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32 pp.
| Little
| January, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-05830-8$16.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Linzie Hunter.
Her parents don't want a dog, but that doesn't stop Amelia from hatching a well-thought-out and -executed plan to get her heart's desire. Colorful, skillfully composed illustrations chronicle Amelia's scheme, from hypothetical questions to an imaginary dog to searching for said imaginary dog at the animal shelter to bringing a real dog home. Fellow dog-owner-wannabes will be in awe.
32 pp.
| Lee
| April, 2003
|
TradeISBN 1-58430-058-2$$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Aaron Boyd.
Longing to own a soccer ball, Bernardi, a boy in modern-day Tanzania, sells a keepsake music box made for him by his mute grandfather, Babu. Saddened by his poor judgment, Bernardi confesses to Babu, who forgives him and uses the money to send Bernardi to school. The story is sentimental, but both Bernardi's situation and the warm, realistic watercolors accurately depict modern rural Tanzanian life.
32 pp.
| Lee
| September, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-58430-043-4$$16.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christy Hale.
This is a story at once universal and specific, set in a contemporary Tanzanian village. Elizabeti (Mama Elizabeti) is excited about going to school for the first time, but also a bit apprehensive. Details of the school day root the story in its place and bring Elizabeti's world to life. The message that home is "the best place to be" but that school has its uses, too, will resonate with anxious new pupils. The mixed-media illustrations are striking.
32 pp.
| Lee
| May, 2000
|
TradeISBN 1-58430-002-7$$15.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christy Hale.
This sequel to Elizabeti's Doll finds Elizabeti charged with the care of her younger brother. Right away she discovers the difference between caring for her cherished--and inert--rock doll and caring for a squirming toddler. The book shares with its predecessor a resolutely childlike point of view and a matter-of-fact but authentic presentation of another culture (that of rural Tanzania).
29 pp.
| Woodbine
| August, 1998
|
TradeISBN 1-890627-06-2$$14.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Pam DeVito.
When young Emma learns she'll have a new sibling soon, she thinks of all the activities she can do with the baby. But when her brother Isaac is born with Down syndrome, her father explains that she can probably do all of the activities she had planned, but that Isaac might require more time, patience, and help to do them. Unremarkable illustrations accompany the story, which focuses on portraying Isaac as a baby, rather than a baby with Down syndrome. Information about Down syndrome is appended.
32 pp.
| Lee
| September, 1998
|
TradeISBN 1-880000-70-9$$15.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Christy Hale.
Elizabeti, a contemporary Tanzanian girl, adopts an oval-shaped rock as a doll and names it Eva. The story tells about Eva's temporary disappearance, but the heart of the story is Elizabeti's acceptance of Eva not just as a real doll, but as a real person. The straightforward telling is smooth and clean, and the illustrations, echoing Eva's shape and color, are often oval vignettes with softly speckled backgrounds.