This is the story about Tish, an imaginary friend who is forgotten by the children who made him real. Readers join Tish on his journey with three children who make him real and ultimately inspire him to do a bit of believing himself.
Author: Book Importer
Homeland: My Father Dreams Of Palestine
In this autobiographical picture book, three young girls eagerly await for their father to tell them stories about his homeland of Palestine. It is through his memories of the Old City of Jerusalem that brings the city to life for the sisters, instilling love for a place they have never been and likely will never visit. But through their father’s memories, they will always return.
The Carpet: An Afghan Family Story
Inspired by the author’s life, The Carpet takes readers to the day in the life of a young Afghan refugee, whose family remain connected to home through the carpet that serves as the centerpiece of their family life. Around the carpet they share meals, tell stories, laugh and share memories of their time shared back home.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Game Of Freedom: Mestre Bimba And The Art Of Capoeira
An illuminating biography of Mestre Bimba, a capoeira player who used art in resistance to racial oppression, transforming a marginalized practice into a global sensation. Part art form, part martial arts, dance, music, acrobatics and spirituality, capoeira is difficult to not only to define, but declare where it originated from. It can be said, with certainty, that Brazil was the only country in the world where it was being played in the early 20th century, mainly by people of African decent. The game was outlawed in 1890, just two years after Brazil abolished slavery, but by the early 1920s Mestre Bimba advocated for capoeira and the people who played it.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
A biography celebrating the life of astronaut, and former director of the Johnson Space Center, Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina in Space. Graduating at the top of her high school and college classes, thanks to encouragement from her mother, Ellen went on to study electrical engineering in graduate school. By age 30 she was an accomplished engineer and when NASA started to accept women and people of color into the astronaut program, Ellen soon embarked on a new career. Her first mission was on board the Discovery, the only woman aboard the space shuttle, making Ellen the first Latina to reach outer space.
Hidden Hope: How A Toy And A Hero Saved Lives During The Holocaust
During World War II, families all across Europe huddled together in basements, attics, and closets as Nazi soldiers rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced Jewish people to carry papers stamped with that star, so that it was clear who to capture. But many brave souls dared to help them. Jewish teenager Jacqueline Gauthier, a member of the French Resistance who had to conceal her identity, was one who risked her life in secret workshops, forging papers with new names and without stars in order to help others escape. But how to get these life saving papers to families in hiding? An ordinary wooden toy duck held the answer, a hidden compartment: hope in a hollow.
The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles of Cans Brought New Hope to an Island
The amazing true story of Mahani Teave, an award-winning pianist and environmental activist. After becoming an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, with tours around the world, Mahani never forgot the tiny island where she grew up, Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, and one of the most remote. Aware of the islands environmental struggles and sustainability issues with pollution from tourism, Mahani was inspired to help save its environment and culture by creating a music school. The school was built using thousands of bottles, cans and tires in its walls, incorporating rain barrels, solar panels, and a food garden. Not only does Mahani help build a sustainable future for Rapa Nui, she also ensures the music will play on.
The Girl Who Heard the Music is the WOW Recommends book for October 2023.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Dancing Hands: A Story Of Friendship In Filipino Sign Language
Sam is fascinated by her new neighbors and their ability to talk with their hands, and when she meets Mai, she starts to learn Filipino sign language so they can communicate.
Days Of The Dead
Describes the origin and meaning of the Mexican festival of the Days of the Dead, and shows how it is observed by one peasant family.
Stars Of The Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport
A moving and sensitively told true story of the 669 children who were rescued in Czechoslovakia from Nazi persecution right before the outbreak of World War II. Told from the collective perspective of the children, the story follows them as they journey from foster families during the war in England, to Prague where they have no success with finding their parents, then eventually to their connection with a British former stockbroker, Nicholas Winton, who played a vital part with bringing them to safety.