Veera and her family live in Russia on what feels like the edge of the world on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Veera spends her time devouring fantasy books, playing fetch with her dog, and longing for a friend she can share her treasures with that she keeps hidden underneath the alder bush. Lucas and his family live on the coast of Chile, which also feels like the edge of the world. Lucas spends his days looking for fossils, playing solo games of soccer, and wishing for a friend to read with him on his favorite tree branch. Written and illustrated by acclaimed author-illustrator Anna Desnitskaya, On the Edge of the World is a playful and perceptive book that illuminates the mirroring lives of two separate children in two separate places, yet share strikingly similar settings and interests.
Europe
Materials from Europe
The Art And Life Of Hilma Af Klint
Hilma af Klimt was born in Sweden in 1862. She would grow up to be an artist, and her life would be filled with magic and mystery. Hilma lived at a time when people were fascinated by what they couldn’t see. The invention of the telegraph and telephone made it possible to communicate over long distances, and spiritualists believed it was possible to speak with the dead. When Hilma began to hear the spirits, she found a new purpose for her paintings. For nearly one hundred years her paintings were forgotten, but when they were rediscovered they changed the history of art.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVI, Issue 2.
The Moon Is A Ball: Stories Of Panda & Squirrel
Join best friends, Panda and Squirrel, in nine stories about the importance and meaning of friendship. Whether they are lying on rocks to look up at the moon, taking walks or playing games, Panda and Squirrel do everything together. On some days they argue, but they always make up. With full-color illustrations by world-leading illustrator for children and Hans Christian Andersen nominee, Tjong-Khing, and written by one of Belgium’s most important and innovative children’s authors, Ed Franck, The Moon is a Ball is sure to delight young readers again and again. Perfect for emerging readers and reading aloud.
At The Drop Of A Cat
A six-year old boy loves spending time with his immigrant grandfather, Luis, who teaches him many things as they spend time in his garden, a place of wonder and illumination. It is the place where the boy practices to read and write, as well as the place where he learns of his grandfather’s experiences. As a war refugee, Luis was unable to go to school and therefore never learned how to read and write. But he instills his wisdom of language to his grandson, as well as his experiences and talents as an artist, a cook, and a gardener.
The Amazing And True Story Of Tooth Mouse Pérez
Did you know? In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, instead of a Tooth Fairy, they have a Tooth Mouse! This is his story. Though the world is very different from when his Tooth Mouse descendants worked, a Tooth Mouse named Pérez continues his ancestors’ tradition and brings children their permanent teeth. Thought-provoking and playful The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouth Perez illuminates how, just as Tooth Mice must adapt their customs in the face of culture-shifting forces, so too must the child as they grow up and gain their independence.
The Night Raven (The Moonwind Mysteries)
Stockholm winter 1880: twelve-year old Mika knows that it will be a struggle for everyone in the orphanage to survive this winter. To everyone’s shock, a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night with a cryptic message. Who is this baby boy? Where did he come from? And who is the “Dark Angel”? Meanwhile, there is an ease of mind knowing that the notorious serial killer, known as the Night Raven, is finally off the streets… or is he? Enter Detective Hoff who recruits Mika because of her ability to notice small details – a skill she credits for her ability to survive. He is investigating a gruesome murder and needs Mika’s help. With such little hope for the future, Mika questions if this could be an opportunity, or maybe, just maybe, a chance to be someone who matters.
A Daydreamy Child Takes A Walk
Even though he has promised his mama he will stay focused, Little Giovanni cannot help but continue to daydream and pay attention to the smaller, more wonderous, details of the world around him. Written by the father of modern Italian children’s literature, Gianni Rodari, with a Batchelder Award winning translation by Antony Shugaar, A Daydreamy Child Takes a Walk is beautifully illustrated by New York Public Library Best illustrator, Beatrice Alemagna and is sure to delight young readers with its assertion of the power and value of childlike wonder.
Friend Of Numbers: The Life of Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
Friend of Numbers tells the true story of Srinuvasa Ramanujan, who left his home of southern India in 1914 to study under the acclaimed mathematician G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University. Fascinated with numbers since he was a child, Ramanujan’s love of numbers and math keep him going despite the difficulties of adjusting to a place that is so different from home. Recognized as a genius during his time and our own, Ramanujan’s short but brilliant life is portrayed vividly in this picture book biography. The book includes back matter with an author’s note, a glossary of Ramanujan’s world, and mathematical content about number patterns and magic squares.
A Pocketful Of Stars
Safiya and her mum rarely see eye to eye. They don’t seem to have anything in common. But when her mother falls into a coma, Safiya must come to terms with their complex relationship. As she waits by her mother’s bedside, Safiya finds herself in a confusing alternate world, where she meets a rebellious teenage girl who looks suspiciously familiar.
Pardalita
Sixteen-year-old Raquel is living in a small town in Portugal, where she must learn to navigate the angst that often comes with being a teenager: her parent’s are divorced, her mother is always working and she doesn’t like her father’s new wife. After being suspended for cursing at a school aide, Raquel meets Pardalita, a gifted artist and senior at her school. As the two girls get to know each other Raquel soon falls in love.