Americas

Materials from the Americas

Hypnotize a Tiger

This is the first longer-format, middle-grade collection from #1 New York Times-bestselling author-illustrator Calef Brown. Moving away from the picture book format offers Calef the opportunity to tackle a variety of themes and poetry styles as well as reach a slightly older audience along the lines of Doug Florian and Shel Silverstein. The book is chock-full of Calef’s zany black-and-white artwork and features his wonderfully inventive characters and worlds–from the “completely nonviolent and silent” Lou Gnome to Percival, the impetuous (and none-too-sensible) lad who believes he is invincible, to Hugh Jarm (who has a huge arm, natch!). It’s a whimsical world: creative, fun, and inspiring!

The Pirate’s Bed

A pirate is sleeping snug in his bed, dreaming pirate dreams, when a great storm comes up at sea. The pirate sleeps on, but his bed is awake and scared of the thunder and the angry waves. Tossed this way and that, the ship finally crashes, sending the pirate to a tropical island and his bed off to sea.

Walk On The Wild Side

“There once was a bear, a moose and a beaver who loved adventure. But sometimes their competitive natures got in the way of having fun.” One day, the three set off to climb a mountain together. But on the way there, they decide to make it more exciting by turning the climb into a race to the top. It’s only after being sidelined by a series of mishaps — a boulder tumbling down the path, the moose hanging off the side of the cliff, the bear hanging off the moose hanging off the side of the cliff — that the three friends realize competitions don’t always make for a good time.

Little Roja Riding Hood

Three children, each with an extraordinary gift, must save an empire from its wicked ruler. The gift of fire, wind, and water alone are not enough to stop a cruel emperor. With the love of their parents and a special cane from a mysterious old woman, the children learn that working together as a family is stronger than hate and greed.

Finding the Music

A young Latina girl accidentally breaks her grandfather’s vihuela and searches for someone in the community to fix the instrument, which leads her to discover her grandfather’s legacy as a mariachi. Includes an author’s note and glossary.

Francisco’s Kites

Francisco misses his village in El Salvador, and especially flying a kite with his friends, but Mamá cannot afford to buy a kite so he gathers discarded materials around his apartment building and makes his own, which catches the eye of a store owner and leads to a wonderful project.

Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story with Holes

Step right up! Step right up to the amusing amusement park! It’s a whole story, and the pages have holes! Watch the holes make pictures! Turn an umbrella into a cake, and balloons into ice cream! See the holes make words. Whole words! Change an ice man into an nice man! See fork handles turn into four candles! Realize the magic with your real eyes!

Me, Too!

There are many reasons why Annie is best friends with Lillemor, who is from Sweden. “They’re the same age ? They like the same colors ? They like doing the same things ? They can both speak another language. Okay, so Annie made hers up, but she is pretty sure it still counts.” Annie and Lillemor like each other so much they play together every day. But then Lilianne, a new girl from France, arrives. Annie can’t stand that Lillemor has become friends with Lilianne, and that Lilianne seems to have more things in common with Lillemor than Annie does — even their names, which both begin with “Lil”! Has Annie lost her best friend forever? This funny, honest picture book by Annika Dunklee perfectly captures the rhythms of youngsters’ friendships and emotions, while also reminding them that there’s always room for new people in their lives.

The Bus Ride

“This is the first time I’m taking the bus by myself. Mom packed me a snack and had me bring my sweater in case I get cold.” But Mom likely didn’t imagine the adventure her little girl would have as she rides to her grandmother’s house in this picturebook. While the bus is taking her down the streets, through a forest and into a pitch-black tunnel, the little girl encounters an assortment of animal characters who enliven her journey, including a goat who offers her a flower from a bouquet, a wolf child with whom she happily shares her cookies and a fox who attempts to pickpocket a bear.