I found this adorable book at a local bookstore. It's about three friends that stumble upon a secret society of famous female spies. They are given a task to find Josephine Baker's missing cheetah, and by using their spy skills, they succeed! I'm excited to read the other books in this series! I love the illustrations and the idea of a group of famous female spies. Oh, and there's back matter about real female spies.
Leila in Saffron | Written by Rukhsanna Guidroz & Illustrated By Dinara Mirtalipova | Published By Salaam Reads (An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division) 2019
Here's a beautiful book about learning to love oneself. At a weekly family dinner, Leila shares she's not sure if she likes herself. She sees "skinny arms and knobby knees." But throughout the day, she discovers just how beautiful she is both inside and out. Filled with gorgeous language and colorful illustrations!
Love in the Library | Written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Illustrated by Yas Imamura | Published by Candlewick Press 2022
Learn how the author's grandparents found each other in a Japanese incarceration camp in Idaho. A powerful book about human resilience when Japanese Americans were forced to relocate during WWII.
Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire | Written by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville & Illustrated by Brigette Barrager | Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2017
Follow Mary Blair's life filled with colors—lemon yellow, azure, celadon, tangerine, steel gray, and more! Students will learn how initially Mary's artwork was rejected by her supervisors at Disney. She quit after a year. Later, Walt Disney himself saw potential in her colorful style and rehired her as an art director. But her art career wasn't just with Disney. She was a picture book illustrator, commercial artist, and set designer.
An inspiring story matched perfectly with lively illustrations!
Tuesday | Story & Illustrations by David Wiesner | Published by Clarion Books 1991
A wordless picture book about fantastical events—frogs flying on lilypads and pigs floating—that occur every Tuesday evening, around 8 o'clock. What kinds of creative stories will kids write to go along with the illustrations?
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade | Written by Lyla Lee & Illustrated by Dung Ho | Published by Aladdin (An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division) 2020
I came across Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade when I was looking for a contemporary kid's book about Korean Lunar New Year. It was hard to find! Unfortunately, this book was on a waiting list. But thankfully, I found a poem called New Year Cheer by Linda Sue Park to share with students instead.
This is book 2 in the Mindy Kim chapter book series, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mindy. I was curious about how Korean Lunar New Year's Day would be presented so that's why I read book 2 first. I just checked out the first book: Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business! Can't wait!
When You Trap a Tiger | Written by Tae Keller | Published by Random House Children's Book (A division of Penguin Random House) 2020
When I heard this book had Korean folktales, I immediately bought it. The main character, Lily, moves in with her sick grandma and tries to save her life—even if it means making a deal with a tiger. A middle grade must read!
Next on my list by Tae Keller is Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone.
The Science of Breakable Things | Written by Tae Keller | Published by Yearling (An imprint of Random House Children's Book) 2018
My second book by Tae Keller. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well!
Natalie's mother is depressed, but Natalie doesn't know. She wonders why her mother is withdrawn and sleeps most of the day away. In hopes of saving her, Natalie joins a science competition with friends because the winning group gets prize money. She believes she can use her share of the money to go see the miraculous Cobalt Blue Orchids with her mother. Natalie desperately believes that's the only way to get her mother back. Beautifully written!
The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdős | Written by Deborah Heiligman & Illustrated by LeUyen Pham | Published by Roaring Book Press 2013
I am a fan of LeUyen Pham's illustrations—Princess in Black! Alvin Ho! This is an entertaining book about the life of mathematician, Paul Erdős. However, reading about the art-making process for this book was the highlight for me. A great example for kids to see that subjects in school do not live in vacuums—math, words, and art do come together!
One day in Ohio, a Chinese immigrant family excitedly pulls off to the side of a road to gather watercress in a muddy ditch. The daughter feels otherwise. She is greatly embarrassed, and her feelings carry over to dinner where she angrily refuses to eat the prepared watercress dish. However, her anger melts away when she learns more about her family's history with famine and through it the loss of her uncle. With a greater understanding and appreciation of her family's past, she decides to try the watercress she no longer despises.
While reading this book, I thought of many inference questions to ask students:
1. Why does the girl duck her head while she gathers watercress?
2. Why does the girl half hope the bag filled with watercress will rip?
3. The parents think free is good, while the girl thinks free is bad. Why is this?
4. At the end of the story, why did the girl decide to try the watercress?
This story brought back my own memories of my grandmother gathering acorns around our neighborhood to make Korean acorn jelly. I remember thinking it was strange that my grandmother did this, and I, too, felt wary about eating a dish made from food not bought at a grocery store or grown in a backyard. I wonder what memories might stir for students after reading this book.