Americas

Materials from the Americas

What A Party!

If it is just a few days until your birthday, and your mother says you can invite anyone you like to come over to play, be careful! If you don’t watch out, you might soon be having the craziest party ever. Before you know it, night could come and go and a new day could begin, and the dancing might still be going strong. In a celebration of neighbors and diversity, an open-ended party invitation results in a raucous gathering of children, pets, and parents (plus salsa dancers and a reggae band!), all feasting on food from all over the world.

Amazonia

Amazonia is a book of Brazilian folk tales. Mermaids, serpents, tigers, snakes, flying men, witches — extraordinary creatures from the world’s most important jungle live on in these tales. The stories are fascinating, and sometimes startling, as protagonists are killed off or transformed into animals — or rise up precipitously into the heavens. More than just rollicking adventures, they offer a panorama of experience — conflict and death, love and seduction, greed and gluttony, hunting and fishing, cooking and caring for plants — and describe the origins of the natural world.

Middleworld

When his archaeologist parents go missing in Central America, 14-year-old Max embarks on a wild adventure through the Mayan underworld in search of the legendary Jaguar Stones, which enabled ancient Mayan kings to wield the powers of living gods. Includes cast of characters, glossary, facts about the Maya cosmos and calendar, and a recipe for chicken tamales.

Thumb and the Bad Guys

Inspired by a movie shown at the local gym (with the whole town in attendance), 11-year-old Leon (aka Thumb) wants to track down a bad guy. After all, he thinks, without bad guys, the “Harry Potter” books would just be stories about school. And he wouldn’t mind being known as the Jake Danger of New Auckland. But with only 143 people in his remote British Columbia fishing village, surrounded by mountains and ocean, how could there even be any bad guys around? And where would they hide? But Thumb is determined, so he and his pal Susan conduct a stakeout. Their suspicions soon focus on bald, toothless old Kirk McKenna, who has the revolting habit of spitting on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, a new teacher, the odd Ms. Weatherby, has arrived in town wearing heavy makeup and a terrible wig. Maybe “she’s” the “bad guy” they’re seeking. Will the determined duo find their villain? Ken Roberts brings his trademark quirky characters, tight plotting, detailed portrait of small-town life, and lively humor to this fascinating story that also contains underlying messages about tolerance and the value of community.

Sopa De Frijoles/Bean Soup (Spanish Edition)

For people who have left their homeland for a new country, comfort foods from home take on a huge emotional importance. This delightful poem teaches readers young and old how to make a heartwarming, tummy-filling black bean soup, from gathering the beans, onions, and garlic to taking little pebbles out of the beans to letting them simmer till the luscious smell indicates it’s time for supper. Jorge Argueta’s vivid poetic voice and Rafael Yockteng’s vibrant illustrations make preparing this healthy and delicious Latino favorite an exciting, almost magical experience.

Tiempo de dolor Nakay Pacha

“Tiempo del dolor” narra, con crudo realismo, el enfrentamiento entre comunidades campesinas en medio de una guerra generalizada, como también de batallas y escaramuzas libradas entre las fuerzas armadas del estado y los grupos subversivos.
De la Colección Runasimi, edición bilingüe quechua-español.
Traducción al quechua de Washington Córdova Huamán.

Time of pain” narrates, with crude realism, the confrontation between peasant communities in the midst of a generalized war, as well as battles and skirmishes waged between the armed forces of the state and the subversive groups.
From the Runasimi Collection, bilingual Quechua-Spanish edition.
Quechua translation of Washington Córdova Huamán.

No

It’s winter and little bear doesn’t want to go to sleep. He’d rather play, and he’s sure he won’t get cold outside, no matter how long the winter is, how deep the snow might get, or how hard the storm might blow. Until, that is, little bear finds himself all alone in a snowstorm. Claudia Rueda’s classic picture-book illustrations, with their simple, strong lines, shapes, and colors, show a very determined little bear and his mother in a striking, increasingly snowy landscape. Children everywhere identify with little bear as mama figures out how to tell him no.