salsa the text is complemented by the rich, earthy illustrations of Duncan Tonatiuh, winner of the Pura Belpré Award. His interest in honoring the art of the past in contemporary contexts is evident in these wonderful illustrations, which evoke the pre-Columbian Mixtec codex.

    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.

    But today, for his fifth birthday, he climbs aboard one with his grandfather. As the matatu pulls away from the market, the village dogs chase after them. When Kioko asks his grandfather why the dogs always bark and chase after matatus, his grandfather tells him an entertaining tale about a dog, a goat and a sheep. Set in East Africa, The Matatu is a colorful story filled with many unexpected turns and twists along the way.

    But now Cora Lee haunts the shop she used to own.When new bakers arrive to take over her empty bake shop, Cora Lee scares them away, each and every one. Then Annie Washington comes to town . . .Jacqueline K. Ogburn and Marjorie Priceman combine their talents to give us an enchanting baker’s battle in this story about how to unlock the secrets of the perfect recipe and a lonely heart.

    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!

    After showing kindness to a strange old woman, Shiraz receives the gift of beauty but her lazy and unkind stepsister, Nargues, suffers a less pleasant fate in this adaptation of the Grimm's fairy tale, Mother Hulda, reset in Tehran, Iran.

    But when strangers come to stay with Grace and her family, she wants to say "no room at the inn." Will Grace learn to give up the spotlight and make these new friends feel welcome? Just in time for the twentieth anniversary of "Amazing Grace," the newest addition to the acclaimed series will capture the hearts of established fans and new readers alike. Mary Hoffman's books featuring this spirited character have earned considerable critical acclaim. "Amazing Grace" was an ALA Notable book and a Booklist Editors' Choice, and "Princess Grace" was a Bank Street Best Books of the Year selection.

    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.