A Star Shines Through

Amidst the upheaval of war, a young girl and her family leave their homeland and face the challenges of adapting to a new life in a foreign land, but find comfort in a star-shaped cardboard lamp reminiscent of the one they cherished back home.

Johnny, The Sea, And Me

While on vacation in the Caribbean, timid ten year old Pedro, who grows and shrinks depending on his emotions, gets lost and befriends Johnny, a gruff islander descended from pirates, who helps change Pedro’s life.

The True Story Of A Mouse Who Never Asked For It

“The True Story of a Mouse Who Never Asked for It is based on the older, more radical version of “La Ratita Presumida” [sometimes known in English as The Vain Little Mouse] –a folktale still told to this day that became popular in Spain and Latin America only after it had been transformed into a moralizing fable about knowing your proper societal place as a woman. … Folklorist Ana Cristina Herreros uncovered a different, older version of the tale in the collection of 19th-century Mallorcan folktales of Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria. In this telling, the mouse-protagonist isn’t conceited or foolish at all: she works hard to make herself a home, and she is eaten by the cat because such is the nature of these two animals, not out of punishment for her vanity or pride. … For Herreros, there is no need to look any further than the archduke’s collection for a feminist take on the folktale: “This has been my job, to look for old and true versions, which speak a symbolic–and therefore, universal–language, and to create my own versions, which is how I contribute as an author.” The story Herreros found in the archduke’s collection, and the retelling she presents in this picture book belong to a long line of stories told to teach girls how to identify and protect themselves from predators.”–

Salsa Magic

Thirteen year old Maya Beatriz Montenegro Calderon has vivid recurring dreams where she hears the ocean calling her. Mami’s side of the family is known as Los Locos, so maybe she actually is going crazy. But no time for that; the family business is where it’s at. Whenever Maya, her sister Salma, and her three cousins, Ini, Mini, and Mo, aren’t at school, you can usually find three generations of Calderones at Café Taza, serving up sandwiches de pernil, mofongo, and the best cafés con leche in all of Brooklyn. One day, an unexpected visit from the estranged Titi Yaya from Puerto Rico changes everything. Because Yaya practices santeria, Abuela tells Maya and the other Calderon children to stay away from her. But if la viejita is indeed estranged from the family, why does Maya feel so connected to this woman she has never met before? And who is this orisha named Yemaya? On top of figuring all this out, Maya has a budding soccer career to consider, while fending off the local bully, and dealing with nascent feelings toward her teammate. But through it all, there’s that alluring connection to a forbidden ancient practice filled with a pantheon of Yoruban gods and goddesses that keeps tugging at her, offering her a new perspective in life, tying her past to her present and future. Which path will Maya choose to fulfill her destiny?

The Book Of Whys

Factual as well as whimsical, and humorously illustrated, this is the first English language publication of the answers given by one of Italy’s greatest and most beloved children’s authors to children’s questions about animals, nature, technology, and culture.

Giant On The Shore

A giant stands on the shore of a secluded city: a place where no trains pass through, where you can hear the sound of birds, and the air smells of bread. What would happen if the giant entered the city? Would the people welcome him? Would they invite him to play in their games? Would they tell him stories and teach him to dance? Would he need lawn mowers to trim his beard and power cables to jump rope? Or would he simply return to the waves? Featuring poignant, acrylic paintings by award-winning illustrator Azul López, Giant on the Shore is a tale of vulnerability and belonging that explores the enormity of self-doubt and the tremendous potential in taking risks.