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230 pp.
| Scholastic
| March, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-439-22424-1$$16.95
(4)
YA
A child soldier rescued from fictional Lasai, Africa, and taken to London, Kaninda wants to return to Lasai to fight, but he's drawn into the neighborhood gang war and his foster sister's anguish over a hit-and-run accident. The dialogue is filled with difficult-to-decipher London slang, but the hard, gritty approach to atrocities witnessed and committed is ultimately believable.
32 pp.
| Kane/Miller
| March, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-929132-20-4$$15.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Andree Prigent.
In this French import, Tibili, an African boy, asks Crope the spider how to get out of going to school. Crope's answer is in the Box of Knowledge, but Tibili can't open it because he can't read the directions. The smudgy crayoned illustrations are unpolished, but the taut writing and simple story form a pleasant whole.
55 pp.
| Hampton
| April, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-57174-282-4$$17.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mariah Fox.
The early life of reggae singer Marley is related here, including his family life in Nine Miles, Jamaica, and his sojourn in Kingston after his father promised him schooling. Few of the influences, save poverty, that shaped the singer's work are cited, but a combination of text (coauthored by Marley's daughter) and naive yet attractive color art help show Marley's cultural background. A timeline and discography are included. Glos.
64 pp.
| Enslow
| January, 2002
|
LibraryISBN 0-7660-1766-4$$17.95
(4)
4-6
Sports Great Books series.
The formulaic, adulatory books in this series adequately profile a superstar athlete, briefly covering the subject's childhood and college (or early) career before focusing on professional success. The text features lots of important game (or race) highlights and is accompanied by repetitive black-and-white action shots. Fans and report writers will be satisfied. A chart of career stats is appended. Ind. [Review covers these titles: Sports Great Alex Rodriguez, Sports Great Jeff Gordon, Sports Great Vince Carter, Sports Great Tim Duncan.]
(1)
K-3
Illustrated by
David Wisniewski.
Shepard recounts the exploits of a boastful he-man named Shadusa who meets his match--and then some. The superhero stature of the characters translates to the deftly executed comic-book form. The frame-by-frame progression underlines the comic timing of the story as well as the supense. This fresh, funny, and perfectly paced narrative screams story hour, while the hugely appealing comic-book design will win reluctant readers.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2001
48 pp.
| Raintree
| March, 2001
|
LibraryISBN 0-8172-5716-0$$27.12
(3)
4-6
Famous Lives series.
The lives of these two famous leaders are each related in streamlined fashion, combining personal details with just the highlights of their public careers. The layout includes plenty of white space, boxed quotes from the subjects, and large-size photos (of varying quality) that show Mandela and Castro at various stages in their lives and offer background on their countries. Chronologies are included. Bib., glos., ind.
32 pp.
| Farrar
| August, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-374-35602-5$$16.00
(2)
PS
After feeding and caring for the family's Christmas chicken, Jamela (Jamela's Dress) can't bear to see it boiled up for dinner and so sneaks out with the chicken. Predictable mayhem ensues when the chicken gets away, but Mama's undertanding makes everything right. The heart of the story is the girl's emotions. This well-focused picture book set in a South African town features lively illustrations that capture Jamela's spirit.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2001
128 pp.
| Enslow
| June, 2001
|
LibraryISBN 0-7660-1463-0$$20.95
(3)
4-6
In World History series.
Encapsulating Nelson Mandela's contributions to racial justice in South Africa and explaining the conditions that motivated his activism, including twenty-seven years in prison, Gaines's narrative moves quickly but clearly. The balanced account is carefully footnoted and enriched with black-and-white photos, maps, a time line, and excerpts from source documents. Bib., ind.
120 pp.
| Scholastic/Orchard
| April, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-531-30331-4$$15.95
(3)
4-6
When his father moves out, twelve-year-old Tall T, his siblings, and their mother must find ways to manage without him. This novel, set in Jamaica in the 1960s and based on Hinds's actual childhood experiences, gets its substance from the vivid details of island life. In spite of Tall T's father's desertion and the abject poverty of the family, the novel has a triumphant tone. Glos.
(4)
K-3
Hand-sewn fabric illustrations distinguish this tale inspired by Caribbean folklore. When Emanuel, "a very small chile," disobeys his grandmother, he provokes the wrath of the village's spiritual protector, Mista Mocko Jumbie. The text is so skeletal that the author's notes and glossary are essential reading, but the "story fabric" technique is impressive and expressive.
40 pp.
| Atheneum/Schwartz
| February, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-689-82460-2$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Lori Lohstoeter.
This book is intended to publicize the work of the Heifer Project, a group that provides livestock to people in developing countries. In the story, Beatrice's life changes for the better when her family receives a goat. The warm tones of the acrylic paintings, the loving family depicted, and the sincere text relate the everyday activities of a young Ugandan girl. An afterword by Hillary Rodham Clinton gives information about the organization.
(1)
YA
In 1995 Lagos, Nigeria, twelve-year-old Sade's mother is shot to death by gunmen aiming for Sade's journalist father. To ensure his children's safety, her father arranges false identities and sends Sade and her younger brother to London. This scrupulously well-observed narrative stays snug inside Sade's head, giving scenes immediacy and vividness. The book honors its political and ethical engagements and succeeds as a first-rate escape-adventure story as well. Glos.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2001
32 pp.
| Holiday
| March, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1529-5$$16.95
(4)
K-3
A young boy explores a garden, discovering creatures in every corner--a garter snake coiled among grapevines, a turtle napping beneath rhubarb leaves, worms wiggling through the dirt--until he finds his own private place. The rhythmic free-verse text is illustrated with realistic watercolors, which, though sometimes too pale, home in on the bounty of a fertile garden.
32 pp.
| Holt
| May, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6159-2$$15.95
(3)
PS
The popular rhyme has been modified to feature a lion instead of a bear and is set in an African savanna. Two young girls "swish swash" through the grass, "splish splash" through a lake, and "squish squash" through a swamp before reaching the lion's cave. The colorful, impressionistic illustrations show a realistic but non-threatening lion following them as they quickly backtrack toward home.
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Floyd Cooper.
"Come, wisemen, to worship / O come to the barn / The sweetest of babies / Is here safe and warm." Published here for the first time, the brief text celebrating the ancient miracle of the birth of Christ is gently rhythmic, though not entirely well rhymed. What makes the book of interest is the art: oil paintings of a multicultural cast of angels, shepherds, and wise men paying homage to a brown Baby Jesus.
48 pp.
| Holt
| June, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6161-4$$16.95
(3)
K-3
Cecile yearns for her mother, who has left their Caribbean home to find work on the mainland. Although her grandmother and grandfather care well for her, Cecile is truly excited when her mother sends for her during the school vacation. The lives of many children whose parents must leave their homes to find economic opportunity is reflected in this tale. The rich paintings are full of details, and a folktale about a mermaid is interwoven in the story.
(4)
YA
Women Changing the World series.
Ramphele is a South African doctor who organized against apartheid; Bhatt is an Indian lawyer who created a union and bank for poor women. Adulatory biographies profile these inspiring women's lives and summarize (and sometimes oversimplify) the conditions against which they work. Illustrated with standard black-and-white photos, each book contains a time line. Bib., glos., ind.
141 pp.
| Scholastic
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-439-11210-9$$10.95
(3)
4-6
Royal Diaries series.
This fictional diary of the unconventional sixteenth-century warrior queen of Angola wisely stays close to known facts, yet manages to bring out the story of a girl learning to abhor slavery and fight the Portuguese invasion. One third of the book is taken up with generous background and source information, dark black-and-white contemporary photos, maps, and historical engravings. Glos.
40 pp.
| Whitman
| November, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8075-7315-9$$15.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Daniel Minter.
This story is based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Seven quarrelsome brothers from a small Ghanaian village are a source of disappointment to their father. When he dies, he leaves his sons a challenge to earn his inheritance. They must work together to make gold out of silk thread; if they argue and fail, they receive nothing. Vibrant linoleum block prints accompany the rhythmic text, which concludes with instructions on weaving Kente-style cloth.
32 pp.
| Atheneum
| October, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-689-81673-1$$16.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Synthia Saint James.
"A sprinkle of stars, / A plume of smoke, / A plum-purple sky, / And a black baby Jesus-- / Hallelujah!" Nikola-Lisa describes different colors, repeating the rather bald "black baby Jesus" refrain, while Saint-James's simple color-block paintings show scenes from the Nativity. Combining an ethnically-specific Jesus with the color-concept element is odd, but many will welcome the book's inclusive intentions.