Henry is visiting his grandmother in the hospital. When his nanny has to take a call, he decides to go on alone. He knows Grandma well, after all. But the hospital is bigger than he thought, and his visit becomes an adventure: up and down elevators, in and out of rooms. Now Henry isn’t sure he will find Grandma after all.
This bilingual collection of poems that takes us through the week day by day. Children spend Sunday visiting their grandparents, play with school friends on Monday, daydream on Tuesday, eat popcorn at the local market on Wednesday, and more, until we arrive at Saturday, when they get to play nonstop all day. Along the way, we also learn how the names of the seven days came to be. Partly based on the real life experiences of Alarcon’s own family, this festive, celebratory collection of poems highlights the daily life of children while also honoring the experiences of the poet’s Latino family in the United States. With her vibrant illustrations, illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez has created a loving tribute to childhood, to family, and to Francisco Alarcon.* *Francisco X. Alarcon passed away in January 2016.
All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game. My mom says it’s a waste of time, but without my game, nothing is fun! On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong about that…
Federica’s busy family can’t keep their house clean! To get away from the buzzy, buggy mess, she escapes to the peaceful park where she can spend time with her animal friends–which gives her an idea.
Eleanor and Park meets Bollywood in this hilarious and heartfelt novel about two Indian-American teens whose parents conspire to arrange their marriage. Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers… right? Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
WOW Recommends: Book of the Month, September, 2017
Featured in WOW Currents (February, 2018) around the theme of women in STEM.
Two perspectives were offered in My Take/Your Take (March, 2018).
A young Aboriginal girl is taken from the north of Australia and sent to an institution in the distant south. There, she slowly makes a new life for herself and, in the face of tragedy, finds strength in new friendships. Poignantly told from the child’s perspective, Sister Heart affirms the power of family and kinship.
Young George Johnson lives in extraordinary times. His father is Sir William Johnson, one of the richest and most powerful men in colonial New York. His mother is Molly Brant, step-daughter of a Mohawk chief and sister of Iroquois leader Joseph Brant. George spends his early years in a grand mansion. Johnson Hall is a place where Native American culture comfortably mingles with European customs. But George’s life changes as the War for American Independence looms. Peter goes off to fight for the king against the rebel Americans, and the allegiance of the families of the Mohawk Valley are torn. After William Johnson’s death in 1774, Molly and Joseph urge the Iroquois nations to support the Loyalists. As rebel forces take over the valley, George and his family are forced to flee. Molly sends George to boarding school in Montreal, where he spends three miserable years. Finally, he persuades his mother to allow him to join in a last raid on Mohawk Valley. In a riveting climax, he experiences first-hand the inglorious brutality and futility of war, and struggles with what it means to be half Mohawk. And at last he learns the truth about his brother’s fate.
Whether it is a gentle kiss from mom, a hug from dad, a playful romp with an older brother, or reading with grandpa, babies and toddlers will discover the importance of family relationships in these photographs of Native American families.
The post office is closed, and that means it’s time for Mr. Postmouse and his family to take a vacation. Of course, he’ll need to bring along a few parcels a postmouse’s rounds are never done! As he and Mrs. Mouse, Milo, Lulu and Pip set off on an around-the-world tour. The scenes provide an introduction to the concepts of community and neighborhoods, as well as modes of transportation.
Setting out to pick up some things from the store entails more than a brave family bargains for in this funny flight of fancy from Allan Ahlberg and André Amstutz.On the day Mom goes shopping with her young daughter, baby Harry, and Wilf the Wonderdog, she starts by making her usual grocery list. But with Allan Ahlberg at the helm, what begins as a mundane shopping trip can quickly become just a little unusual. With the help of whimsically detailed illustrations by André Amstutz, this persistent family treks through a blizzard and under the desert sun, into a jungle of tropical beasts, and even across the sea. But what will they find at the end of their journey?