My Haiti, My Homeland

This book presents an interesting side of Haiti and its contributions to the Americas. Paul, a young boy who came from Haiti with his mother to live in Miami, gains pride in his homeland when his teacher gives him an assignment to research and report on interesting things in his country’s history.

Painted Dreams

Because her Haitian family is too poor to be able to buy paints for her, eight-year-old Ti Marie finds her own way to create pictures that make the heart sing. Ti Marie dreams of being an artist. Whenever she gets some time away from watching her little sisters and helping Mama in their market stall, she finds a cement wall or a scrap of waste paper and lets her imagination soar. Using whatever she can find to make a mark–bits of red brick, charcoal, white rocks–Ti Marie makes beautiful art. If only she had real paint, brushes, and clean white canvas, what wonderful pictures she could paint then! But Mama says there is no money for such things. Still, Ti Marie finds a surprising way to make her dreams come true.

A Hen for Izzy Pippik

When Shaina finds a magnificent hen, she knows that Izzy Pippik, the hen’s owner, is sure to return for her. In the meantime, Shaina decides she will care for the animal. But when dozens of eggs hatch and rowdy chickens scatter throughout the village, Shaina must fight the entire town if she has any hope of protecting the birds. Inspired by Jewish and Islamic traditional texts, this is a beautiful tale about doing the right thing, even in the face of adversity.

Colored in Photoshop.

Dear Flyary

In his flyary (diary), Frazzle records all the quirks and noises of his new spaceship, which also signal the inevitable: breakdown on the flyway (highway). Rather than trade it in for another model, Frazzle just replaces the engine. A clever invented alien vocabulary and superfluous diary format pad what is otherwise a thin plot about loyalty. Alien-filled retro illustrations are engaging.

Larf

No one believes Larf exists, and he likes it that way. Larf, you see, is a sasquatch, the only sasquatch in the world (or so it seems). He has a very pleasant, and very private, life in the woods, where on any given day he might be found jogging, gardening or walking Eric, his pet bunny. But everything changes one morning when Larf discovers that another sasquatch is scheduled to make an appearance in the nearby city of Hunderfitz. That must mean he’s not the only sasquatch in the world! Excited by the prospect of having a friend to share hair grooming tips with, Larf disguises himself as a city slicker and heads for Hunderfitz — where he’s in for a couple enormous surprises.

Up Cat

A cat can get tangled up in all kinds of fun and mischief between wake-up time and nap time. Follow along with the playful text as Cat laps up milk, messes up the house, gets up to no good, stands up to a visiting dog, and finally curls up for a nap in the sun.

The expressive, energetic illustrations against simple backgrounds mirror the spare but rhythmic text that teaches about “up” actions while leading the reader through a day in the life of a cat.

Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World

A young prince, wise monkey, and magical guardian are some of the engaging characters that fill this book. Each story, told in English and Tibetan, offers a fun, enchanting glimpse of Tibetan culture. The book is written and illustrated with full-page, full color paintings by Naomi C. Rose, and has a foreword by the Dalai Lama.