Jovita didn’t want to cook and clean like her sisters, and she especially didn’t want to wear the skirts her abuela gave her. She wanted to race her brothers and climb the tallest mesquite trees in Rancho Palos Blancos, ride horses, and wear pants! When her father and brothers joined the Cristeros War to fight for the right to practice religion, she wanted to help. She wasn’t allowed to fight, but that didn’t stop her from observing how her father strategized and familiarizing herself with the terrain. When tragedy struck, she did the only thing that felt right to her–cut her hair, donned a pair of pants, and continued the fight, commanding a battalion who followed her without question. Jovita Wore Pants is the story of a trailblazing revolutionary who fought for her freedom, told by her great niece, bestselling author Aida Salazar, and illustrated by Molly Mendoza.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Mi Ciudad Sings
After a devastating earthquake hits, a little girl and her neighbors help each other rebuild their city. Includes author’s note.
Sirko And The Wolf
A dog and a wolf help each other in time of need in this Ukrainian tale explaining why dogs and wolves are forever friends.
The Depth Of The Lake And The Height Of The Sky
Without a word, The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky tells the heartfelt and uplifting story of a child’s independent discovery of the natural world. Kim Jihyun cleverly captures excitement, wonder and joy in intricate illustrations using a deceptively simple color palate. This is a beautiful wordless story about allowing ourselves to be present in the moment and see the world afresh.
The Gift
A warm, charming story is a perfect introduction to the joy of writing. Like Leo, young readers will discover how a simple utensil can express all the words in the world even one’s own name.
Sato The Rabbit, A Sea Of Tea (Sato The Rabbit, 3)
Sato continues his adventures, exploring both expansive landscapes–snowy fields, forests, oceans made of tea–and tiny microcosms of worlds, all found in unlikely places–like within a freshly-baked pie.
A Dream For Every Season
From the excitement of a first snowfall to spring flowers blooming to the magic of summer’s warm winds, A Dream for Every Season will have children dreaming of the natural world in this beautiful bedtime book.
The Beach
“A day at the beach, from dawn to dusk: the award-winning Chilean illustrator Sol Undurraga shares her vision of life at a seaside town. From the fishermen and women who head out to sea at five in the morning to the bathers packing the beach at four in the afternoon, every page is a gorgeous new adventure full of fun creatures both real and imaginary. Undurraga’s striking illustrations, accompanied by brief, evocative texts, bring to life the idiosyncrasies and dynamics of a beach in Latin America … or anywhere in the world. This captivating celebration of summertime is the English-language debut of Undurraga and a beautiful, summery gift for readers of all ages”–
The Happiest Lion Cub
In the savanna lands of Africa, there lives a lion cub who dreams of being a musician. But his father is against this because he expects the lion cub to become the king of the animals. And in order to become the king, he must learn how to growl menacingly, not how to play instruments and sing. Will the lion cub really have to abandon his dream?
Chirri & Chirra, In The Night (Chirri & Chirra, 8)
With the light of their trusty bicycles and a glorious full moon illuminating the darkness, Chirri and Chirra take on the night, accompanied by their new cat friends.
Chirri and Chirra in the Night is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for March 2023.