The life story of Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, a highly acclaimed African artist, whose tapestries made from repurposed bottle tops have been exhibited throughout the world.
Bottle Tops
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story
Kanzi’s family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in. In this story based on the author’s own childhood experience, Kanzi’s most treasured reminder of her old home provides a pathway for acceptance in her new one.
Notebook Keeper
After traveling to Tijuana, Mexico, Noemi and her mother are denied entry at the border and must find the refugee in charge of the notebook, an unofficial ledger of those waiting to cross into the United States. Includes author’s note.
The Notebook Keeper was featured in the WOW Currents The Power of Home: Promise or Uncertainty? Part II.
Oranges On Golden Mountain
When hard times fall on his family, Jo Lee is sent from China to San Francisco, where he helps his uncle fish and dreams of being reunited with his mother and sister.
Roses Sing On New Snow: A Delicious Tale : Level E (Into English)
Maylin cooks delicious meals every day in her father’s restaurant, but her lazy brothers take all the credit. One day a contest is held to honor the visiting governor of South China, and Maylin’s brothers decide to pass off her cooking as their own. But when neither they nor the governor can replicate Maylin’s wonderful dish, they all learn that there’s more to the art of good cooking than the right ingredients. Paul Yee’s charming text and Harvey Chan’s dramatic watercolors transport the reader to another time and culture.
As Glenn As Can Be
Glenn was a child who knew his own mind ― he liked boats but did not like fishing; he enjoyed puns and pranks but did not like bullying; he loved learning but did not like school … but more than anything else he loved to play the piano. Glenn had a professional performing career by the time he was fifteen; he gave concerts all over the world in his twenties. He became best known for his interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. But Glenn grew to dislike concerts ― the hall was too cold, or he didn’t feel well, or the audience made too much noise (he didn’t even like their applause!). He discovered that when he played and recorded music in an empty concert hall, he could make it sound exactly the way he wanted. He could do what he loved best, while being completely himself.
When I Listen To Silence
Through the window, the child can hear the trees breathe and watches them sway back and forth as they begin to dance. Then bears join in, accompanied by the child on their drum, making so much noise they wake up a dragon! The dragon’s smoky breath fills the sky, and the wind forms a knight on a steed that gallops through the stars. The child’s adventure continues, as one wonderful flight of fancy leads to the next, from pirates to mermaids to whales, until they find themselves sitting silent once again among the trees.
City Streets Are For People
Congested city streets are noisy and thick with cars and trucks, while pedestrians and cyclists are squeezed to the dangerous edges―but does it have to be this way?
Key From Spain
Just as her ancestors were forced to leave Spain during the Inquisition, Flory flees Europe for a new life in the United States, bringing with her a precious harmoniku and a passion for Ladino music.
King Sejong Invents An Alphabet
In 15th-century Korea, King Sejong was distressed. The complicated Chinese characters used for reading and writing meant only rich, educated people could read-and that was just the way they wanted it. But King Sejong thought all Koreans should be able to read and write, so he worked in secret for years to create a new Korean alphabet. King Sejong’s strong leadership and determination to bring equality to his country make his 600-year-old story as relevant as ever.