Latham, Irene Archives - Diverse BookFinder

"Fans of clever poetry and numbers rejoice! Nine is a book of nine-line poems called nonets, all about the number nine! Hey! Hi there! Love nonets? I’m sure you do. What are they, you ask? You don’t know a nonet? Not even one little one? Actually, they’re all the same size! They’re poems, of course—and here’s your first! Each poem in this clever collection is a nonet: a nine-line poem that starts with nine syllables in the first line and ends with one syllable in the ninth line (or the reverse). But these nonets go even further! Every one is also written with the number nine at its heart. There’s plenty to love and learn: topics include the nine months it takes a baby to be born, cats’ nine lives, baseball’s nine players, and the nine-banded armadillo. Some feature history, such as the Little Rock Nine, the spacecraft Apollo 9, the ninth president; others explain idioms, like “dressed to the nines,” “cloud nine,” and “the whole nine yards.” Explore these and more with nonets galore!" -- publisher

The Cat Man of Aleppo

2020

by Irene Latham, Karim Shamsi-Basha and Yuko Shimizu

"The Caldecott Honor-winning true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who in the midst of the Syrian Civil War courageously offered safe haven to Aleppo’s abandoned cats. Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay—he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe." -- publisher

Can I touch your hair?

2018

by Irene Latham, Charles Waters and Sean Qualls

Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, present paired poems about topics including family dinners, sports, recess, and much more. This relatable collection explores different experiences of race in America.