Spain

Materials from Spain

Small Damages

Eighteen-year-old Kenzie of Philadelphia, pregnant by Yale-bound Kevin, is bitter when her mother sends her to Spain to deliver and give her baby away, but discovers a makeshift family with the rancher who takes her in, his cook, and the young man they have raised together.

Let’s Go See Papa!

The little girl in this story likes Sundays best of all — it’s the day her father calls. She hasn’t seen him for over a year because he works far away across the ocean in the United States. She writes in her notebook every day, keeping a record of everything that happens to share with him when she finally sees him again. And she thinks about the fun they used to have when he was home — taking their dog Kika to the park and buying freshly baked bread together. Then one Sunday her father asks if she and her mother would like to join him, and she’s surprised by her mixed feelings. It means leaving her grandmother, her friends . . . and Kika behind.

This is a powerful story from a young child’s perspective about what it’s like to have an absent parent and to have to leave your home, country and those you love for a new life.

Isabella of Castile

In a twist on the classic fairy tale, a princess in 15th-century Spain refused to wait to be rescued by a prince and instead chose one for herself. Even then, she would not marry him until they’d reached an agreement that was revolutionary for her time—their marriage was an equal partnership captured in the motto “To stand as high, as high to stand, Isabella and Ferdinand.” This book tells Isabella of Castile’s story with sections on the clothes she wore, the foods she ate, and why she is remembered today. Without her, both Spain and the United States would not exist in their current forms.

The Pet Shop Revolution

A fearless fur and feather escape. Viva la revolution! Mr. Walnut just might be the world’s meanest pet shop owner! His pet shop is cold and dark, and the animals all live in very small cages. When a little girl named Mina can’t find her pet bunny, she’s sure that she must have gotten scooped up by Mr. Walnut. Can Mina save her beloved pet and lead the other animals to freedom?

Benedict

Benedict, also known as Benny, is tired of living in such a hot place. And so he cleverly springs on his coiled tail from one habitat to another. He visits the North Pole, the desert, the jungle and finally the ocean in search of perfection.

My Tattooed Dad

A young boy describes what life is like when his dad comes home — how he fries up chicken samosas for dinner, how he makes jokes and fools around, and how he carries him off to bed when he is sleepy. His dad also tells wonderful stories of his adventures in far-off lands, often inspired by his many, many exotic tattoos. His letters to his son are also full of great stories about the past — what the first date with his mother was like (it included a visit to a fortune teller and a bizarre circus) and about how the boy’s life was saved twice by this very same dad — once when he was stolen from his baby basket by a dog and once when he flew out the car window. But as his mother says, his dad has ants in his pants, which means he’s often not around.Still, life rolls along with one fantastical tale after another, in good times and bad. And this is this extraordinary father’s gift to his child — the life of the imagination — which is always with him, even when his father is not.The illustrations have a nostalgic, underground graphic-novel style feel to them that perfectly complements the very original text.

This Little Bunny Can Bake

In this picture book, there are eight students in Chef George’s School of Dessertology. And only one—a studious little bunny—has any interest in following the rules. While bunny is busy baking a masterpiece, everyone else is busy making a mess. And even though only bunny actually learns to bake, all the students—from Dog with his shoe-fly pie to Mouse with her Swiss cheese surprise—are happy with how their desserts turn out in the end.