Carmencita does not like eating mangoes, but her grandmother shows her how to appreciate the fruit using the five senses.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
The Heart Never Forgets
A young girl participates in a West African masquerade with a special plan to honor her grandfather who has passed away.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Daughter Of the Light-Footed People: The Story Of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez
From the copper canyons of Mexico her swift footsteps echo. Clip clap, clip clap. Experience a 60-mile run with Indigenous athlete Lorena Ramirez, who captured the world’s attention when she won an ultramarathon in Mexico wearing a skirt and rubber sandals — the traditional clothes of the Rarámuri, the light-footed people.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVIII, Issue 1.
As The Seas Rise: Nicole Hernández Hammer And The Fight For Climate Justice
A picturebook biography of environmental scientist and activist Nicole Hernandez Hammer, who was recognized by former First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2015 State of the Union address for her efforts to educate people about climate change and its disproportionate impact on communities of color.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Mango Memories
Every summer, the branches of a little girl’s favorite tree droops heavy with mangoes. And this year, she is finally old enough to help her family harvest them. Her brother shares a memory about his first time mango picking: his father holding him steady as he reached high above for the fruit. But when the girl climbs the tree, she becomes too dizzy. Then her grandma shares a mango memory: learning, many years ago, to toss a stone that knocked the fruit from the branches. But when the girl throws her stone, she keeps missing. How can this little heroine create her own mango memory if she can’t even pick a mango?
The Spice Box
Because his grandmother is arriving from India, Rishi wants to cook curry alongside his dad using the flavors from his family’s special spice box, but when he drops the box that holds the family’s heart and history, he draws courage and meaning from their treasured past to set things right.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 1.
The Very Best Sukkah: A Story From Uganda
Sukkot is Shoshi’s favorite Jewish holiday. She and her brothers love to decorate their sukkah, the hut where her family will celebrate. But who will win the Ugandan Abayudaya community’s annual sukkah contest? While only one sukkah can be the best, everybody wins when neighbors work together.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 1.
The Hare-Shaped Hole
Hertle and Bertle were always a pair, though one was a turtle and one was a hare.
They were utterly buddies, and best friends forever, and whenever you looked, you would find them together… until quite unexpectedly… the end came. When Hertle disappears for good, Bertle can only see a Hertle-shaped hole where his friend should be. He pleads with it, get angry with it, but the hole still won’t bring his Hertle back. It seems like hope is lost… until Gerda the kindly bear finds him.
She explains that he must fill the hole with his memories of Hertle. And slowly… Bertle begins to feel a little bit better.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Planting Hope: A Portrait Of Photographer Sebastião Salgado
As a young boy, Sebastiao Salgado loved exploring his parents’ farm in the forests of Brazil, always dreaming of what might lie beyond his view. When he went away to school, he met Lelia, who showed him how to use a camera. As he looked through the lens, Sebastiao realized he could use photography to capture how the world fits together.
Sebastiao used his pictures to tell the stories of people who might not otherwise be seen. But after witnessing too much destruction, he put away his camera and returned to his childhood home. The land was in ruins.
So Sebastiao and Lelia decided to rebuild the rainforest and photograph the beauty of the world to save it. Through art and activism, they would show that everyone was responsible for caring for the planet and that hope endures if we take action.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Grandma, Where Will Your Love Go? / Abuela, ¿adónde Irá Tu Amor? (Spanish Edition)
A grandmother assures her granddaughter that her love will always surround the young girl, even when she is no longer physically present.