When all of their books are lost in a storm, school children share stories and imagine pictures to go with them then, with their teacher’s help, turn them into a book.
The Story Circle
Americas
Materials from the Americas
A Charmed Life
While her mother cleans a grand house a young girl meets the homeowner who, recalling her own family’s immigration, gives her a charm bracelet and promises that she, too, can have a charmed life.
Looking For Bongo
When a boy’s abuela accuses him of being careless with his beloved Bongo, he devises a trap and catches the toy thief red-handed.
Maybe Something Beautiful
Mira lives in a gray and hopeless urban community until a muralist arrives and, along with his paints and brushes, brings color, joy, and togetherness to Mira and her neighbors.
Quick, Little Monkey!
When Little Monkey’s curiosity causes her to slip and fall to the dark, shadowy rainforest floor, she must hide because an ocelot is looking for lunch. Thanks to Papa, Little Monkey knows what to do to stay safe. This adventure will enthrall readers as Little Monkey faces one challenge after another and will also teach them about the lives of pygmy marmoset monkeys, the smallest monkeys in the world.
Mariana And The Merchild: A Folk Tale From Chile
A childless old woman is given a merbaby to raise until the child can safely return to the sea.
El Violín De Ada (Ada’s Violin)
Ada Ríos creció en Cateura, un pueblo pequeño en Paraguay construido alrededor de un vertedero. Soñaba con tocar el violín, pero con escasos recursos para poco más que lo esencial, nunca fue una opción…hasta que un maestro de música llamado Favio Chávez apareció. Él quiso darles a los niños de Cateura algo especial, así que les construyó instrumentos musicales hechos de materiales encontrados en la basura. Era una idea loca, pero una que dejaría a Ada—y al pueblo entero—cambiados para siempre. Hoy en día, la Orquesta de Reciclados toca alrededor del mundo, difundiendo su mensaje de esperanza e innovación.
Ada’s Violin
Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option…until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.
Ada’s Violin is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for April 2017.
The Sweet Smell Of Home
The Sweet Smell of Home is an autobiographical work, written in Chana’s own voice that unfolds through oral history interviews with anthropologist Susan Lobo.
¡Olinguito, De La A A La Z!
Uses the framework of the alphabet to present information about plants and animals of the cloud forest on the western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and the 2013 discovery of the olinguito. Includes additional information about the cloud forest and the discovery of the olinguito, a map, a glossary, an author’s note, and author’s sources.