Nina Jaffe’s acclaimed retelling of an Indigenous creation myth about the birth of Puerto Rico, The Golden Flower, in a Spanish edition. The Taínos called their beloved island, Boriquén. This is their story of how Boriquén came to be. In the beginning, there is only a giant mountain above a dry plain without water or plants. A child walking over the flat land below the mountain finds seeds dancing in the wind. When he plants the seeds on the top of the mountain, a forest grows on the crest and in that forest, a large golden flower appears. Soon, the boy and his community reap benefits that they had never before imagined. A joyful creation myth about the evolution of a beautiful island habitat, this picture book is also a celebration of the young boy’s quest, which encourages readers to respect the gifts of the winds and the cycle of nature that bears fruit for the whole community.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands are a natural wonder in every way. They are home to an array of flora and fauna found no other place on earth. Explore the beauty and mystery surronding these islands, as well as their geography, wildlife, history, people, and the importance of the preservation of these isles.
Raining Sardines
Wealthy landowner Don Rigol practically owns the town. To expand his coffee plantation, he will lay waste the mountain jungle and the secret valley where the ancient breed of Paso Fino horses roams wild. Best friends Enriquito and Ernestina search for a way to save the ponies, ensure justice at a trumped-up trial, and reclaim the mountain for their people. Magical realism
A Million Shades of Gray
A boy and his elephant escape into the jungle when the Viet Cong attack his village immediately after the Vietnam war. Includes a special note from the author.
World History Biographies: Mao Zedong: The Rebel Who Led A Revolution (Ng World History Biographies)
Born in Southern China in 1893, this farmer’s son would rule the world’s most populous country. The young Mao Zedong grew up in a world desperate to break with the ancient rules of the Qing dynasty. Mao challenged convention early in life, and was expelled from school. He joined China’s new Communist Party, and led China’s historic revolution. Hailed by many as a truly liberating hero, others demonized him as a brutal monster. This biography outlines the revolutionary life of the first leader of the People’s Republic of China and sets his march to power in the context of world history.
Tibet
This engaging series examines places around the globe where life is anything but serene.
Mao and Me: The Little Red Guard
Chen’s book tells his story of growing up during the Cultural Revolution (between 1966 and 1976) in China.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2
Shanghai Messenger
A free-verse novel about eleven-year-old Xiao Mei’s visit with her extended family in China, where the Chinese-American girl finds many differences but also the similarities that bind a family together.
The Children of China
Before coming to Canada, while he was still an art teacher in Beijing, Song Nan Zhang traveled from Inner Mongolia east, south, and north to find and paint unusual scenes of Chinese family life.Here are the children who grow up in the saddle with their nomadic parents or become as agile as the mountain goats they tend. A boy plays chess on the ground with his shepherd grandfather. A teenager tends her father’s pottery shop. At festivals a child plays hide-and-seek, behind yellow parasols, and stilt dancers wait to compete.
Mao Zedong (Twentieth-Century History Makers)