Koncocoo

Best Children's African-American Stories

Bud, Not Buddy
The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy who decides to hit the road to find his father—from Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963 , a Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud’s got a few things going for him: AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS. AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK. AN IRA CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD WINNER. NAMED TO 14 STATE AWARD LISTS. “The book is a gem, of value to all ages, not just the young people to whom it is aimed.” — The Christian Science Monitor “Will keep readers engrossed from first page to last.” — Publishers Weekly , Starred. “Curtis writes with a razor-sharp intelligence that grabs the reader by the heart and never lets go. And, being 10, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl." As in his Newbery Honor-winning debut, The Watsons Go to BirminghamA1963, Curtis draws on a remarkable and disarming mix of comedy and pathos, this time to describe the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. And even when he sets up a daunting scenario, he makes readers laughAfor example, mopping floors for the rejecting Calloway, Bud pretends the mop is "that underwater boat in the book Momma read to me, Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea."
Reviews
"It stands true to form that something is easier to teach after you've read the novel."
"Got for my grand-daugter for her required reading summer for school."
"It's a great way for children to learn about life in southern America during the 1930s."
"I recommend this book to anyone who likes a story that always has you wanting to read on to find out what happens next."
"The quality of books from this company was exceptional."
"Bud, Not Buddy always has me in a fit of giggles."
"This was such a incredible book to read."
Find Best Price at Amazon
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
The Newbery. and Coretta Scott King Honoree about the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan—. from Christopher Paul Curtis, author of Bud, Not Buddy , a Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott Award Winner. That happened in the mid-'90s when Christopher Paul Curtis released his first book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 ." Constantly in trouble for one thing or another, from straightening his hair into a "conk" to lighting fires to freezing his lips to the mirror of the new family car, Byron finally pushes his family too far. Before this "official juvenile delinquent" can cut school or steal change one more time, Momma and Dad finally make good on their threat to send him to the deep south to spend the summer with his tiny, strict grandmother. Christopher Paul Curtis's alternately hilarious and deeply moving novel, winner of the Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott King Honor, blends the fictional account of an African American family with the factual events of the violent summer of 1963.
Reviews
"While reading this book I felt as if I was going through the life of the Watsons."
"One of my favorite parts is when Kenny, the main character, explained the how to survive a blizzard prank."
"Very good to spark the tough discussions of differences and the things our country is experiencing as I write this review."
"There are some too silly parts, like an older brother who gets his tongue stuck on a frozen rear view mirror, and installing a record player in a car. The mother threatens to burn the older brother who is caught playing with matches again. In the end the big brother who was a problem earlier now feels compassion and concern for his little brother and helps him deal with his feelings."
"This was a very entertaining book that kept you reading."
"I particularly enjoyed how the Civil Rights part of the boom rains an undertone until the end."
"What a superbly written story of a very unique family whose characters are so beautifully defined."
"Read independantly, middle schoolers will enjoy the humor and be interested in the historical context, but will be left a little disappointed by the ending."
Find Best Price at Amazon
Twenty Yawns
Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley’s first picture book, illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, evokes the splashy fun of the beach and the quietude of a moonlit night, with twenty yawns sprinkled in for children to discover and count. Lucy’s sense of solitude is sharpened as she sees her drawings hanging on her bedroom wall: “Everyone in the pictures seemed to be watching her—Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Elizabeth, Mom, and Dad.” But this haunted moment passes, and by the time Lucy has put her beloved stuffed animals to bed, she’s calm and ready for sleep.
Reviews
"A child on the older end of that range may be a little bored with it but my 3 year old loved it. I downloaded this on the kindle app on my iPad Air 2 and it came through well formatted and easy to read. The second screenshot shows a comparison of the regular text and how it is magnified if you double tap on it."
"Starting as a fun day at the beach, this book ends with everyone yawning!"
"The author, Jane Smiley, has written a lovely story about Lucy, her family and what happened one night when she was very tired. Lucy and her mom and dad spent the entire day at the beach. This is a lovely story that most children and parents will find relevant and helpful to their lives."
"I closed the book, and my five year old looked up at me, still yawning said, "Let's do it again." With all of us still yawning,we decided to put the book away for now and do it again soon."
"By the end of a day filled with sand castles, kites, and rolling down the dunes, everyone is ready for an early bedtime. In each appearance they are doing something different - watching Lucy run after a seagull, helping her fly a kite, swinging her between them as they hold her hands. Those who are reading independently will enjoy the humor of parents falling asleep while the child is wide awake, or the idea that a teddy bear looks especially tired."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Children's Nature Books

The Story of Ferdinand (Picture Puffins)
In WWII times, Adolf Hitler ordered the book burned in Nazi Germany, while Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, granted it privileged status as the only non-communist children's book allowed in Poland. Ferdinand is a little bull who much prefers sitting quietly under a cork tree-- just smelling the flowers--to jumping around, snorting, and butting heads with other bulls. In a show of bovine irony, the one day Ferdinand is most definitely not sitting quietly under the cork tree (due to a frightful sting), is the selfsame day that five men come to choose the "biggest, fastest, roughest bull" for the bullfights in Madrid.
Reviews
"I found "The Story of Ferdinand" among Amazon's list of "100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime", and am ashamed to say I had never heard of this book that's been around for 80 years now and was the #1 book in America - topping Gone with the Wind! This is certainly not a book most children these days will be used to, with its completely black and white illustrations, but - for the right age - a child who's ready to focus more on a story line versus needing lots of bright colors to hold his/her attention, the illustrations do a beautiful job of reflecting the gentleness of Ferdinand, who much prefers to "sit just quietly and smell the flowers" while the other bulls run and jump around, butting heads, and his wise mother who - though occasionally worried about him and what he may face by not conforming to the norm - understood that he was happy."
"A beautiful book and a sweet story!"
"Reading good literature with an easy to comprehend story line is a great place to start your young readers."
"Loved this book as a kid, I bought it for my neighbor's little girl who is 8."
"I remember well the Disney adaptation with Don Wilson as the narrator."
"Present for granddaughter!"
"Loved this read."
"The original, high-quality Viking editions placed text and illustrations in a layout that let the story breathe -- the amount of text on each page and the space within the drawings set the pace of the story."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Children's Native American Stories

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He expects disaster when he transfers from the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the "poor-ass" Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation.
Reviews
"I enjoyed it."
"An excellent book for teenage & young adults living difficult lives."
"I will be reading his other books,but they are probably not as good as good."
"Alexie is over-rated."
"I highly recommend this book!"
"My husband said the language brought back memories of his junior high days in the junior high locker room."
"This book, though, is great for understanding many of the experiences of Native Americans in our country."
"I knew nothing about growing up as a native American, and was delighted with the perspectives, humor, sadness and plot turns."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Children's Asia & Asia America Stories

Inside Out and Back Again
This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." Written in accessible, short free-verse poems, Hà’s immediate narrative describes her mistakes—both humorous and heartbreaking—with grammar, customs, and dress (she wears a flannel nightgown to school, for example); and readers will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom. Eventually, Hà does get back at the sneering kids who bully her at school, and she finds help adjusting to her new life from a kind teacher who lost a son in Vietnam.
Reviews
"It seemed like a great story for my granddaughter who likes to read."
"My great-grand daughter enjoyed this book because it coincide with their studying about immigrants in school."
"Got the narrative with the story and it was great."
"Beautiful, haunting story."
"bought the kindle and hard cover."
"Such a nice story, recommend it to anyone."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Children's Hispanic & Latino Stories

Esperanza Rising
When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it. Told in a lyrical, fairy tale - like style, Ryan's (riding Freedom) robust novel set in 1930 captures a Mexican girl's fall from riches, her immigration to California and her growing awareness of class and ethnic tensions. Readers will be swept up by vivid descriptions of California dust storms or by the police crackdown on a labor strike ("The picket signs lay on the ground, discarded, and like a mass of marbles that had already been hit, the strikers scattered?"). (Oct.). Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Grade 6-9-Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation, not only to a new country but also into a different social class. Set against the multiethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including dire illness and a difficult romance.
Reviews
"Arrived in a timely manner and was as described in product description."
"Arrived on time and as advertised."
"We would've never chosen this book had it not been required reading for my 10 year old son."
"A library patrons' favorite."
"Glad I got to read this book."
"Good book for preteen ages."
"I love this book."
Find Best Price at Amazon