Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

Mei Ling in China City

Based on a true story of events during World War II in China City, a 12-year-old Chinese American girl named Mei Ling Lee was separated from her best friend Yayeko Akiyama when she and her family were interned in the Manzanar War Relocation Center. By writing letters to each other, both young girls recounted their lives and hardships in China City and Manzanar. This unprecedented children’s book depicts the cross-cultural experiences of Americans of Chinese and Japanese ancestry during the war years.

Grandfather’s Story Cloth

Chersheng’s grandfather is beginning to forget things: little things like turning off the water faucet and big things like Chersheng’s name. Sometimes he even forgets that he is in America now. Chersheng feels sad and helpless when he learns that Grandfather has Alzheimer’s Disease, but then Chersheng’s mother presents him with a story cloth stitched by Grandfather himself, embroidered in the Hmong tradition. Through the story cloth, Grandfather’s memories of his life in Laos come alive. And inspired by Grandfather’s tales about his life before the war forced him to immigrate to America, Chersheng comes up with a plan to capture his family’s new life with his own art project. This way, they can all remember that their love is stronger than Alzheimer’s Disease, no matter in which country they live. This volume is an English-Hmong edition.

Midsummer Knight

Gregory Rogers is back with a new wordless adventure every bit as funny and inspired as The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard. Here the Bear returns as a soldier whose daydreams are interrupted by Shakespeare’s fairy, Puck–the Boy in the previous book. Soon Bear finds himself hurtled into an enchanted world replete with treacherous doings, sinister plots and, of course, palace dungeons. Is Bear truly a swashbuckler? Will he ever escape?

Keep Your Eye On the Kid: The Early Years Of Buster Keaton

FAMOUS AT FOUR! Four-year-old Buster Keaton became one of the best-known comedians of his age and inches when his father threw him across a vaudeville stage, shouting “Keep your eye on the kid!” The crowd roared as he easily landed on his feet and instantly became a star.  As Buster grew, he set his sights on the budding world of Hollywood and went on to become one of America’s most beloved silent-film stars. Airy detailed illustrations evoke small-town USA in the early 20th century. Told in Buster’s voice, this captivating biography introduces young readers to a boy who became an American icon and changed the face of comedy and the film world forever.

Panda Kindergarten

School is in session! But this is no ordinary kindergarten class. Meet sixteen young giant panda cubs at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the Wolong Nature Preserve. The cubs are raised together from infancy in a protected setting, where they grow strong. Under the watchful eyes of the scientists and workers, the cubs learn skills that will help prepare them to be released into the wild.

Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer

In a poor village in northern China, a small boy named Li Cunxin was given the chance of a lifetime. Selected by Chairman Mao’s officials from among millions of children to become a dancer, Li’s new life began as he left his family behind.

At the Beijing Dance Academy, days were long and difficult. Li’s hard work was rewarded when he was chosen yet again, this time to travel to America.

From there his career took flight, and he danced in cities around the world—never forgetting his family, who urged him to follow his dreams.

Buttercup’s Lovely Day

In poetry that lyrically winds like a creek through a farmer’s field, we journey through one lovely day in Buttercup’s life.  Whether she is ruminating on the mud beneath her feet or the moon and the stares in the blue-black sky, she draws us deep into her rich and wonderful world.

Wild Boars Cook

THE BOARS ARE BACK! But watch out, because this time they’re not only bossy, selfish, and stinky, they’re hungry, too! If you thought Boris, Morris, Horace, and Doris already had bad manners, wait until you see them concoct a Massive Pudding. And if this pudding sounds horrible, the ingredients will leave you speechless! Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall team up again to delightful results in this companion book about the beloved disgusting wild boars. The wild boars have established themselves as forces to be reckoned with, and this second installment will not disappoint—it’s laugh-out-loud funny!

The Pencil

The creators of THE RUNAWAY DINNER and PREVIOUSLY team up to imagine the comical world that comes to life when a lonely pencil starts to draw.

“One day that little pencil made a move, shivered slightly, quivered somewhat . . . and began to draw.”

Welcome back Banjo, the boy from THE RUNAWAY DINNER! Once a pencil draws him, there’s no telling what will come next — a dog, a cat, a chase (of course), and a paintbrush to color in an ever-expanding group of family and friends. But it’s not long before the complaints begin — “This hat looks silly!” “My ears are too big!” — until the poor pencil has no choice but to draw . . . an eraser. Oh no! In the hands of Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman, can anything but havoc and hilarity ensue?