“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.”–
Author: Book Importer
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?
Buffalo Dreamer
When twelve year old Summer visits her family on a reservation in Alberta, Canada, she begins experiencing vivid dreams of running away from a residential school like the one her grandfather attended as a child and learns about unmarked children’s graves, prompting her to seek answers about her community’s painful past.
The Rez Doctor
Young Ryan Fox gets good grades, but he’s not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. It isn’t until he meets a Blackfoot doctor during a school assembly that he starts to dream big. However, becoming a doctor isn’t easy. University takes Ryan away from his family and the Siksikaitsitapi community, and without their support, he begins to struggle. Faced with more stress than he’s ever experienced, he turns to partying. Distracted from his responsibilities, his grades start to slip. His bills pile up. Getting into med school feels impossible. And now his beloved uncle is in jail. Can Ryan regain his footing to walk the path he saw so clearly as a boy?
Finding Papa
Follows young Mai and her mother’s perilous journey from Vietnam to America to find Papa–who left ahead of them to start a better life for their family.
Jo Jo Makoons: Rule School (Jo Jo, 4)
It is good to follow the rules. But there are just so many! In this fourth book in the beloved Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series, Jo Jo’s talents may not quite include following her substitute teacher’s rules.
It’s Powwow Time!
Bineshii learns to dance at his first powwow.
How To Eat A Mango
Carmencita does not like eating mangoes, but her grandmother shows her how to appreciate the fruit using the five senses.
Baba’s Peach Tree
Tao Hua and her father, a migrant worker, find hope and blessings in an old peach tree behind their house, but as time passes and their lives change so does the tree.
Do You Remember?
A mother and son trade reassuring memories during a time of change and upheaval.