Americas

Materials from the Americas

Let’s Go for a Ride

A whimsical, quirky, and very personal history of cars. In the early days, cars were primarily a source of recreation. They shared unpaved roads with horses and wagons, and when they ran out of gas — which was often because there were few gas stations — horses had to pull them home. Driving mania soon began to shape the landscape. Cars begat gas stations, which sparked the popularity of family camping, going to the drive-in, and fast food. They even spawned bridges so that people could ford rivers in the comfort of their cars.

The Disappeared

A riveting tale about love and sacrifice by a National Book Award winner. The Disappeared. Los desaparecidos. This is the name given to those who opposed Argentina’s dictatorial government and were kidnapped to ensure their silence. With her hometown of Buenos Aires ensconsced in the political nightmare, Silvia devises a plan to save her missing brother. She’ll make Norberto, son of the general who arrests dissenters, fall in love with her–and he’ll have his father set Eduardo free. Told in alternating chapters, this powerful and poetic story follows Silvia as she spirals into Norberto’s world, and Eduardo as he struggles to endure physical and emotional torture. Will Silvia’s scheme reunite her family? Or will the pursuit of freedom cost these devoted siblings their lives?

Young Pele: Soccer’s First Star

A poor boy named Edson, who kicked rocks down roads and dribbled balls made from rags, went on to become the greatest soccer player of all time. While other kids memorized letters, Edson memorized the scores of soccer matches. And when Edson finally played in a youth soccer tournament in Bauru, Brazil, he focused on only one thing from the moment the whistle blew–the goal. The story of the boy who overcame tremendous odds to become the world champion soccer star Pelé.

My Dadima Wears a Sari

This warm, multigenerational story offers a glimpse into the distinctive culture and customs of India, while reinforcing universal themes of love and the importance of family. Every day, Rupa’s grandmother wears a beautiful sari. She shares with her young granddaughter all the wonderful things that saris can do-from becoming an umbrella in a rainstorm to providing a deep pouch to carry seashells collected from the beach. Soon Rupa’s own imagination is sparked with new uses for the saris. A note from the author and instructions for wrapping a sari are included.

Journey for Peace: The Story of Rigoberta Menchu

The winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, Rigoberta Menchu is a poor, uneducated Mayan woman who has helped her native people fight oppression in Guatemala and who has told the world about their suffering. Part of the Rainbow Biography series, the account is quiet, but it tells of violence and poverty and amazing courage. Beginning with Menchu’s childhood as a field laborer, her personal story is woven together with that of her Indian people and their harsh dislocation at the hands of the landowners and the brutal army. Her father was imprisoned, tortured, and finally murdered for his leadership role in the resistance; so were her mother and her brothers and sisters. Yet, like her father, she has led her people in nonviolent resistance and has given them a voice.

On Ramon’s Farm: Five Tales of Mexico

All of Ramon’s farm animals make a unique sound as he tends to them. Every animal has its own silly story, but Ramon has the last word At the end of each one, he makes up a verse that sums up each lovable animal’s personality. Full color.

Amazon Basin: Vanishing Cultures

This photo-essay by Jan Reynolds offers a rare glimpse into the life of the Yanomama of the Amazon Basin.The award-winning Vanishing Cultures seven-book series, now available again in beautiful, updated editions. Features photographic accounts of children from indigenous cultures around the world to explore their daily lives, relationships with their environments, and challenges in a changing world.

Spirit of the Maya: A Boy Explores His People’s Mysterious Past

Kin, a 12-year-old Lacando boy living in a Mexican town, is descended from the ancient Maya. Wearing contemporary clothing yet sporting the style of long hair traditional to his people, he is clearly rooted in both the past and the present. After his grandfather shows him a book about Pacal, a Maya who became king in 615 A.D. when he was 12, Kin eagerly accompanies his father to the site of Pacal’s tomb. The boy “feels a twinge of sadness” watching his father sell his handmade replicas of Maya hunting arrows to tourists “at the gates of the great city that his ancestors once ruled.” Kin explores the Maya ruins and locates Pacal’s tomb, but afterwards he feels lonely and distant from his ancestors. Then, on the ride home, he has an improbably sudden change of attitude when he spies a statue of the king. All at once Kin realizes that he and Pacal are “brothers” and, for the first time in his life, Kin “knows how it feels to be a king.”

Rex Zero, King of Nothing

In 1962 Ottawa, 11-year-old Rex Norton-Norton faces several confusing mysteries, including his father’s troubling secrets from World War II, the problems of a beautiful but unhappy woman named Natasha, what to do about his mean and vindictive teacher, and whether or not he should even be concerned about these things.