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Best Children's Africa Books

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way. *Starred Review* After 11-year-old Salva’s school in Sudan is attacked by brutal rebel soldiers in 1985, he describes several terrifying years on the run in visceral detail: “The rain, the mad current, the bullets, the crocodiles, the welter of arms and legs, the screams, the blood.” Finally, he makes it to refugee camps in Ethiopia and then Kenya, where he is one of 3,000 young men chosen to go to America. In chapters that alternate with Salva’s story, Nya, a young Sudanese girl in 2008, talks about daily life, in which she walks eight hours to fetch water for her family.
Reviews
"I bought the feature that reads it to him which he loved and made it more interesting since they had music and the reader used different voices for each character."
"IM 26 and am not a reader."
"First of all I didn't realize this was a true story, don't know how I missed it."
"Bought this for my grandson , great price and he needed it for school project."
"I'm reading this aloud to my 5th grade class -- they love it, particularly the more exciting story of the boy who is evading lions, crocodiles, starvation, and soldiers to get to America."
"My niece read this for school on my Kindle."
"Amazing story with quite a twist."
"Great product and quick delivery...highly recommend!"
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Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile
The sequel to James Patterson's bestselling series launch Treasure Hunters is another hilarious, hair-raising and highly-illustrated adventure for the First Family of Action! "Short chapters, copious illustrations, and a rollicking, nonstop plot....The fiercely loyal Kidds and a healthy dose of humor... make this fun-filled adventure series stand out.... ― Kirkus Reviews "The second volume in the accessible Treasure Hunters series offers the same likable heroes, high-octane adventures, and pun-rich humor as the first. "This new series promises it all: ruthless pirates, CIA spies, terrorists, stolen works of art and priceless treasure.
Reviews
"His YA books are fun and encourage young readers because they deal with topics that are interesting to them at that age."
"Very good books."
"This book was an easy read , full of fun, and had a great ending."
"my 9yr old enjoys these books."
"Only wish there were MORE in this series to get my son."
"Initially I was buying House of robots by the same author,my son raved over the Treasure hunters series, and house of robots was a dud.he finished both in two weeks."
"Another great series by James Patterson!"
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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way. *Starred Review* After 11-year-old Salva’s school in Sudan is attacked by brutal rebel soldiers in 1985, he describes several terrifying years on the run in visceral detail: “The rain, the mad current, the bullets, the crocodiles, the welter of arms and legs, the screams, the blood.” Finally, he makes it to refugee camps in Ethiopia and then Kenya, where he is one of 3,000 young men chosen to go to America. In chapters that alternate with Salva’s story, Nya, a young Sudanese girl in 2008, talks about daily life, in which she walks eight hours to fetch water for her family.
Reviews
"I bought the feature that reads it to him which he loved and made it more interesting since they had music and the reader used different voices for each character."
"IM 26 and am not a reader."
"First of all I didn't realize this was a true story, don't know how I missed it."
"Bought this for my grandson , great price and he needed it for school project."
"I'm reading this aloud to my 5th grade class -- they love it, particularly the more exciting story of the boy who is evading lions, crocodiles, starvation, and soldiers to get to America."
"My niece read this for school on my Kindle."
"Amazing story with quite a twist."
"Great product and quick delivery...highly recommend!"
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Best Children's Kwanzaa Books

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story (Albert Whitman Prairie Paperback)
In an African village live seven brothers who make life miserable with their constant fighting. This latest title is an original folktale that will help introduce children to the holiday's seven principles, while also suggesting how Kente cloth was first created. Working together, the brothers create a tapestry of Kente cloth, the first multicolored cloth the village has seen, which they sell to the king's treasurer for gold, before returning to their village to farm and live harmoniously.
Reviews
"It's a great story to read aloud and would make a super gift for any young reader."
"This was a wonderful book - read it to my 3rd graders during Kwanzaa unit!"
"Wonderful approach to the Kwanzaa celebration and many other life lessons!"
"I bought this book to teach about Holidays around the world."
"daughter uses it in her class."
"Great story and glad we added it to our Kwanzaa book collection this year."
"My students and I loved this book!"
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Best Children's Cycling Books

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's inspiring true story—which was turned into a film, Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey—is nothing short of remarkable. Thompson's lucidly written text explains how Yeboah cycled 400 miles in 2001 to raise awareness, forever changing how Ghanaians perceived those with disabilities.
Reviews
"When Emmanuel loses his mother as a teenager, he is determined to honor her by showing everyone “that being disabled does not mean being unable.” Emmanuel organizes and completes a 400-mile bike ride across Ghana to bring attention to the difficulties the disabled in the country face."
"This is a lovely story, beautifully illustrated."
"Inspiring story, perfect for a child with special needs who must overcome huge obstacles."
"The moving true story of a boy in Ghana who has the courage to overcome a disability and become a respected adult."
"Beautiful Story!!!"
"Looking for children's book that explained inclusion amongst diverse cultures."
"bought for a school to teach abt kindness and courage born w one leg ..he became a great cyclist."
"My son loves this book!"
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Best Children's African Folk Tales

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (Reading Rainbow Books)
Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration Caledcott Honor Reading Rainbow Book Boston Globe-Horn Book. When the king decided to take a wife and invited "The Most Worthy and Beautiful Daughters in the Land" to appear before him, Mufaro declared proudly that only the king could choose between Nyasha and Manyara.
Reviews
"I recommend this for every child to read, worth every penny."
"I remember reading this story growing up."
"Wonderful book with a great message."
"Saw this on Reading Rainbow years ago."
"The picture of the beautiful young girl will appeal to the female members of this African village."
"It is a wonderful Cinderella story written with a cultural twist."
"My kids, at 3 and 1, are not quite ready for this book."
"This was my favorite book growing up as a child and I purchased it for a friend of mine daughter, it's a great book and the moral of the story is great and relatable at any age."
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Best Children's Asia Books

Tikki Tikki Tembo
Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-. chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo! In this folktale, help is slow in coming when a Chinese boy falls into a well, since the boy's long and difficult name must be pronounced in full.
Reviews
"Read to my children and grandchildren.They love to learn the name that gets repeted over and over."
"Read this to my sons when they were little and now my grandchildren LOVE it; usually most requested book and they love saying Tikki Tikki Tembo's name."
"My children loved this when they were little and now their children are loving it."
"One of my favorite books from childhood."
"One of the greatest bedtime books of all time."
"One of my favorite childhood books!"
"(We always read a book before bed."
"This book is a classic!"
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Best Children's Canada Books

Who Is Wayne Gretzky? (Who Was?)
After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it's no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as "The Great One." Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, of the Montreal Canadiens, was the first National Hockey League player to do it, in the 1944–1945 season. Finally New York Islander Mike Bossy tied the record thirty-six years later. One season later, Wayne Gretzky, just twenty years old, skated onto the ice. On this gusty winter day, Wayne felt lucky. By the end of the second period, he scored again for a hat trick: three goals altogether. Five minutes into the third period, Wayne slid the puck around a rushing defender. Philadelphia left their net wide open. Grant Fuhr, the Oilers’ goalie, pushed the puck to right wing Glenn Anderson. “Pass it to me!” Wayne shouted from the Flyers’ zone. Wayne Gretzky didn’t just break the record. And by the end of the season, Wayne scored ninety-two goals in eighty games for another record. Wayne would go on to break or tie more than sixty records. (In hockey, players earn a point for each goal or assist.). Wayne wasn’t the biggest or fastest or strongest. Wayne Douglas Gretzky was a different kind of hockey player, almost from the time he could walk. Chapter 1: Growing Up Gretzky In Canada, hockey is THE sport. When Canadian children dream of being a pro athlete, most don’t think of baseball or football. Wayne was born on January 26, 1961, in Brantford, a small city in the province of Ontario, Canada. Just skated.” And that’s where it all began—on the river running right past the Gretzky family farm. It’s where Alexander Graham Bell worked on his landmark invention. It hit Walter on the head, cracking his helmet. After Wayne, Walter and Phyllis had four more children: Kim, Keith, Brent, and Glen. On weekends, they’d all troop out to the family farm to visit their grandparents. Every Sunday after church, Grandma Gretzky made a huge dinner. So she served traditional Polish food like pierogi, a kind of dumpling. And every Saturday night, from the time Wayne was little, the family gathered around the TV. They watched a show called Hockey Night in Canada . Using a tiny hockey stick, he’d shoot a rubber ball or rolled-up sock between Grandma’s legs. Poor Walter waited for hours in the freezing cold. Now Walter could sit in his warm kitchen and watch Wayne out the window. The family called it “Wally Coliseum.”. Wayne wanted to learn everything about playing hockey. So his parents tried to sign him up for the Brantford Atom league team.
Reviews
"My son loves the book and is a huge fan of Wayne Gretzky to the point of having his hockey jersy the same number as Wayne's."
"My son loved this book."
"we would read a chapter a night and he would LOVE going to bed to hear more."
"Im 10 and i hate reading but i just got sucked into this book and read it for 40 minutes and finished it."
"My son read this for Accelerated Reader testing at school; the whole family learned about the Great One's life."
"My 10 year old enjoyed it very much."
"My nine year old son loved the book."
"My Grandson is only 12 years old, and by reading this book over and over he already knows who Wayne Gretzky is."
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Best Children's Mexico Books

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos , written by Monica Brown and illustrated by John Parra, is based on the life of one of the world's most influential painters, Frida Kahlo, and the animals that inspired her art and life. Featuring charming visuals and lively, often lyrical prose, this picture book introduces Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, interweaving biographical details while highlighting her special relationships with pets...Rich-hued, folk art–style illustrations incorporate evocative touches, fanciful details, and collagelike compositions. With their folk-art sensibility, Parra’s elegant acrylic paintings evoke Kahlo’s style, her palette and her Mexican environment, but he creates a mood of harmony with the natural world and a lively, cheerful abundance all his own.
Reviews
"This is a sweet book by the talented artist Frida Kahlo."
"Lovely story and illustrations are lovely."
"Beautiful book."
"The book is age appropriate and deals with the tragic parts of Kahlo's life in a good manner, not neglecting to mention them, but not dwelling on her illnesses or chronic pain or difficulties either. I liked how the illustrations in the book included reminders of her chronic pain and difficulties, such as a wheelchair and prosthesis, without explicitly overemphasizing them."
"This picture book biography focuses on Frida Kahlo’s lifelong relationship with animals. Brown uses the animals in Kahlo’s life to point out specific characteristics of her personality, each tied to a specific pet."
"I feel like the texture and quality of Frida Kahlo's life, which really comes through in this story, gives illustrator John Parra a chance to shine and do a kind of world building that I don't remember seeing in his other work."
"A picture book biography of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that highlights her childhood and teen years (and some adult life too) through the lens of the pets she kept and how she was like some of them. The animal focus and the use of similes to compare the animals’ characteristics with Frida’s brought up aspects of Frida Kahlo’s personality and stories from her childhood none of the other books have touched on. Kids will be enchanted by the various animals she had as pets and will start hunting down Kahlo’s artwork in which they appear (there’s a list in the back of the book along with some further information on Kahlo and her pets)."
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Best Children's Europe Books

The Christmas Wish
This New York Times bestselling Nordic tale in the tradition of The Snowman, The Polar Express, and the many books of Jan Brett will have readers of all ages believing in the magic of Christmas. The full-page photographs look like they could be movie stills, so sharp and seamless are the figures that Anja and the animals cut against the winter landscape of Northern lights, glaciers, and snowy pine trees.
Reviews
"My kids were enamored at the first page and loved the story of trying to find the north pole."
"We have a collection of Christmas books to read during December and this one was a standout this year."
"What an adorable story."
"Great book!"
"Beautiful story."
"Beautiful story, great gift for adults and children alike."
"Such a Beautiful book!"
"Beautiful book to keep for years to come."
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Best Children's Middle East Books

Craig & Fred Young Readers' Edition: A Marine, a Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other
What he didn’t expect was to meet a stray dog, with a big goofy head and little legs—a dog all on his own, filthy and covered in bugs, in a bomb-ridden district, but who carried himself with confidence. When not travelling with Fred, he works intensively with veteran organizations, including the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program and the Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors (TAPS).
Reviews
"As far as I can tell, it is the exact same story, however any profanity has been taken out and the children's version also moves chronologically in time, while the adult version jumps between two different points (one chapter will be Craig's deployment in Afghanistan, and the next Stateside during a roadtrip he took with a fellow Marine)."
"Amazing story— reading with my grandson....and we love it!!"
"My 11 year old is reading this now he loves it.."
"I read a brief note about this book somewhere and decided to give it a read knowing it is suggested for young people."
"It was heartwarming and hopeful to read about his positive interactions with the Afghan people as well as to see how far the Afghan citizens would go to maintain some sort of normalcy in their lives. I also liked that the book didn't just end once Craig come home and was reunited with Fred; instead, it continued on, showing the challenges both Craig and Fred faced while trying to regain normalcy themselves. The copy I read was the young reader's edition, and I feel like it would be the perfect gift for any youngster in your life who is interested in the military and/or lovable dogs."
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Best Children's Polar Regions Books

Tacky the Penguin
Tacky's perfect friends find him annoying until his odd behavior saves the day. Mun singer cheerfully captures the mood of the tale with her whimsical, full-color illustrations that are particularly strong in depicting the hunters' deter mined, then befuddled, expressions and Tacky's madcap antics.
Reviews
"Wonderful story telling us it's ok to be different...embrace it in fact 😉."
""Tacky the Penguin," was a book I read to my sister when we were children."
"This is a great book about being different!"
"Love Tacky books."
"Great book for teaching character traits."
"This was a really cute book that I bought to read as a "mystery reader" for my granddaughter's class."
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Best Children's Australia & Oceania Books

Moana Little Golden Book (Disney Moana)
In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island.
Reviews
"Love our little Golden books, especially the Disney ones."
"Gave at Christmas and the little child likes Moana."
"My son loves Moana and this book is a great summary with beautiful illustrations."
"My baby granddaughter will love this book!"
"Typical children's book."
"Perfect for reading to small children."
"My kids love it , they have watched the movie many time."
"Book was very cute."
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Best Children's Central & South America Books

A Little Book of Sloth
Hang around just like a sloth and get to know the delightful residents of the Avarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, the world’s largest sloth orphanage. Cooke, photographer, zoologist, and founder of the Sloth Appreciation Society, introduces a rehabilitation sanctuary in “a sleepy corner of Costa Rica,” home to approximately 150 slow-moving residents. Judy Arroyo is “mom” to each of these creatures, from Buttercup, the first tiny orphan that landed on her doorstep, to Sunshine and Sammy, rescued from poachers.
Reviews
""Crazy sloth lady" approved item!"
"Sweet book about the sloths in a Costa Rican sanctuary and their personal quirks."
"Great book and informational!"
"I bought this for my daughter and she loves it."
"My young teen granddaughter has fallen in love with sloths and I bought this book for her."
"Gave this book to a sloth lover after I returned from Costa Rica."
"Animal lovers will love to see the sloths and they will love hearing about how sloths are being saved."
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Best Children's Books on the U.S.

Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans
America’s #1 radio talk-show host and multi-million-copy #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a book for young readers with a history teacher who travels back in time to have adventures with exceptional Americans. Talk about a rock star—this guy wanted to protect young America so badly, he rode through those bumpy, cobblestone-y streets shouting “the British are coming!” On a horse. But what if you could get the real picture—by actually going back in time and seeing with your own eyes how our great country came to be? Our exceptional nation is waiting to be discovered all over again by exceptional young patriots— like you ! After offering a wide-ranging definition of American exceptionalism that begins with the statement that the U.S. is a “land built on true freedom and individual liberty, and it defends both around the world,” Limbaugh goes on to explain that the Founders believed all people were born to be “free as individuals.” Really? The book’s premise is that a substitute history teacher, Rush Revere, who dresses like his hero, Paul, along with his talking horse, Liberty, can go back in time. The text is wordy, and many of the pages are spent on the banter between Rush and Liberty, occasionally amusing but mostly just filling space, as do the tedious explanations of the way time travel works. They hadn’t been spoiled by wall-to-wall carpets, central heating and microwave ovens.” The fact that many modern-day people do experience incredible hardships, albeit different from the Pilgrims, seems not to have occurred to Limbaugh. Apparently, the turnaround for the struggling colony came “when every family was assigned its own plot of land to work.” Rush Revere drives home the point that it was after the Pilgrims stopped sharing the profits that success was ensured.
Reviews
"Great story to get your kids interested in the history of our nation."
"Does not gloss over or belittle of Pilgrims' accomplishments."
"Gift for my home-schooled granddaughter."
"My 8 yr old loves these books!"
"my grandson of 8 can't wait for the next one."
"Humor to teach US history."
"purchased copies for all the grandchildren."
"Rush has written 3 very good books for middle school age children."
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