#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Memo and the Unexpected Gift

A picture book for readers age 3-7, Memo and the Unexpected Gift is a sweet story with delightful, unexpected twists and gentle, wry humor. The tale begins much like a regular picture book, and the reader quickly expects a traditional trajectory. Memo lives with his grandmother in a small-town cottage. She can’t see very well, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Memo and the Unexpected Gift

#TasmanianLitMonth – Featured Writer Lian Tanner

Photo courtesy of the author. About Lian Lian Tanner has worked as a teacher, a tourist bus driver, a juggler, an editor and a professional actor. She has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left … Continue reading #TasmanianLitMonth – Featured Writer Lian Tanner

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Case with a Bang:

Frog and Toad meet Encylopedia Brown with a dash of The Wind in the Willows in the award-winning Detective Gordon series, a charming, whimsical set of five chapter books for ages 6-10.  The final book in the series, A Case with a Bang starts off with young mouse Detective Buffy investigating a case of “night … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Case with a Bang:

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Pearl of the Sea

Set in South Africa, Pearl of the Sea* is a beautifully illustrated coming-of-age graphic novel for upper middle grade and YA readers. Pearl, whose mother abandoned the family long before the start of the story, lives with her father, Vernon—a restaurant owner and chef who is sinking deeper and deeper into financial trouble—and her beloved … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Pearl of the Sea

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: But perhaps, just maybe…

In But perhaps, just maybe…, Duck and Hedgehog were heading to repair their bike tires one fine day when, “Cat zoomed past on her red motorcycle, riding by them and raising a billowing cloud of dust.” An outraged Duck declared: “Horrible cat! She should have some consideration for others!” Hedgehog however, was inclined to give … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: But perhaps, just maybe…

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Donkey and the Garden

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Once upon a time, Akiva was all grown up. He had a wife named Rachel. He had a job as a shepherd. And he had a house—well, maybe not quite a house, but a barn full of straw that kept the two of them warm in winter and gave them shade in summer. So begins … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Donkey and the Garden

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War

Life can change suddenly and without warning. I know because it happened to me. So begins Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War, a book for upper middle grade and young adult readers based on author Mónica Montañés’ family history. Montañés’ father had resisted Francisco Franco’s forces in Spain when Franco attempted a military coup against … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge

Wolf Little Lobo and his rooster sidekick Kooky Dooky are back! Raúl the Third (Raúl Gonzalez) continues his award-winning bilingual ¡Vamos! series with ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge. As in the first two volumes for readers age 4-7, the third bustles with cross-cultural Tex-Mex action and zany illustrations. All three books have brought Raúl the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Three Water Drop Brothers

A long, long time ago, planet Earth was born.Planet Earth was very, very hot.Lava gushed out of the ground—Here, there, and everywhere—creating vapor.Since lava is heavy, It flowed down, down, down.And since vapor is light,It floated up, up, up,Turning into clouds in the sky So starts The Three Water Drop Brothers, a charming, surprisingly complete … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Three Water Drop Brothers

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Emil and Karl

Written in 1940 on the eve of World War II, Emil and Karl is a gripping read. Set in 1938 Vienna, it tells the story of best friends Emil and Karl, both of whom have lost fathers. They quickly lose their mothers as well. Emil is Jewish; Karl is not.  One is treated cruelly due … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Emil and Karl