Book of the Month, August 2016
Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian with illustrations by Mike Curato
Worm Loves Worm is a delightful romp of a picture book that explores traditional gender roles in the marriage ceremony. The story demonstrates the silliness of requiring traditional cultural observances for any wedding. The humor in the text doesn’t make fun, but it demonstrates how a wedding can be a celebration that matches the needs and desires of the couple uniting in love. -Recommended by Marilyn Carpenter
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Baddawi by 
Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a poignant story about the journey of a magical mouth harp (harmonica) through time and space. The masterful enmeshing of timeless fairytale and historical reality binds this powerful text into a strong narrative that highlights world events, prejudice, and social class distinctions. It all begins with Otto, who gets lost in a jungle where three sisters, bound by a witch’s curse, find him. Otto promises to break the curse by taking the harmonica out to the world. The harmonica, through its magical music, tangibly joins three children separated by place, which lifts the curse, freeing the three sisters. 
The well-executed plot of No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis follows the journey to freedom of three undocumented immigrant children. While the children struggle to reach the shores of England, a British orphan, released from the bonds of an oppressive uncle, joins them. These children, Abdul from Baghdad, Cheslav from Russia, Jonah from England, and the only female, Rosalia, a Romani, develop throughout the story. Ellis depicts a rich cultural background of the countries with distinct circumstances for each character. This story begins in France and culminates in England, providing a fine description of the traumatic lives many immigrants lead in France.
