Theme: Childhood

Diego Rivera: His World and Ours

By Book Importer | Published: April 17, 2012

This charming book introduces one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century, Diego Rivera, to young readers. It tells the story of Diego as a young, mischievous boy who demonstrated a clear passion for art and then went on to become one of the most famous painters in the world. Duncan Tonatiuh also prompts [...]

Descriptors: Biography, Mexico, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

A Boy Called Dickens

By Book Importer | Published: April 3, 2012

For years Dickens kept the story of his own childhood a secret. 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 [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Historical Fiction, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

A Stranger at Home

By Book Importer | Published: December 21, 2011

The powerful memoir of an Inuvialuit girl searching for her true self when she returns from residential school. Traveling to be reunited with her family in the Arctic, 10-year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It’s been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloakednuns and brothers. Coming [...]

Descriptors: Americas, Biography, Canada, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

When I Was Puerto Rican

By Book Importer | Published: September 7, 2011

Esmeralda Santiago’s story begins in rural Puerto Rico, where her childhood was full of both tenderness and domestic strife, tropical sounds and sights as well as poverty. Growing up, she learned the proper way to eat a guava, the sound of tree frogs in the mango groves at night, the taste of the delectable sausage [...]

Descriptors: Americas, Biography, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Puerto Rico, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , » 1 Comment

Cleopatra Confesses

By Book Importer | Published: September 7, 2011

The last of the pharaohs before the beginning of the Common Era, Cleopatra ascended the throne at age eighteen following the death of her father. Charming as well as smart and ambitious, she made two Roman leaders fall madly in love with her. Her greatest challenge was not her kingdom but her own sisters, blinded [...]

Descriptors: Africa, Egypt, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

My First Garden

By Book Importer | Published: June 27, 2011

Inspired by hearing that a garden used to grow in the yard in front of his house, a boy recreates it with loving care.

Descriptors: Europe, Picture Book, Poland, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Once

By Book Importer | Published: January 20, 2011

Once I escaped from an orphanage to find my Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh. My name is Felix. This is my story.

Descriptors: Awards, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Poland » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

A Movie in My Pillow/Una Pelicula en mi almohada: Poems/Poemas

By Book Importer | Published: May 3, 2010

A young boy with two homelands and a delightful sense of wonder comes to life in Jorge Argueta’s first collection of poems for children. Young Jorgito lives in San Francisco’s Mission District, but he hasn’t forgotten his native El Salvador. He recalls the volcanoes, the tasty cornmeal pupusas, and his grandmother’s stories. As he changes [...]

Descriptors: Poetry, Primary (ages 6-9), United States of America » Other Themes: , , , , » 1 Comment

When I Wore My Sailor Suit

By Book Importer | Published: January 11, 2010

When he puts on his sailor suit, sailor hat, and sailor whistle, the boy in this book is ready for a journey. He imagines himself on a ship, sailing across the sea, in search of treasure. A sailor’s life is dangerous. But a sailor must be brave no matter what happens. In this story about [...]

Descriptors: Early Years (ages 2-6), Europe, Fantasy, Picture Book, Poland » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

Mama & Papa Have a Store

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

A young girl tells about a day in her family’s store and home in Guatemala City. Every day customers of many heritages—speaking Spanish, Chinese, and Mayan—come to buy cloth, buttons, and thread in colors like parrot green and mango yellow, and dozens of other items. While the girl’s parents and their friends talk about their [...]

Descriptors: China, Guatemala, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , » 2 Comments