#WorldKidLit Wednesday: All in a Year

A new year brings a fresh start for the Tanaka family. In All in a Year, a picture book aimed at readers ages 3+, the Tanakas move out of their apartment into a cozy new home. With each new page, readers accompany the family through their daily lives and the changing seasons of the year. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: All in a Year

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Usha and the Big Digger

Geometry, perspective, astronomy, and a healthy dose of curiosity all come together in this book. It tells the story of Usha, who's learning to perform cartwheels, as she has a conversation with her big sister Aarti about a constellation they see in the sky. Aarti explains, from their vantage point lying flat on the ground, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Usha and the Big Digger

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Lost Ones

Yellow writing on a red sky with a red sun in the background. In the foreground, two dark two-story houses with red windows, trees, and a gray street with a horse and single-person carriage in the foreground.

Mika is back! She stars in the award-laden Moonwind Mysteries, a gripping upper MG/YA historical series set in 1880s Sweden. The first two books in the series, The Night Raven and The Queen of Thieves, were filled with suspense, gritty details, fast pacing, and vivid  characters, including the city of Stockholm, which becomes a tangible … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Lost Ones

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: When the Mapou Sings

In 1934 the American occupiers have left Haiti, but things are no better for the people ruled by corrupt and brutal section chiefs. When one of them kidnaps 16-year-old Lucille’s best friend and cuts down their favorite mapou tree, Lucille goes down to the police station to inquire. That puts her own family in danger, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: When the Mapou Sings

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon

Arranged and forced marriages are the reality for many young teenage girls around the world. But does it really have to be this way? This middle grade illustrated novel is based on the true story of Adi, as told to renowned Cameroonian author and poet Alain Serge Dzotap. Adidjatou, or Adi for short, is a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Mina Vs the Monsoon

Depicted in shades of the Earth such as ochre, cyan, and sienna, Mina vs the Monsoon tells the story of a young Muslim girl in North India wanting to play football but the rains play spoilsport. Her mother suggests that Mina stay indoors so as to not catch a cold from getting wet in the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Mina Vs the Monsoon

#DecDisplays – November celebrations

November is a special month for some Middle Eastern countries. Please note these are not an exhaustive list of the literature coming out of those countries, or even the literature in translation, merely what I have to offer our students. For further reviews and reading suggestions please take a look at the GLLI blog for … Continue reading #DecDisplays – November celebrations

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Teaching Eddie to Fly

What happens when a flightless bird tries to learn to fly? In Teaching Eddie to Fly, a funny, whimsical picture book for ages 3-7, a little bear named Arthur decides to teach his best friend Eddie to fly. Eddie is a bird, so this seems as if it should be a slam dunk. Not so … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Teaching Eddie to Fly

#DecDisplays – August celebrations

The next couple of posts are going to be the country celebration posters of the last few months. Please note these are not an exhaustive list of the literature coming out of those countries, or even the literature in translation, merely what I have to offer our students, including stories of Korean diaspora - mainly … Continue reading #DecDisplays – August celebrations

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Baby Goes to Market

The shoppers are out in force and the market is abuzz with activity. Women in brightly colored dresses carry baskets on their heads laden with fruit and vegetables, hens strut around, and moped driver wait for clients at the taxi rank. This is Baby and Mama’s destination: the vibrant world of a West African market, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Baby Goes to Market