“When Destiny was found by the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica, she was sick, thin, and one of her eyes was closed and not working. The Sloth Institute took her in and introduced her to other sloths as she started to recover. She never regained the use of her one eye, but that didn’t stop Destiny from hanging out with her new buddies, or getting healthier and stronger. Last August, Destiny was fitted for her tracking collar and released back into the wild. This inspiring story not only encourages kids to be determined like Destiny, but it also shows them the importance of being kind to those who may look different than us”–
Costa Rica
A Little Book of Sloth
Hang around just like a sloth and get to know the delightful residents of the Avarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, the world’s largest sloth orphanage. You’ll fall in love with bad-boy Mateo, ooh and ahh over baby Biscuit, and want to wrap your arms around champion cuddle buddy Ubu!
From British filmmaker and sloth expert Lucy Cooke comes a hilarious, heart-melting photographic picture book starring the laziest—and one of the cutest—animals on the planet.
Pedrito’s Day
When Pedrito replaces, from his own earnings, money he has lost, his mother decides that he is finally big enough for some of his father’s earnings to be used towards buying him a bicycle.
Fernando’s Gift / El Regalo De Fernando
In the rain forest of Costa Rica, a boy named Fernando lives with his family in the tin-roofed house that his father has built. He picks bananas right off the tree outside his door and swims in the river nearby. When Fernando finds his favorite climbing tree cut down, he learns that not everyone has respect for the beautiful forest. Full-color photos.
The Umbrella
A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett’s beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by–from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn’t even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn’t see any animals all day.
In the spirit of Jan Brett’s The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan’s many family favorites.
The Remembering Stone
A surprising journey of self-discover. In early fall, the blackbirds creak like rusty wheels behind our apartment. “One day I will return like you,” my mother tells the birds. “But for now, you go. Que les vaya bien. Safe journey.” Ana doesn’t understand the pull of this faraway place until one night she puts her favorite thing, a stone spit from the volcanoes of Costa Rica, underneath her pillow. She imagines herself a blackbird flying to this country her mother longs to see again. This evocative picture book with its striking, bold art celebrates the importance of hope, dreams, and cultural roots, and will have special resonance for all thos who find themselves at the crossroads of two cultures.