Picture Book

Selavi: A Haitian Story of Hope

The story of Selavi celebrates the triumphs of children who face some of life’s most difficult challenges. In these pages, you’ll meet Selavi, a homeless child who is befriended by other children living on the streets in Haiti. They look out for one another, sharing food and companionship. Together they find the voice to express the needs of Timoun Lari, the children who live in the streets. With a caring community they are able to build a shelter, and from there to create Radyo Timoun, Children’s Radio, a station run by and for children, which is still in operation today. At Radyo Timoun, the questions and suggestions of children are broadcast for all to hear. The story takes place in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, a country which has a long history of resistance and struggle. Haiti is the birthplace of Toussaint L’ouverture and many others whose dedication to justice led to Haitian independence from slaveowners. Haiti is perhaps best known as the island which orchestrated the first successful revolt by enslaved peoples in the western hemisphere in 1804. Haitian author Edwidge Danticat adds an essay at the end of the story of Selavi.

This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.

Featured in Volume I, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

La Fiesta De Melchor / Melchor’s Celebration (Nueve Pececitos, Raices / Nine Small Fishes, Roots) (Raices)

Melchor, el rey custodio de la estrella de Belen, se queda dormido bajo un arbol despues de dejar regalos y haberse comido lo que le dejaron de obsequio en las casas de Puerto Rico. El cielo se queda a oscuras sin la estrella de Belen y comienza entonces la busqueda de Melchor. El niño Carmelo lo encuentra bajo el arbol y todos celebran que aparecio. Desde entonces se hace una celebracion para el Rey Melchor en los dias que siguen al día de Reyes.

Vejigante Masquerader

Determined to look his best for the upcoming celebration, a young Puerto Rican boy makes a special costume so that he can be a vejigante, or masquerader, in a book that includes a Spanish-English glossary, chants, and instructions for making a vejigante mask.

Tiger Soup: An Anansi Story from Jamaica

After tricking Tiger into leaving the soup he has been cooking, Anansi the spider eats the soup himself and manages to put the blame on the monkeys.

Sergio and the Hurricane

In Puerto Rico, a little boy and his village experience the drama and destruction of a hurricane Sergio lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. San Juan is usually sunny and peaceful, but one day the sky grows dark and the ocean gets choppy. A hurricane is coming, and Sergio and his family must prepare for the storm. Through the experiences of one little boy, readers will learn about hurricanes and the damage they can do.

The Twins and the Bird of Darkness: A Hero Tale from the Caribbean

When a benevolent king and his daughter, Princess Marie, find their peaceful kingdom threatened by an enormous, evil, seven-headed bird, the brave princess offers herself as the bird’s hostage in order to prevent the entire kingdom from being thrust into eternal darkness. As soon as Soliday, a kindhearted, hardworking, and generous youth hears about the princess’s sacrifice, he vows to kill the Bird of Darkness and save Marie. His identical twin brother — the jealous, lazy, and dishonest Salacotta — accompanies Soliday on the dangerous journey, but doesn’t lift a finger in order to rescue the princess or slay the monstrous bird. And the second Salacotta sees his chance to claim that he was the one who freed the princess, he does just that. Will Soliday be able to convince everyone that he is indeed who he says? Will his brother admit his treachery? Will Soliday ever be able to trust his twin again? This timeless and resonant folktale about the forces of good and evil and the redemptive power of brotherly love is the perfect story for the ages.

Mao and Me: The Little Red Guard

Chen’s book tells his story of growing up during the Cultural Revolution (between 1966 and 1976) in China.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2

Shanghai Messenger

A free-verse novel about eleven-year-old Xiao Mei’s visit with her extended family in China, where the Chinese-American girl finds many differences but also the similarities that bind a family together.

Pio Peep! Book and Cd

A collection of more than two dozen nursery rhymes in Spanish, from Spain and Latin America, with English translations.