The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

It’s Deepawali, the Festival of Lights in Nepal, and today is the day to honor dogs! Brothers Alu and Bhalu wander the streets of Kathmandu, passing by twirling kites and bamboo swings, looking for a dog to feed. But as night falls, their task begins to feel hopeless, until they spot a small black dog who is in need of a friend. This gentle story told in verse presents an important Hindu holiday (also called Diwali in India) through the eyes of two young boys.

Lyrical poems introduce a “variety of amazing people …” including Pura Belpre became a New York librarian. She offered “Two Languages at the Library.” Tomas Rivera wrote “Courageous Poetry” and became the first Latino leader at the University of California.  Each short piece is accompanied by a striking portrait. This handsome, accessible volume concludes with a bit of additional information about each subject. 

A vivid imagination helped Miguel Cervantes to grow beyond a tough childhood and to create a cultural icon: Don Quixote. Luminous illustrations and rich poetry follow young Miguel to adulthood where his creativity triumphs. A note about Cervantes from the author and illustrator conclude this stunning book.

A poetic, playful look at an orangutan family in the wild takes as they dance their way through the trees of the rainforest. A poetic form called the “tanka” combines with animated illustrations for a jaunty glimpse of these appealing primates.

Butterflies were once thought to be “beasts of the devil.” Maria Merian, a perceptive young German naturalist, knew better. She recorded her notes and drawings on the butterflies’ transformation in secret so that she would not be accused of witchcraft and later became a famous scientist and artist who helped the rest of the world understand natural life cycles. Margarita Engle brings her extraordinary story to life, accompanied by Julie Paschkis’ gorgeous illustrations.

Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them? But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. “Think of it as a garden,” she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky at first, then growing stronger and surer with each new day. And when her family is threatened, it is what Fefa has learned from her wild book that saves them.

A golden retriever with a “smart nose” is doing his job: tracking down a young child lost in the woods. The dog’s narration is gentle with the child he’s tracking seen in the dog’s thought bubbles. Additional “dog nose facts” and advice for teachers and parents are presented after the child and parents are reunited.