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.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Stop The Clock!
When Mr. Khan asks the children to paint what they saw on their way to school, Joe notices his baby sister is crying in the picture. He stops the clocks and goes back to the street to find out why… This sweet story reminds us to slow down, take a breath and notice the small details in our busy everyday life.
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.
Saving Sorya: Chang And The Sun Bear
When endlessly curious and tenacious Chang discovers a bear bile farm near her home in Vietnam, she decides to do everything she can to save wild animals—by becoming a conservationist! After teaching herself survival skills, documenting each rainforest plant and animal she sees in her field notebook, and disproving the critics who think she isn’t old enough or strong enough, Chang is finally accepted as a rescue center volunteer. But her toughest challenge yet comes when she’s tasked with returning Sorya—the sun bear she raised from infancy—back into the wild. Because despite being a different species, Sorya is Chang’s best friend. And letting a friend go is never easy . . . even when it’s the right thing to do.
I’ll Go And Come Back
When Jyoti visits her grandmother halfway around the world, she is overwhelmed by the differences between India and home. At first she feels lonely and out of place, but soon, despite a language barrier, she and Sita Pati are able to understand each other. They form a bond-looking at books together, making designs with colored sand, shopping at the market, playing games, eating chapatis, and sipping warm milk with saffron to bring sweet dreams. When it’s time to part, Jyoti doesn’t want to leave, but then she remembers that in Tamil, people don’t say goodbye, they say “I’ll go and come back.” Sure enough, the two reunite the next summer when Pati visits Jyoti in America, and it’s Jyoti’s turn to make her grandmother feel welcome. Can they create some special memories that will last until the next time they see each other?
Featured in WOW Review Volume XV, Issue 2.
Flock
Lunch turns into bird food when a little girl starts feeding birds at the bus stop. First, a pigeon she names Serious comes pecking, and then Fancy and Sleepy gather to gobble up the offerings. But what happens when more and more birds want to join in on the feast? And what are all these fantastical birds doing in the city, anyway?
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?
Shubh Diwali!
One family celebrates the Hindu festival of lights.
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.
Beyond The Burrow
Rabbit loves staying close to home where it is warm and safe and cozy. After all, the outside has things with feathers and scales and horns and hooves! It’s certainly better—and safer—for a rabbit to stick to what she knows best: home sweet home. But when rabbit spots a particularly juicy carrot just outside of her comfort zone, she tumbles into a whole new world she wasn’t expecting!