Going Ape!

There are more than 200 species of primates in the world. Going Ape! is a wonderful introduction to some of the most fascinating ones for children just discovering the world of animals. From Japan’s macaques to Africa’s gorillas, brilliant images and brief, informative text will capture the imagination of young children.

 

Russia: The People

After years of unemployment and crushing inflation, Russians are looking to the future with hope of a new prosperity. This colorful revised edition takes a look at the new middle class and how the culture has been changing since the country

Russia: The Land

This new revised edition of Russia: the Land takes a fresh look at this country’s transformation over the past century. Russia’s economic growth has had an impact on the environment and on the ways of life of its peoples.

Le Pantin

Julie a une amie, Esther. Elles vivent dans un village de Hongrie,Tizla-Eszlar, elles sont pauvres, et la vie est dure. Le père de Julie la terrorise et la bat. Mais il y a aussi de la douceur, les paroles tendres et sages et aimantes de sa mère, du soleil, des spectacles forains. Et les yeux bruns de Moric Scharf, un jeune garçon juif timide que Julie aime bien. Un jour de printemps Esther disparaît. Et la rumeur gronde, une rumeur venue du fond des âges, qui veut que les juifs soient responsables de tous les maux, le pogrom menace, les cris montent. On jette en prison les hommes juifs. Les villageois se rassemblent, et un simulacre de procès se prépare. Tout a l’air décidé d’avance. Rien ne se passera comme prévu. Eva Wiseman s’est souvenue de ce fait divers réel que sa mère évoquait quand elle était petite, elle a rassemblé des tonnes de documentation, elle a écrit un roman inoubliable, qui serre le coeur et tient en haleine, parce qu’il démonte les mécanismes de la peur, de la lâcheté, de la violence collective. On ne peut plus oublier Julie Vamosi, toute petite devant les juges, devant la haine raciste, mais fidèle à son amie, et forte de son amour pour les êtres.

In Darkness

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, fifteen-year-old Shorty, a poor gang member from the slums of Site Soleil, is trapped in the rubble of a ruined hospital, and as he grows weaker he has visions and memories of his life of violence, his lost twin sister, and of Toussaint L’Ouverture, who liberated Haiti from French rule in the 1804.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 3

Spud Sweetgrass

Suspended from school for cussing at a mean teacher, John “Spud”’ Sweetgrass at least still has his job selling french fries from a curbside “chip wagon.” But he notices that something stinks — literally. It’s the smell of rancid cooking oil at a polluted Ottawa beach. His suspicions aroused, Spud follows Dumper Stubbs, a creepy delivery man who services local restaurants and chip wagons. Spud gets angry when he sees Dumper living up to his name, dumping oil into a storm drain and causing terrible pollution in the river. When Spud blows the whistle, he loses his job. Enlisting the help of his buddy Dink the Thinker, and Connie Pan — whom he calls his girlfriend though she isn’t exactly that — Spud thinks he has a chance of regaining his job and stopping the Dumper’s harmful activities. In the background of this offbeat farce are serious issues that Spud must also deal with, including his father’s death, his mother’s withdrawal into grief, and his own awkward transition through adolescence. Brian Doyle expertly interweaves comedy and important contemporary concerns of young people in this vivid story with a message.

Mr. And Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire!

In this hilarious chapter book mystery, meet a girl whose parents have been kidnapped by disreputable foxes, and a pair of detectives that also happen to be bunnies! When Madeline gets home from school one afternoon to discover that her parents have gone missing, she sets off to find them. So begins a once-in-a-lifetime adventure involving a cast of quirky and unforgettable characters. There’s Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who drive a smart car, wear fedoras, and hate marmots; the Marmot, who loves garlic bread and is a brilliant translator; and many others.

A Path of Stars

A refugee from Cambodia, Dara’s beloved grandmother, Lok Yeay, is grief-stricken when she learns her brother–left behind in Cambodia–has died, and it is up to Dara to bring Lok Yeay back to a place of happiness.

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.