Best Children's Explore Latin America
Only Steve Duncan and his friend Pitch know of the valley hidden behind the high cliffs of the remote Caribbean Azul Island.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a fun read for anyone who wants to have a fabulous adventure."
"A little put there with science fiction but a great story."
"It also teaches a little exciting history even if history is not all that exciting."
"My daughter is now falling in love with Farley's gorgeous, wild, spirited horses!"
"The Island Stallion is my favorite book of the series."
"A trip back to the horse-crazy days of my youth!"
¡El perro con sombrero! Meet Pepe! VERDICT A good addition for bilingual collections and collections where dog stories are popular.—Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, League City, TX “Move over, Puss in Boots and Cat in the Hat; now there's el Perro con Sombrero and el Gato con Zapatos....A nifty bilingual treat.” ― Kirkus Reviews. “Bright illustrations, quick action scenes, and warm humor are sure to draw the attention of young readers....its positive message about what is important in life will resonate with the picture book crowd.” ― School Library Journal.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The languages are placed one after the other, English in black with Spanish underneath in red in short segments, so that readers can refer to both for easy comparison and learning. The facial expressions are superb, ranging from the kind-hearted grocer who gives Pepe a bone , the savvy movie director, to the malicious el gatito con zapatos and at last the loving family."
"Bought this Spanish book for my 3 year old daughter."
"My three year old granddaughter loves the book and is learning the Spanish words!"
"This is one of my two year old grandson's favorite books!"
"This When Derek Taylor Kent, the bloke who wrote the Scary School Middle Grade series, asked me if I was interested in reviewing his picture book, El Perro Con Sombrero, I was immediately intrigued. The title told me everything I needed to know for me to want this book not to suck: it stars a dog with a sombrero, a villain cat, and it’s bilingual Spanish? A disturbing modern trend is to portray cats exclusively as noble protagonists when they clearly make fantastic villains, like in the Russian satirical novel, Master and Margarita, in which the cat, a devil incarnate named Behemoth, is mad about guns, vodka, and has the most hilarious lines. He stars in many films, including what I think is probably the one that smashed the box office – one where he eats a habanero pepper. But while he has achieved all of the capitalist objectives for a happy life such as owning a big house, driving a fancy car, having lots of money and adoring fans, he is still lonely and he knows his success hinges on a hat. The antagonist appears in the form of el Gato en zapatos, who is jealous of his success and decides to steal his sombrero. Naturally, a requisite chase sequence ensues as he runs after el Gato through several locations, including a supermarket where they knock things off the aisles, until he traps el Gato at the sandbox and we assume can physically overpower her enough to get the hat back. As a Papa who doesn’t speak much Spanish, I’ve read a few Spanglish books like Little Roja Riding Hood."
"We absolutely loved this book."
"Jed Henry’s illustrations are great at capturing Pepe’s emotions as he goes from a dog on the street, to a celebrity, to a dog who goes after what’s been taken from him. El Perro con Sombrero can be read over and over again, in several different ways: English only, Spanish only, or with a translation for each line."
From award-winning author Susan Hood and illustrator Sally Wern Comport comes the extraordinary true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash. Gr 2–5—Hood tells the story of a real child growing up in an actual place—Cateura—a community of people who live and feed themselves by picking through the tons of trash generated by the capital city of Asunción, Paraguay, and salvaging items to recycle and sell. He enlisted the help of the gancheros (recyclers), and they fashioned cellos from oil drums, flutes out of water pipes, and guitars from packing crates. VERDICT A virtuoso piece of nonfiction, gloriously told and illustrated.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal "The mixed-media collages are a particular effective medium for this true story, layering images of Ada and the orchestra over the landfill. The nuances of the subject may strike a stronger chord with adults rather than children, but the interesting visuals and the underlying message of hope and perseverance should help this find an audience." (Booklist ). "Comport's complex, digitally enhanced collages combine acrylics, drawing, and layered typographic elements, conveying both the oppressive omnipresence of garbage and the functional beauty of the handcrafted instruments.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It opened my children's eyes up to a part of the world they had never considered and to realities that were almost unimaginable for them, but that led to good discussion and a greater compassion."
"There are several videos on YouTube about this particular group, including a 60 Minutes segment with interviews from Ada and her family, as well as other members of this orchestra."
"I read it to my students and after I had finished the book the entire class was deathly silent, an amazing feat for rambunctious second graders. In the village of Cateura, the main garbage dump for Asuncion, Paraguay, a girl named Ada wanted to learn how to play music."
"I have used the book in conjunction with videos as an extension lesson in my Spanish classroom to demonstrate the importance of becoming bilingual, which for some is difficult and requires a lot of work."
"It is a poignant and heartwarming book that is wonderfully inspirational."
"Shared with a senior who knows members of the area's acclaimed orchestra and June Music Festival."
"great story for children..u never know what improv."
"Wonderful book with excellent message."
Best Children's Latin America Fiction
It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at thirteen, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. Maia, however, is resourceful enough to find herself smack in the middle of more excitement than she ever imagined, from a mysterious "Indian" with an inheritance, to an itinerant actor dreading his impending adolescence, to a remarkable journey down the Amazon in search of the legendary giant sloth. Ibbotson (Island of the Aunts) offers another larger-than-life adventure featuring lovable heroes and heroines, nasty villains, much hilarity and a deliciously gnarled plot. Her life would be dismal indeed, if she didn't sneak out every once in a while to meet up with two other orphans with whom she has crossed paths: Clovis, a traveling actor, who longs to return to England, and Finn, a rich heir, who would rather live with the "Indians" than be sent to the British estate where his grandfather eagerly awaits his arrival.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is the best book I've read in a very long time."
"It's quite young and unrealistic, but it's the type of book I would like my hypothetical children to read one day."
"The story is a great adventure story for children & adults."
"We were searching for books about the Amazon when we came upon Journey to the River Sea."
"I've never wanted to spend any time in a jungle."
"This book is adventure it feels like you are right there with them it gives you the sight to what is beautiful I would recommend this book to anyone I gave it fives stars because of its story it had a meaning and you felt it ."
"This is a wonderful story which brought back many memories of wonderful times spent in the Amazon, walking trails, collecting bananas, floating down rivers, and traveling in wooden motor boats."
"A trip from an English boarding school to the middle of the Amazon River for a young orphan girl."
Best Children's Explore Africa Books
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. Then, a miracle happens: Salva returns home to help his people and builds a well, making fresh water available for the community and freeing Nya to go to school. The switching viewpoints may initially disorient some, but young readers will be stunned by the triumphant climax of the former refugee who makes a difference with the necessities that we all take for granted. Teachers may want to point out the allusion to Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom (1995) echoed in this moving book’s title.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
"Bought this for my grandson , great price and he needed it for school project."
"This book was everything I expected and much more."
"Read it with your children or grandchildren."
"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."
"I read this aloud to my kids and they loved it!"
"Needed for school."
"My niece read this for school on my Kindle."
Best Children's Explore Asia Books
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Explore Canada Books
As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where everything was taken away. "…Robertson handles a delicate task here admirably well: explaining residential schools, that shameful legacy, and making them understandable to small children. Flett’s gorgeous, skillful illustrations have a flattened, faux naïve feel to them, like construction paper collage, a style that works perfectly with the story. She nicely contrasts the school’s dull browns and grays with the riotous colors surrounding Nókom and gets much expression from her simple silhouettes. Flett's spring palette of warm blues and browns punctuated with splashes of red contrasts the loving moments between grandmother and granddaughter with stark winter whites and grays depicting boarding school life. The repetitive structure creates a predictable narrative; together the illustrations and Robertson's child-centred text make the boarding school experience accessible to a young audience without glossing over its harshness. A beautifully rendered story of resisitance and love, this is made all the more luminous by Flett's art - not just by flashes of fuschsia or scarlet among ochre grasses, but by her precisely observed images of the compact bodies of the uniformed children, bowed beneath the weight of the scissors, or lovingly tending each other's hair. "Done simply, but with devastating clearness this is the story of a woman telling her granddaughter of her time in one of the boarding schools to which Canadian First Nation children were taken.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The illustrations certainly complement the story."
"If you are looking for a book that can show aspects of the dark history of residential schools in a way that really young kids can read, understand and relate to, this is it."
"It's always tricky to write about traumatic experiences -- you don't want to pretend that they have no effect on children and therefore weren't that bad, but at the same time you want to honor the resilience that people do have."
"This book teaches about a dark chapter in Canada's history in a way that is appropriate for children."
"Absolutely a must buy in any picture book collection for any age."
Best Children's Explore Mexico Books
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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Explore Europe Books
Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits? “ Anna and the French Kiss charms [readers] with its Parisian setting and très bien boy.”. — MTV.com. --Lauren Myracle, New York Times bestselling author of Peace, Love and Baby Ducks and Let It Snow. Gr 9 Up–Anna Oliphant has big plans for her senior year in Atlanta: hang out with her best friend, Bridgette, and flirt with her coworker at the Royal Midtown 14 multiplex. Teens will feel like they are strolling through the City of Lights in this starry-eyed story of finding love when you least expect it.–Kimberly Castle, Medina County District Library, OH. Featuring vivid descriptions of Parisian culture and places, and a cast of diverse, multifaceted characters, including adults, this lively title incorporates plenty of issues that will resonate with teens, from mean girls to the quest for confidence and the complexities of relationships in all their forms. Despite its length and predictable crossed-signal plot twists, Perkins’ debut, narrated in Anna’s likable, introspective voice, is an absorbing and enjoyable read that highlights how home can refer to someone, not just somewhere.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have never hidden my love of Stephanie Perkin’s books and when I was in the middle of a reading slump I knew exactly what would help me: Lola and the Boy Next Door. Since I just visited San Francisco there were so many parts of this story that stuck out for me this round of reading it: The Japanese Tea Garden, Mission Delores Park, the city itself. She lives with her dads, she’s enjoying her boyfriend, Max, her job and her coworker named Anna. One thing I constantly love about Perkin’s books is the sneaks of other characters, from Anna to St. Clair they all came back and helped to answer those unanswered questions. It’s also painful when the characters make poor life choices because I want to shake them, but that’s something powerful about YA books that I love."
"What can I say about Lola and the Boy Next Door? I mean how was Stephanie Perkins going to make me feel the same things about Lola and Cricket that I did about Anne and Etienne? Lola and the Boy Next Door is the story of Lola Nolan. Until one day, the day Lola dreaded most in the world, the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return net door and her life turns upside down. Lola and the Boy Next Door is the story about two people with a history. Lola may be out there with all of her costumes and her crazy style, but she really is a girl that you can relate to because we have all been Lola at some point in our lives and we have all had out Cricket in one way or another. Whether it is Lola and Cricket, Lola’s parents Andy and Nathan, her Lindsey, Calliope, whoever, you are in vested in their well being."
"This book has pretty much everything I expected - a love triangle, a wonderful setting, a beautiful boy, drama, and a quirky lead character. As a sewer, I loved that Lola was able to create her own outfits, and even save the day with her sewing machine! He's not only what is classified as a good-looking guy, but I loved that he was able to own up to his past mistakes in order to move forward in his life."
Best Children's Explore the World Fiction
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. Even Squanto adds, “No more slaves to the Common House.” As for factual inaccuracies, Paul Revere never said, “The British are coming!” That was Mr. Longfellow.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Explore Middle East Books
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world -- and did. Her strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today. "Although her efforts to attend school, and the subsequent attack she endured, make for a powerful story, Yousafzai writes just as vividly about her daily life as a child in Pakistan.... Yousafzai's fresh, straightforward voice creates an easily read narrative that will introduce a slew of younger readers to both her story and her mission. [Yousafzai's] strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today....― SLJ.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My 11-year old son read this and was so touched and inspired by Malala's story."
"Malala tells her story...of her love for the beautifull Swat Valley of her childhood, and her father who dedicated his life to providing education to all the children of the area. integrated schools became a target along with Malala and her father who continued in a very public way to resist this assault on education."
"I started reading I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb) because I was intrigued by, and interested in Malala: this world-famous and almost impossibly inspirational crusader for education, this fiercely well-spoken and outspoken girl, this youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner ever, this survivor of a terrorist attack."
"The story of Malala was somewhat interesting."
"If you want to learn more nitty-gritty details of the take over of SWAT by the Taliban and its effects on the lives of people living there, this is the book for you."
"Her voice is very clear, and my students felt like they "got to know her" well."
"In the vein of "The Diary of Anne Frank", Malala presents an honest account of life besieged by constant terrorism and military force."
"I found "I AM Malala" to be very well written and full of detailed information about her previous life, her school, friends and family times before she was shot by the Taliban."
Best Children's Explore United States Books
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. Even Squanto adds, “No more slaves to the Common House.” As for factual inaccuracies, Paul Revere never said, “The British are coming!” That was Mr. Longfellow.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Rush Limbaugh has created a very good history of the story of the Puritans (also known as the "Pilgrims") who came to the North American continent in order to have the kind of religious freedom they were denied at home in England. The author does an excellent job of not only showing all the pitfalls and tragedies encountered by the Puritans but also their Christian faith as the key to their perseverance and ultimate victory in survival and success in creating their colony."
"What a marvelous way to present the history and TRUE telling of early life in AMERICA."
"The history is explained without distorting or judging the intent and reasoning behind the major personalities and groups involved, and that is an important viewpoint to read if you want a complete picture of the historical events and environment this book is all about."
"Great gift for kids up to teens: they will love it and ask for more!"
"Basically the story is interesting, though the kids in it [from modern times] are a bit over. the top in being constantly sarcastic, as it the talking horse."
"Great story to get your kids interested in the history of our nation."
"Does not gloss over or belittle of Pilgrims' accomplishments."
"My just turned 9-year-old is laughing out loud as he reads this book."
Best Children's Explore Polar Regions Books
Tacky’s an odd bird, or Penguin rather, who likes to do splashy cannonballs and greet his companions with a loud “What’s happening?” In fact, he’s something of an eccentric, which his fellow penguins find somewhat bothersome until his odd behavior saves the day! With his un-penguin-like antics, Tacky puzzles the hunters to such an extent that they're firmly convinced they cannot be in the ``land of the pretty penguins.''. 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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Children's Australia & Oceania
In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
"Love these books."