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“Amadi, an Igbo boy in sun-drenched Nigeria, sees no point in learning to read, until he sees a picture of a snowman in a book and is curious to find out more. He wants to learn about the far-off country where frozen rain falls from the sky — a world so different from his own — and the chance to read about it fills him with joy. Children will enjoy reading about Amadi’s life in the village, depicted in the earth-toned, intimate scenes. It’s a nice reversal that young children will be able to grasp — what looks exotic and faraway to one person is a place where someone else lives.” — Booklist

Amadi’s Snowman

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Bernardi lives with his grandfather, Babu, who supports them by making toys. Bernardi wishes he could go to school, but they can’t afford it. When a tourist offers a handsome price for the music box Babu gave him as a present, Bernardi regretfully sells it, giving the money to Babu. Babu uses the money to pay for his grandson’s school, and he starts working on a new music box. The book’s sensitive text and endearing illustrations capture the tender relationship between a Tanzanian child and his grandfather.

Babu’s Song

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Upon the arrival of her new baby brother, Elizabeti decides she needs a doll she can care for the way her mother cares for the new baby. After looking around her village, Elizabeti finds the perfect doll to love, and names her Eva. When Mama changes the new baby’s diaper, Elizabeti changes Eva. When Mama sings to the baby, Elizabeti sings to Eva. And one day when Eva turns up lost, Elizabeti realizes just how much she loves her special doll. Set in contemporary Tanzania, this universal tale of love and tenderness that will touch readers of all ages.

Elizabeti’s Doll

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

Illustrator:

Christy Hale

Age Level:

6-9

“In first-person narration, Pelé describes his lifetime passion for the game, which began in childhoodMorrison’s vibrant, energetic illustrations depict a dual story. Each two-page spread features vignettes from Pelé’s career on one page (subtly aging their subject over the course of the book), while the facing page reveals a parallel story line of a modern-day child learning to love the game. The vivid pictures, featuring slightly elongated figures and tilted perspectives, convey all the energy of this universal sport.” — Kirkus Reviews

For the Love of Soccer!

Illustrator:

Frank Morrison

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Carnival is coming, and the villagers of John John, Trinidad, are getting ready to celebrate. Best of all, the Roti King has promised free rotis — tasty fried pancakes filled with chicken, herbs, and spices — for the best band in the parade. Young Winston dreams of feasting on those delicious rotis. But there’s a problem: he’s not in a band! Pondering his predicament as he wanders through the village junkyard, Winston makes a curious musical discovery that may be just the ticket to realizing his dream. Inspired by the early life of Winston “Spree” Simon, a pioneer in the development of the steel drum.

Drummer Boy of John John

Illustrator:

Frané Lessac

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: Ray Charles and his soulful, passionate rhythms and melodies have been embraced around the world for decades. Now, in this beautiful new edition of an award-winning biography, readers can follow Charles from his boyhood, when he lost his sight and learned to read and write music in Braille, until the age of 40, when he had become a world-renowned jazz and blues musician packing auditoriums and stadiums. In a new introduction and afterword, the author updates Charlesâ€™s life to the present.

Ray Charles

Illustrator:

George Ford

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Richard Wright and the Library Card shares a poignant turning point in the life of a young man who became one of this country’s most brilliant writers, the author of Native Son and Black Boy. As a young black man in the segregated South of the 1920s, Wright was hungry to explore new worlds through books, but was forbidden from borrowing them from the library. This touching account tells of his love of reading, and how his unwavering perseverance, along with the help of a co-worker, came together to make Richard’s dream a reality. Also available in Spanish.

Richard Wright and the Library Card

William Miller

Illustrator:

R. Gregory Christie

Age Level:

6-9

Kadir Nelson

Age Level:

6-9

“This joyful picture book uses watercolor-and-pencil artwork to show African dances from all over the continent and kids ‘coming from Brooklyn, coming from Harlem, the Bronx and down the subway lines’ to learn them at the Harlem’s Batoto Yetu dance studio. On each left-hand page is a sepia-tone illustration of a traditional African dance, accompanied by detailed notes about its origin, the performance, and the cultural tradition. Opposite pages include a rhythmic verse and a full-color picture of children in their American studio learning the dance, painting their faces and bodies with traditional designs, and putting on a show.” — Booklist