Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

Jumpy Jack & Googily

Meet Jumpy Jack, a very nervous snail who’s afraid of monsters, and Googily, who is a—well, who is a very good friend, indeed. Wherever they go, Googily kindly checks high and low just to make sure there are no scary monsters about. But as every child knows, monsters come in many shapes and sizes. Some are even blue with hairy eyebrows and pointy teeth.

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas

Every night, Timothy tries to make himself stronger. He drinks milk. He exercises. He thinks STRONG thoughts all with the help of his faithful stuffed monkey. Then his mother fixes up his holey, missing-button favorite pajamas, and suddenly Timothy has super strength! He catches an elephant falling off a cliff! He rescues a princess in a tipping tower! He drags an alligator back to the zoo! But when Monkey gets trapped and the pajamas rip! Timothy finds his real power in his friends.

The Kite Festival

One Sunday morning, Fernando Flórez, his parents, grandparents, and sister head to a random destination for an outing — San Vicente. When they arrive in the center of town, they see many people preparing for a kite festival. The Flórez family waste no time joining in the fun. Unfortunately, all the stores are closed, so buying a kite’s out. But by using their ingenuity — along with found objects — they successfully put one together. Although they encounter some challenges along the way, they can always find a solution with a little thinking. A surprise comes at the end of the day, with the mayor of San Vicente on hand to deliver it.A warm family story set at a festival much like one Leyla Torres attended as a child in her native country of Colombia.

Feathers Like a Rainbow: An Amazon Indian Tale

The birds in the forests surrounding the Amazon River all have dark feathers until they decide to steal some colors from the Hummingbird.

My Mama’s Little Ranch on the Pampas

This story about ranch life on the Argentinean pampas is told in the voice of young Maria Cristina, who describes the activities as the seasons change. Mama buys the ranch during a hot and steamy January. The children go back to school in March, and during the cold and rainy July winter vacations, most of the calves are born. Finally, on a very hot Christmas Eve, a special gift arrives. The story, based on the author’s childhood, challenges stereotypes of this culture by depicting a woman as the buyer and owner of the ranch.

Aria

Aria is different from the other children in her village because she cannot speak. But Aria loves being with the birds around her jungle home — with them, she is free to be herself. When the village men begin to catch the birds to sell in their market-place, Aria moves out of the village to protect her friends. But then the villagers try to catch Aria. She flies away to freedom with the birds.

The Boy Who Ran with the Gazelles

A desert nomad woman has no milk, so brings her pet gazelle for her son to nurse. One day the boy and the gazelle wander off, and the pet gazelle finds a herd of her own kind. She protects the boy and he learns to run and feed himself. Hunters discover and capture him. He is terrified and does not eat. Finally, he escapes to rejoin his herd.

Lullabies, Lyrics and Gallows Songs

Christian Morgenstern wrote this collection of lyric verses and nonsense poetry, and Lisbeth Zwerger’s work is a perfect counterpoint to Morgenstern’s unusual imagery.