Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.
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Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean
"Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean tells its story through the memories of a farm boy who, inspired by Pu Zhelong, became a scientist himself. The narrator is a composite of people Pu Zhelong influenced in his work. With further context from Melanie Chan’s historically precise watercolors, this story will immerse young readers in Chinese culture, the natural history of insects, and the use of biological controls in farming. Backmatter provides context and background for this lovely, sophisticated picture book about nature, science, and Communist China. “The first time I saw a scientist in my village was also the first time I saw a wasp hatch out of a moth’s egg,” writes the narrator of this picture book about Chinese scientist Pu Zhelong. “In that moment I could not have said which was the more unexpected—or the more miraculous.” Winner of The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, Selected for the CCBC Choices 2019 list, Children's Literature Freeman Award 2018, A Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2019. In the early 1960s, while Rachel Carson was writing and defending Silent Spring in the U.S., Pu Zhelong was teaching peasants in Mao Zedong’s Communist China how to forgo pesticides and instead use parasitic wasps to control the moths that were decimating crops and contributing to China’s widespread famine. This story told through the memories of a farm boy (a composite of people inspired by Pu Zhelong) will immerse young readers in Chinese culture, the natural history of insects, and sustainable agriculture. Backmatter provides historical context for this lovely, sophisticated picture book. The author, Sigrid Schmalzer, won the Joseph Levenson Post-1900 Book Prize for 2018 for her book Red Revolution, Green Revolution. This is the most prestigious prize for a book about Chinese history, and the book upon which Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean is based." -- publisher
Krit Dreams of Dragon Fruit
"A beautifully illustrated, Zen-inspired picture book for children ages 4-8 about moving to a new home, making friends, and finding beauty wherever you are. Krit and his dog, Mu, love their beautiful home in Thailand—full of golden temples, colorful mountainsides, and endless adventures. Everything seems perfect until Krit’s mother announces they will be moving to the frigid city of Chicago. At first, Krit tries to adjust to this unfamiliar place, but he can’t do any of the things he used to love. Missing Thailand, Krit asks his mother to tell him a story about home. But instead of a story, she gives Krit a koan—a Zen riddle—to puzzle through. Krit wonders what the story about a blade of grass and Buddha’s smile have to do with home, but in solving the puzzle, Krit meets a new friend and learns that home is wherever he makes it." -- publisher
A map into the world
As the seasons change, so too does a young Hmong girl’s world. She moves into a new home with her family and encounters both birth and death. As this curious girl explores life inside her house and beyond, she collects bits of the natural world. But who are her treasures for? -- publisher
Fatima the spinner and the tent
"Fatima's life is beset with what seems to be disasters. Her journey leads her from Morocco to the Mediterranean, Egypt, Turkey and, finally, to China. It is in China that she realizes that what seemed at the time to be really unfortunate events were an integral part of her eventual fulfillment."--Jacket flap
Chachaji’s Cup
A boy learns about his family history and the Partition of India from his great uncle, through stories told over a beloved old teacup.
Yao Bai and the egg pirates
Young Yao Bai suggests a plan to outwit the pirates coming to steal the seabird eggs he, his father, and his uncle have gathered from an island near San Francisco.
Mr. Mergler, Beethoven, and me
"An elderly piano teacher takes a young music student under his wing and changes her life. This story is inspired by events in the life of Daniel Mergler - a wonderful musician who loved to teach and whose generous spirit inspires author and journalist David Gutnick to this day.
One green apple
While on a school field trip to an orchard to make cider, a young immigrant named Farah gains self-confidence when the green apple she picks perfectly complements the other students' red apples.
The day you begin
Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself but later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider.
Listening with my heart
In today's hyper-competitive world, kids often internalize the message that their worth is attached to their accomplishments and that messing up is something to be ashamed of, rather than a normal part of life, which can lead to critical self-talk. Listening with My Heart reminds us of the other golden rule--to treat ourselves like we would treat a friend. When we do this, we are practicing self-compassion.--Provided by publisher