Because his grandmother is arriving from India, Rishi wants to cook curry alongside his dad using the flavors from his family’s special spice box, but when he drops the box that holds the family’s heart and history, he draws courage and meaning from their treasured past to set things right.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 1.
Every summer, the branches of a little girl’s favorite tree droops heavy with mangoes. And this year, she is finally old enough to help her family harvest them. Her brother shares a memory about his first time mango picking: his father holding him steady as he reached high above for the fruit. But when the girl climbs the tree, she becomes too dizzy. Then her grandma shares a mango memory: learning, many years ago, to toss a stone that knocked the fruit from the branches. But when the girl throws her stone, she keeps missing. How can this little heroine create her own mango memory if she can’t even pick a mango?
In Jorge Argueta’s delightful children’s book, meet Gerónimo Pérez, affectionately known as Bilingual. Embracing his bilingual identity with pride, Gerónimo effortlessly navigates between English and Spanish, reveling in the richness and fluidity of both languages. With a playful spirit, Gerónimo describes the joy of seamlessly switching between languages, likening it to a dance and savoring the taste of words on his tongue. He embraces his role as a linguistic bridge, effortlessly translating for his family and helping others in need. Accompanied by Elizabeth Gómez’s whimsical illustrations, this book celebrates the boundless enthusiasm and positivity of a young boy embracing his bilingual heritage. With its empowering message and vibrant storytelling, “Bilingual Superhero” is a captivating read that encourages children to embrace their linguistic abilities and reimagine what it means to be a hero.
Readers join Elena and Miguel as they navigate the changes brought about by their parents’ divorce. Living in two separate homes—Mami’s during the week and Papi’s on weekends—Elena and Miguel initially struggle with feelings of loss and fragmentation. Despite these initial challenges, Elena and Miguel gradually find moments of comfort and connection in their new routines. While the pancakes Papi makes may not taste exactly like Mami’s, they still bring a sense of warmth and familiarity. And at birthday parties surrounded by relatives and cousins, they rediscover the joy of family bonds.
Through its bilingual narrative, “Elena and Miguel’s Two Homes / Las Dos Casas de Elena y Miguel” sensitively explores the challenges of divorce and the importance of maintaining connections with extended family. It offers young readers a message of resilience, adaptation, and the enduring power of familial love to transcend changes in living arrangements.
Set against the backdrop of endless fields stretching to the horizon, the story follows a day in the life of a farm worker through the eyes of his proud son. From sunrise to sunset, the father toils tirelessly, gathering the crops that sustain their community and fill their bellies.
Through lyrical prose and stunning illustrations, the book illuminates the sacrifice and hardship endured by farm workers as they labor to provide for their families. It celebrates their unwavering dedication and the deep love that drives them to work from dawn till dusk, shaping the natural world with their hands.
Presented in both English and Spanish, “Harvesting Love / Cosechando Amor” is a bilingual treasure that honors the contributions of farm workers while offering young readers a window into their world. Parents and children alike will be captivated by the rich tapestry of colors and the poignant message of resilience, perseverance, and the enduring bond between parent and child.
Maylin works hard cooking delicious meals in her father’s restaurant everyday, yet it is her lazy brothers who claim all credit. When the Governor of South China visits a contest is held in his honor and her brothers do not hesitate to try passing off Maylin’s cooking as their very own. Yet despite their best efforts – and the Governor’s as well! – they cannot replicate Maylin’s delicious dish. They soon learn that there is more to good cooking than right ingredients.
Winner of the Ruth Schwartz Children’s Book Award.
In this autobiographical picture book, three young girls eagerly await for their father to tell them stories about his homeland of Palestine. It is through his memories of the Old City of Jerusalem that brings the city to life for the sisters, instilling love for a place they have never been and likely will never visit. But through their father’s memories, they will always return.
Inspired by the author’s life, The Carpet takes readers to the day in the life of a young Afghan refugee, whose family remain connected to home through the carpet that serves as the centerpiece of their family life. Around the carpet they share meals, tell stories, laugh and share memories of their time shared back home.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
To prepare for his school’s Spanish spelling bee, a young boy asks his grandmother for help. There are words he still does not know how to spell. With this simple request, a door is opened for him to learn more about his grandmother’s story as she reveals how she was only allowed to speak English at school when she was a young girl. This story inspires him to study hard for the spelling bee so he can make his family proud. Inspired by the author’s memories of his grandmother’s stories told to him when he was a boy.
The third book in the Misewa Saga fantasy series, where it is a race against time to save Eli after being discovered near-lifeless at the base of the Great Tree. In order to save him Morgan will have to ask for help, from friends new and old. With Arik and Emily at her side, they journey on the path away from the Great Tree where they must enter the northern woods, a place they have been warned to never enter. Here they must face new challenges as they encounter life-threatening attacks from horrifying creatures. But with a surprise ally coming to their aid, Morgan discovers the strength she needs to focus on saving her brother’s life, the thing that is most important.