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Somewhere in Africa
Mennen, Ingrid//Daly, Niki
A boy named Ashraf lives in a city in South Africa. He compares the city to the countryside of Africa.

Elephant moon
Letord, Bijon
In the plains of Eastern Africa, elephants live in great open spaces, eat many different things, and share their land with lots of other animals. The elephants take care of each other and are beautiful and peaceful animals.

Gift of the sun: A tale from south africa
Stewart, Dianne
Thulani is a South African farmer who keeps trading his animals in order to please his wife until all he has is a pocket full of sunflower seeds. The sunflowers produce many more seeds, which are also used to feed the animals and eventually lead to more wealth for the family than ever before.

The talking cloth
Mitchell, Rhonda
Aunt Phoebe has a collection of many wonderful things, each having an interesting story. The little girl's favorite thing is an adinkra cloth from Ghana. It has many colors and symbols to represent feelings, faith, power, and love.

To be a drum
Coleman, Evelyn
Daddy Wes whispers to his two young children about the history of Africans forced into slavery and how the pulse of the drum has moved through them over time. Daddy Wes promises his children that as long as they can hear the heartbeat of the earth, they will be free.

Painted dreams
Williams, Karen Lynn
Ti Marie loves to paint, but her family is too poor to afford paint so she uses bricks, stones and charcoal. One day, as she is walking to the river, she sees Msie Antoine painting a snake and admires his art supplies. Later on in the night she decides to look through his trash to see if he has any left over supplies. She uses them to paint on the wall behind her family's place at the Haitian market. Find out how the people at the market react.

Somebody has done it, why can't you?
Annoh, G. Kwesi
Two sisters in Ghana pursue their dreams of becomming career women. They receive help from their parents and teachers, and work hard to study math and science. Abena becomes a mathematician and Akousa becomes a medical officer in public health.

The village of round and square houses
Grifalconi, Ann
In a village in West Africa, women live in round houses and men live in square houses. After supper, grandmother tells a story about the origin of these houses aand how it is related to the rupturing of volcanic mountain, Naka.

I lost my tooth in africa
Diakite, Penda
Amina and her parents take a trip to Mali to visit family. On the way, Amina realizes that her tooth is loose! While visiting her father's family, Amina loses the tooth and places it under a calabash tree. She receives a hen and a rooster from the African Tooth Fairy.

Where's Jamela?
Daly, Niki
A young girl named Jamela is upset when hearing the news from her mother that they will be moving to a new house. When itメs time to leave, everyone wonders where Jamela is and begin to search for her everywhere. Suddenly, she jumps out of a box from the back of the truck and agrees to go with her mother. On reaching her new house, she starts to like it and settles down in her room.

The most important gift of all
Conway, David
Ama wants to honor her newborn baby brother with a special gift, as is the custom of the people in her village. When Grandma Sisi suggests the gift of love Ama sets off in search of this important present, but how will she know when she has found it? This story celebrates a young girl's discovery of the most important gift of all.

My painted house, my friendly chicken, and me
Angelou, Maya
Thandi, an eight-year-old Ndebele girl who lives in a village in South Africa with her mother, aunts, sisters, and mischievous younger brother, shares her secrets with her best friend, a chicken.

Christmas eve blizzard
Vlahakis, Andrea
A beautiful cardinal is trapped in the snow until a young boy rescues him. Nicholas places more importance on caring for the injured bird than in decorating the Christmas tree or opening his gifts on Christmas morning. The cardinal sweetly and unexpectedly rewards the boy, his grandfather, and their entire village with a lifetime of Christmas cheer.

Loon chase
Diehl, Jean Heilprin
A boy discovers that his domesticated dog still has powerful instincts similar to animals in the wild. There is a surprise encounter between the dog and a mother loon: the bigger animal doesn't necessarily prevail. In his moment of wonder, the boy finally meets the loon himself.

Dancing feet
Agell, Charlotte
Diversity in the world is shown through rhythmical lyrics and warm pictures. Diversity also includes the names of major body parts and functions.

The giraffe who was afraid of heights
Ufer, David A.
A giraffe suffers from the fear of heights. His parents worry about his safety and send him to the village doctor for treatment. Along the way he befriends a monkey who is afraid of climbing trees and a hippo who is afraid of water. A life-threatening event causes the three friends to face and overcome each of their fears.

Oh, crumps! Ay, caramba!
Bock, Lee
One night, a sleepy farmer has a lot of chores to do and also has a hard time keeping his chore list straight. One mishap after another keeps him from getting sleep. As a result, he mixes up his tasks so that he plans to mow the cow, climb the fence, repair the hay, and milk the silo. Hopefully no one will disturb the farmer's sleep again before morning!

The steel pan of Harlem
Bootman, Colin
The city of Harlem has rats everywhere in houses, subways, restaurants, stores and business, and the citizens are fed up! One day, a steel pan man comes to the subway station and when he plays his music everyone is entranced, even the rats. He tells the mayor that he will fix the rat problem if the mayor pays him a million dollars. The mayor reluctantly agrees and the man keeps his promise. However, the mayor, does not keep his end of the bargain, so he is given what he deserves!

Can you find it, too?
Cressy, Judith
Come enjoy history through a collection of famous paintings. Each has its own personality and story. Search through each painting for objects and colors. Get imaginative and create your own stories or interpretations about the paintings.

How sitali learned a lesson
Mashiri, Pascal
As the oldest in his family Sitali is supposed to hunt and provide for his younger sisters. He learns a lesson about self-control and hard work after being made chief and then losing it all.

Our community garden
Pollak, Barbara
Neighborhood children plant a garden together and each contribute by helping to take care of the garden. They set goals, work hard, and build healthy friendship. After harvesting their crops, everyone from the community comes together for a special meal made from vegetables grown in the garden. What a nutritious, heart-warming treat!

Candy shop
Wahl, Jan
A young boy, Daniel, and his aunt Thelma take a trip to the market with money that he has earned. The boy is looking forward to visiting the candy shop but when they arrive they see a crowd and are faced with prejudice acts toward the owner of the store. Daniel and his aunt help comfort the owner and show true friendship.

Elephant dance: memories of India
Heine, Theresa
Ravi's grandfather comes from India so Ravi asks him questions aabout India. Grandfather uses a simile to describe different aspects of India. Ravi is interested in the elephants of India and dances an elephant dance.

Hedgehog haven: A story of a British hedgerow community
Dennard, Deborah
A young male hedgehog is learning about the ways of nature and how to survive within it. Through close encounters with danger, he learns how to change his life to survive. This young hedgehog takes many adventures to learn that every place and time is not always safe.

Manana, Iguana
Paul, Ann Whitford
Following the story line of Little Red Hen, Iguana decides to throw a fiesta and invite all of her friends. Set in the desert, the lazy cat, dog, and mouse are replaced by Conejo (rabbit), Culebra (Snake), and Tortuga (tortoise). As Iguana sets the stage for invitations, decorations, and of course, food preparation, her three lazy friends have an excuse for every task presented to them. Either they are too fast, too slow, or have no arms. As the evening of the fiesta approaches, Iguana decides that her three friends should not be included, as they did nothing. Feeling bad about not only being left out, but disappointing Iguana, the three friends decide to right the situation, and prove themselves worthy of her friendship.

I took the moon for a walk
Curtis, Carolyn
A little boy takes the moon on an adventurous walk. At first the moon is timid but then opens up to the little boy. They do things together such as swing, hold hands, and dance until the boy goes home to go to the sleep.

Hot air
Priceman, Marjorie
On September 19, 1783, the first flight of a hot air balloon was recorded. People gathered in Versailles to watch the first passengers: a duck, a sheep and a rooster take off. The balloon almost crashes into a steeple; duck fills the basket with water; and a bird pops a hole in the balloon before they land in the woods.

Going home, coming home
Tran, Truong
Ami Chi is going on a trip to Vietnam with her parents. Not very happy, Ami Chi sees her grandmother and her uncle. Along the way she meets a girl named Thao at the market. Thao shows Ami Chi all around the market. Ami Chi finally goes back to her grandmother's house, where her parents are worried. Now with an appreciation for her other home, Vietnam, she goes back home to America.

Cherry free
Bond, Ruskin
A girl from India gathers cherries and plants a cherry seed. She takes care of the cherry tree even when experiencing many problems. The girl watches the tree grow up as her grandfather watches her grow up.

Audrey and barbara
Lawson, Janet
Audrey has big ideas for herself and her cat, Barbara. She wants to cross the ocean in her bathtub sailboat to visit the Taj-Mahal and ride on an elephant. But will her imagination take her all the way to India?

Heaven's all star jazz band
Carter, Don
A young boy's grandpa dies and he goes to heaven. In heaven, his Grandpa Jack is in a jazz band with all the great musicians.

Shi-shi-etko
Campbell, Nichola I.
Shi-shi-etko is a young Native American who will be leaving for residential school in a few days. Before she leaves, her family takes her on walks and canoe rides to learn about nature. She gathers all the information she can and adds them to her memories before leaving.

Eating
Swain, Gwenyth
Food is eaten in different ways around the world and is prepared by different families. Real life photos glimpse into multiple eating customs and habits around the globe.

Myrtle
Pearson, Tracey Campbell
Myrtle the mouse has a very happy life until Frances the bully moves in next door. The bully won't leave her and her brother alone, so myrtle refuses to play outside anymore. Myrtle's aunt from Africa convinces her to come back outside and arms her with a plan to stop the bully.

Just like new
Manson, Ainslie
It is a time of war and children in England won't have Christmas presents. A little girl's class decides to give gifts they love that are like new. The little girl unselfishly gives up her most cherished doll and inserts a note, and a girl from England becomes her pen pal after receiving the gift.

The queen's progress: An Elizabethan alphabet
Mannis, Celeste Davidson
Queen Elizabeth I of England takes an alphabetical journey one letter at a time. Factual footnotes are written on each page. Learn how the queen travels, likes, and interacts with her people.

The spirit of tio fernando: A day of the dead story
Levy, Janice
Fernando, a little boy from Mexico, loses his favorite uncle. The family celebrates a holiday called Day of the Dead. Fernando must find the perfect gift to remember his uncle. What does he choose?

Welcoming babies
Knight, Margy Burns
People celebrate the gift of a new baby in different ways around the world. Babies are welcomed into their families using different customs like singing, kissing, touching, blessing, naming, and other special actions.

I dream of trains
Johnson, Angela
A young boy from Mississippi listens for the sound of the train whistle while doing his work as a sharecropper. As he picks cotton, he dreams of someday leaving on a train. He refers to the train whistle as a call to his soul.

The legend of mulan: A herione of anvient china
Jiang, Wei and Jiang, Cheng An
War breaks out in China and the men are summoned from each family to come fight. A young girl secretly disguises herself as a boy and fights in her brother's place. She has colorful adventures.

Nutik, the wolf pup
Gearge, Jean
As Eskimo girl brings a sickly wolf pup home to her brother who cares for it until it's old enough to rejoin the pack. The two grow close, so when it is time for the pup to leave, they can't say good-bye.

Girls a to z
Bunting, Eve
Here's a new twist on the alphabet, just for girls. For each letter of the alphabet, read a girl's name and her career matching that letter.

Beautiful blackbird
Bryan, Ashley
Colorful birds in the forest want to be like the blackbird. The blackbird teaches the other birds that each one is beautiful in its own unique way and that beauty does not come from a color.

The water hole
Base, Graeme
Enjoy this counting book from one to ten using various animals and wildlife. It takes place around a watering hold and follows the rain cycle. The pictures spring to life and realistically depict life around the world from countries to continents.

Soap, soap, soap/ Jabon, jabon, jabon
Dulemba, Elizabeth
Hugo's mama sends him to the store to buy soap. As a result of his comical adventures, soap is exactly what Hugo needs when he returns home.

The red piano
Leblanc-Barroux, Andre
A young pianist is sent to a re-education camp in China. She lives for her secretive two hours of music after a long day's work. Her parents managed to send a piano to Mother Han's house and she manages to smuggle music in notebooks. One night the pianist is caught at the piano, forcing her to live through an extended-re-education while her love and talent for music are challenged.

Amy's travels
Starke, Kathryn
Come along with Amy on her wonderful journey to all seven continents on earth. Read about the desert in Asia, the rainforest and jungles of Africa, the mountains of South America, and the cities of Europe. Feel the bitter cold of Antarctica, go on a safari, and meet people around the world who speak different languages. Traveling to brand new places is one of the most exciting ways to learn, and it's a trip you'll never forget!

Grandpa's gamble
Michelson, Richard
A brother and sister are tired of always having to be quiet so as not to interrupt Grandpa Sam while he is praying. The children think they have a very boring grandfather. Grandpa Sam overhears the children and tells them the story of his life. He was born a Jew in Poland and to escape persecution he came to the United States. He learns to gamble to make a living but when his daughter becomes very ill he decides to lead an honest, humble life and pray every morning and night. The children are now amazed by their Grandpa Sam's story and respect his prayer time.

The golden rule
Cooper, Ilene
A boy and his grandfather are standing on a city sidewalk when they see a billboard starting Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The boy asks his grandpa what it says and the grandpa reads it and explains the Golden Rule. The boy is intrigued by the rule and starts asking questions. The grandpa explains that each religion has their own version of the Golden Rule. They discuss what the world would be like if everyone followed the Golden Rule. The boy starts to understand the Golden Rule and the grandpa reminds him that the Golden Rule starts with one person: You. It beings with you.

Tiny and Bigman
Gershater, Phillis
Challenging stereotypical gender roles, Tiny and Bigman illustrate the unique people skills people have to help the world go around and to make a happy family. Tiny learns to use her large size, strength, and booming voice to help people in her community. Tiny falls in love with a small man who is hard of hearing. She builds their house, and he cooks and cleans.