Dorothy Patent explores the many facets of this shimmering bird, from its illustrious past to its life cycle and daily existence in the wild. Accompanied by Neil Waldman’s luminous illustrations, this unique survey book examines an endangered animal that has a powerful symbolic meaning to a culture.
“Explores the geography, history, government, economy, people, and culture of El Salvador”–Provided by publisher.
Miguel was not lonely so much as he was curious. And, when he asked his father to tell him about the city beyond the mountains, he didn’t know what would happen. Now by the shore of the Emerald Lake he must choose between his world and another. High in the Andes, surrounded by giants, Miguel learns that even a boy can stand tall enough to reach the stars. Veronika Martenova Charles crafts a mystic tale, mixing dreams with reality, humility with grandeur, folk lore with history, and presents it with the clarity of a crisp mountain breeze.
Tom O’Connor, a poor, adventurous boy lives with his mother and half sister at a tavern on the island of Nevis in 1639. He rescues a slave from drowning, learns he is prince, loses him, travels the Southern Hemisphere in search of him, and finally brings him home to Cape Verde, hoping for a grand reward. But by the time Tom discovers that the prince is really a fisherman’s son, the loss of reward doesn’t matter-his adventures have brought him no use for greed, and as he says, “a reckless regard for other people’s life and well-being.”
Grace has always had wild red hair like no one else in her family and a birthmark on her shoulder that her mother told her was the mark of an angel. When Grace is sent from New York to spend the summer with her grandmother in Trinidad, she looks through the family album and discovers a blurred photograph of a stranger with a birthmark — her birthmark — and Grace is full of questions. No one is able to identify the man in the photo, and Grace is left with no choice but to find out who he is and what he might mean to her. What Grace does not know is that her search will lead to a discovery about herself and her family that she never could have imagined. Tracey Baptiste’s first novel is a tender coming-of-age story set on the island of Trinidad. Angel’s Grace explores the meaning of identity and truth, and the unbreakable ties of a family bound by love.
(Paula Wiseman Books)
Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace, and the government’s secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition of el Trujillo’s dictatorship. Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.
Richard Hughes’s celebrated short novel is a masterpiece of concentrated narrative. Its dreamlike action begins among the decayed plantation houses and overwhelming natural abundance of late nineteenth-century Jamaica, before moving out onto the high seas, as Hughes tells the story of a group of children thrown upon the mercy of a crew of down-at-the-heel pirates. A tale of seduction and betrayal, of accommodation and manipulation, of weird humor and unforeseen violence, this classic of twentieth-century literature is above all an extraordinary reckoning with the secret reasons and otherworldly realities of childhood.
Seek life. Chache Lavi. That’s what Paulie’s uncle says they must do. But to seek life, Paulie and her family have to leave Haiti-the only home that Paulie has ever known. Since forever, Paulie has run in and out of the little houses nestled under the palms, smelling cocoa-bread and playing on the beach with her best friend Karyl. But now the little houses are gone. Their wood has been made into boats-boats used to escape Haiti.Paulie wants to stay and fight-to change Haiti into a better place to live. She wants to talk to the reporters and bravely tell the truth, like Karyl’s brother, Jean-Desir. But the macoutes come with their guns and knives to stop them. And they do something so terrible that Paulie must face the truth: before the soldiers come back, they must all leave-tonight, by sea.
For the past three decades, Pleasant DeSpain has explored Latin America,_its countries, countrysides, customs, cultures, and especially, its stories. While his repertoire of traditional world folktales includes narratives from almost every culture around the globe, DeSpain’s talent shines even brighter when relating the legends from Latin America. His exploration of the heart and soul of this enormous region demonstrates his passion for Latin America and its people and their stories.
This collection of six bilingual children’s stories takes a regional and historical emphases. “Sixteen” provides the background of September 16, Mexico’s day of independence from Spain. “The Little General” teaches children about Cinco de Mayo through a young boy who helps save his village from the French army. The remaining four stories are fables that impart important moral themes to young readers. In “Sweetie, the Lion that Thought He Was a Sheep,” children learn to respect different backgrounds and abilities. “A Parrot for Christmas” demonstrates the friendship children can share with animals and “Orlando, the Circus Bear” emphasizes the importance of compassion toward animals. “A Horse Called ‘Miracle’” teaches the value of helping others in need. Each story is followed with discussion questions to help children recall the story’s key details and suggestions for classroom activities designed to stimulate curiosity and expand knowledge of historical events.