Realistic Fiction genre
Bee-bim bop is a traditional Korean dish of rice mixed with meat and vegetables. In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal. The energy and enthusiasm of the young narrator are conveyed in the whimsical illustrations, which bring details from the artist’s childhood in Korea to his depiction of a modern Korean American family.
Three little Swedish brothers help their mother with all the chores at home to earn two bright yellow sleds, one for themselves and one for a poor, unhappy little boy.
War-torn Afghanistan could not seem farther from Newfoundland, but it is about to change twelve-year-old tomboy Jack Cooper (or Jacqueline, as her mother insists on calling her) forever. When her father is killed in the war, she watches helplessly as her mother crumbles under sorrow and depression. Jack and her younger sister and brother, Tessa and Simon, end up across the country, living on a run-down farm in a small town on the Prairies with a great-grandmother they didn’t know existed. Worried that they will be abandoned again if Gran moves into a retirement home, Jack puts on a brave face and encourages Tessa and Simon to take on the challenges of their new life. In the process, she learns that families come in many different forms and that love, trust, and faith can build a home anywhere.
When the monarch butterflies return to the Mexican countryside where Lupita lives, she knows that it means that Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is near. She and her favorite uncle watch the butterflies as they flutter in the trees. When a butterfly lands on Lupita’s hand, her uncle reminds her that she should never capture or hurt a monarch because they are believed to be the souls of the departed.
Morengaru, a strong young hunter, has been cast out by both his mother’s people, the Kikuyu, and his father’s people, the Masai. Every day he misses human companionship, and soon he feels as though he’s becoming more like the animals around him. When Morengaru has the chance to belong again, he seizes the opportunity. Then he faces the greatest challenge of his life: living among the baboons, still clinging to his humanity, hoping someday to return to his people.
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, near the Equator, lie the, Galapagos Islands- a tropical haven for sea lion, giants tortoises, and colorful birds. Nilo has visited these islands many times with his father. But when his father’s boat break down, the stranded boy encounters these amazing animals firsthand in an adventure he never forget. Although the island is familiar, the boy feels small and alone–especially after being chased by an angry sea lion. He finds some comfort, however, in the island’s birds and in a friendly giant tortoise that keeps him company until his father returns the next day.
When Ida finds out that Papa must leave Jamaica to work in America, she’s heartbroken. But there is some consolation in knowing that Papa needs her to care of the tangerine tree while he’s away, and his parting gift of a book comes with a promise: he’ll be home again by the time she’s able to read it.
Manuela wants a new dress for her birthday, but times are hard and she is disappointed when she receives a hand-me-down instead.
Las Navidades are coming. The house smells of cinnamon and coconut, crepe paper festoons the yard, and best of all, the Three Magi will soon bring presents to all the children. Esmeralda hopes they will bring her a baby doll. But instead, she receives something far more precious: she experiences firsthand the magic of giving and the power of her family’s love for her.
Ernest Morlaisse leads an unadventurous life. He comes home every day and eats the same snack and sits down to his homework. Enter Victoria de Montardent, the new girl in class. When Victoria sees Ernest it’s love at first sight. And she makes her declaration to everyone: ” I love Ernest. . . . We’re getting married in 13 years, eight months, and three days. This is an invitation to our wedding”. And believe it or not, Victoria’s bulldozer approach works! Quickly Ernest begins to discover that beating inside his chest is his heart. And he begins finding ways to use it.