After a knee injury sidelines her ballet dreams, Maisie struggles with her new reality as she is no longer able to maintain her ballet training and auditions. While her family is supportive, Maisie knows they do not understand the hopelessness that she feels. Her anxieties soon lead to dark moods that begin to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. She has no interest in the planned family road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up. How can she possibly keep pretending to be strong?
Americas
Materials from the Americas
Elatsoe
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family. Darcie Little Badger is an extraordinary debut talent in the world of speculative fiction. We have paired her with her artistic match, illustrator Rovina Cai. This is a book singular in feeling and beauty.
My Powerful Hair
Mom never had long hair, she was told it was too wild. Grandma couldn’t have long hair, hers was taken from her. But one young girl can’t wait to grow her hair long: for herself, for her family, for her connection to her culture and the Earth, and to honor the strength and resilience of those who came before her.
Mexikid
Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito, his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn’t mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.
Featured in Volume XVI, Issue 3 of WOW Review.
Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration Of Traditional North American Knowledge
A middle grade survey nonfiction work celebrating North American Indigenous knowledge and Native contributions to contemporary STEM.
Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera offers young readers unique insight into the life and artwork of the famous Mexican painter and muralist. The book follows Rivera’s career, looking at his influences and tracing the evolution of his style. His work often called attention to the culture and struggles of the Mexican working class. Believing that art should be for the people, he created public murals in both the United States and Mexico, examples of which are included. The book contains a list of museums where you can see Rivera’s art, a historical note, a glossary, and a bibliography.
Something About Grandma
At Grandma’s house, where Julia is staying without her parents for the first time, the breeze is sweet like jasmine. Mornings begin with sugared bread, and the most magnificent hot chocolate cures all homesickness. There’s something about this place and about Grandma. Like how she can tell when Julia has been quietly picking limes from the garden. Or that she can see the future and knows when Julia is about to fall off her bike. Or how she can journey back in time through the stories she tells. In the room where Julia’s mother grew up, her grandmother holds her in a warm embrace, an embrace that Julia will pass on to her family when her parents arrive with her new baby brother.
An Ofrenda For Perro
Losing a pet is hard, but this picture book told through a Day of the Dead celebration will show readers that the love they have for their beloved companion will always remain. Benito loves Perro. But when Perro passes away, Benito is heartbroken. During the Day of the Dead celebration, he tries to understand the meaning of the flores de cempasuchil, candles, pan de muertos, photographs, and sharing memories of departed loved ones. By creating his own special altar for Perro, he realizes that his love for his beloved companion, and the happiness Perro gave him, will always remain.
Colonization And The Wampanoag Story (Race To The Truth)
The true story of the Indigenous Nations of the American Northeast, including the Wampanoag nation and others, and their history up to present day.
Rock Your Mocs
In this happy, vibrant tribute to Rock Your Mocs Day, observed yearly on November 15, author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian) and artist Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw) celebrate the joy and power of wearing moccasins and the Native pride that comes with them. A perfect book for Native American Heritage Month, and all year round!