The story cloth made for her by her aunt and uncle chronicles the life of the author and her family in their native Laos and their eventual emigration to the United States.
Dia’s Story Cloth
Author: Book Importer
Gleam And Glow
Inspired by real events, master storyteller Eve Bunting recounts the harrowing yet hopeful story of a family, a war–and a dazzling discovery.
This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.
Going Home, Coming Home/Ve Nha, Tham Que Huong
A young girl visits her grandmother in Vietnam where her parents were born and learns that she can call two places home.
How I Learned Geography
A 2009 Caldecott Honor Book. Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy’s father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could. Based on the artist’s childhood memories of World War II.
The Island
Poignant and chilling, this allegory is an astonishing, powerful, and timely story about refugees, xenophobia, racism, multiculturalism, social politics, and human rights. When the people of an island find a man sitting on their shore, they immediately reject him because he is different. Fearful to the point of delusional paranoia, the islanders lock him in a goat pen, refuse him work, and feed him scraps they would normally feed a pig. As their fears progress into hatred, they force him into the sea.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 2
Zinnia: How The Corn Was Saved
A retelling of the Indian legend which explains why the Navajo always plant a scattering of zinnia flowers among their food crops and respect every spider.
Ten Little Rabbits
A counting book that depicts American Indians as rabbits, each one reflecting a different tribe and tribal tradition, e.g Pueblo corn dances or Navajo weaving. The book is problematic in the depiction of American Indians as rabbits, objects to be counted, much as in the offensive rhyme of “Ten Little Indians.” The book is not recommended due to the stereotypes portrayed in the book.
The Gift Of Changing Woman
Describes the traditional coming-of-age ceremony for young Apache women, in which they use special dances and prayers to reenact the Apache story of creation and celebrate the power of Changing Woman, the legendary ancestor of their people.
Songs From The Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns To Weave (We Are Still Here : Native Americans Today)
Jaclyn Roessel live in Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo reservation. Like most young girls, Jaclyn has many interests. She likes her math class, she plays basketball and volleyball, and she loves in-line skating. She is also interested in rug weaving, and she has asked her grandmother to teach her how to weave. For the Navajos, weaving is more than a craft or hobby. It is an important part of the culture and history of the Dine–the people. Jaclyn’s grandmother has explained that she wants Jaclyn to learn not just the technique of weaving but the stories and songs that go along with it. These stories about Spider Woman and Changing Woman have been passed down from generation to generation. In Songs from the Loom, photographer and writer Monty Roessel accompanies Jaclyn and her grandmother as they shear sheep, gather plants to dye wool, and weave a rug. Navajo rugs are highly valued and hang in museums around the world. This book looks at what the beautiful rugs mean to the Navajos.
Songs of Shiprock Fair
A young Navajo girl enjoys every part of the annual Shiprock Fair, including the dances, parade, carnival, exhibits, contests, food, and the chance to visit with relatives.