Having saved enough money to buy a disposable camera, Pascual goes into the Guatemalan jungle to take pictures of monkeys, but the results are not what he expected.
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction genre
Beto and the Bone Dance
A fantastic encounter on the Day of the Dead. Today is Beto’s favorite holiday — the Day of the Dead. First, he and his father craft an altar at home in honor of Beto’s recently departed grandmother, filled with the things she loved in life. Later, it’s off to the cemetery, where at midnight all the dead souls will come to visit the living. It’s a celebratory occasion, but Beto is distraught because he isn’t able to find a perfect gift for Abuela’s altar. The answer to his dilemma is found in a wild dream, in which Beto joins a conga line of dance-mad skeletons. Through her effulgent paintings and rhythmic text, the author conveys all the excitement of this unique Mexican fiesta, as well as a comforting message for children who have lost a loved one.
Where Jamaica Go?
Jamaica has fun and sees many colorful sights as she goes downtown, goes to the beach, and rides home with Daddy.
Grannie Jus’ Come
Grannie Jus’ Come! joins a host of Caribbean children’s books, but unlike the rest–which are mostly song books, poetry books, and counting books–this book offers a rich narrative about a young girl and her loving relationship with her grandmother.
I Very Really Miss You
Sam’s big brother Ben is going away on a school trip for an entire week and Sam is thrilled: for one whole week he can play with all the toys and have the whole bedroom to himself. What’s more, he certainly won’t be getting squirted by Ben’s water pistol. But it’s too quiet without Ben, so Sam writes his brother to say he “very really” misses him.
A Song for Ba
In the Chinese opera, men traditionally sing both male and female parts. Wei Lim’s father, Ba, however, usually plays masculine characters and sings in a deep bass voice. But Wei’s grandfather played female roles, and has secretly taught Wei to sing these difficult parts. When the New World’s entertainments begin to cause a shrinking audience for the opera company, Ba is forced to play female characters.
When I Was a Baby
Babies are very good at being babies, and when they grow up, they’re very good at being big kids, too.
Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle
Mini Mia loves her Uncle Tommy. They hang out in coffee bars, go for walks, swim and do other fun stuff. But one day Fergus appears in her uncle’s kitchen. Mini Mia does not want to share Tommy with his new boyfriend. She thinks Fergus should go back to where he came from in Scotland. But Fergus doesn’t disappear that easily.
The Penalty
Paul Faustino, known as the best soccer journalist in the business, reluctantly investigates the disappearance of 18-year-old Ricardo, a soccer prodigy known as “El Brujito,” while in alternate chapters a slave in old San Juan becomes a powerful voodoo priest.
The Frozen Waterfall
When she finally joins her father and brothers in their new home in Switzerland, a twelve-year-old Turkish girl encounters the tremendous difficulty of living in a foreign country without knowing the language and customs.