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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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Soccer on Sunday (Magic Tree House (R) Merlin Mission)
Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #52, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #24: Soccer on Sunday. Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure. Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures. MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series as well as co-author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, along with her husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.
Reviews
"My 7 year old daughter loves the Magic Tree House books."
"I love to send surprises to my grandchildren in the mail....particularly a book!"
"We love Magic Treehouse books in my family!"
"My kid loved it!"
"My 6 year old first grader son is in love with these books."
"My son Loves these books!"
"My son loves these books."
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Lucia the Luchadora
Lucía the Luchadora named one of NPR's Best Books of 2017! Alyssa, along with her mini Mexican folk art collection and two little dogs, can be found in the beautiful and faraway Tasmania, where she currently resides.
Reviews
"such a great story that empowers any young lady!"
"The illustrations are cute but pretty 'busy' so this would be more appropriate for a bit older child (not a toddler)."
"I’m not sure who enjoys the story more, me or my daughter!"
"One of several books we gave our grandchildren for Christmas."
"Cute and empowering book for young girls."
"A different kind of super hero."
"Colorful illustrations and vivid reading - my 5 year old loves this story."
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Best Children's Art History

Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, talented musician, and dedicated scientist and inventor, designing flying machines, submarines, and even helicopters. Roberta Edwards lives in New York, New York.
Reviews
"My second grade son LOVES these books."
"How great is it to just go to your phone and download a good kids book when you little one forgets to bring home their nightly reading from school?"
"These series are wonderful for my 9year old son."
"We were going to take our granddaughter to the Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City, but wanted her to know a little about da Vinci before we went."
"Good book."
"They would read their own and then read other that they had heard of."
"I felt the story motivates and also encourages children to know that failure often means a way to success and to explore and do what you love, is a life worth living."
"While I w as on Amazon's website hunting for books for my 9 and 15 year old grandchildren to read before visiting Florence, Italy this summer, Amazon "linked" me to this book."
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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 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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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 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 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 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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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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