Children's Picture Books: Stories set in Haiti

Songs in the shade of the cashew and coconut trees

2019

by Nathalie Soussana and Judith Gueyfier

Songs about children playing in the schoolyard, sisters braiding each other's hair at the beach, and parents dancing late into the night mesh together thanks to the music. A wide array of styles--nursery rhymes from Gabon, lullabies from Cape Verde, and rumbas from the Congo--are performed in more than a dozen languages. Luminous artwork and homegrown instruments round off this wonderful celebration of history, language, and culture. Lyrics apShow Less eir original language and in English, along with notes on culture, a world map, and a code for song downloads and print-outs.

Eight days

2010

by Edwidge Danticat and Alix Delinois

Junior tells of the games he played in his mind during the eight days he was trapped in his house after the devastating January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Includes author's note about Haitian children before the earthquake and her own children's reactions to the disaster.

Sofi paints her dreams / Sofi pinta sus suenos

2019

by Raquel M. Ortiz and Roberta Collier-Morales

After a bad school day, Sofi is transported from a New York City community garden to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and helps composer Juan Luis and artist Guerlande.

Auntie Luce’s talking paintings

2018

by Francie Latour and Ken Daley

"Every winter, a young girl flies to Haiti to visit her Auntie Luce, a painter. The moment she steps off the plane, she feels a wall of heat, and familiar sights soon follow - the boys selling water ice by the pink cathedral, the tap tap buses in the busy streets, the fog and steep winding road to her aunt's home in the mountains. The girl has always loved Auntie Luce's paintings - the houses tucked into the hillside, colorful fishing boats by the water, heroes who fought for and won the country's independence. Through Haiti's colors, the girl comes to understand this place her family calls home."--|cProvided by publisher

Josias, hold the book

2006

by Jennifer Riesmeyer. Elvgren and Nicole Tadgell

Each day Chrislove asks his friend Josias when he will "hold the book,"; or join them at school, but Josias can only think of tending the bean garden so that his family will have enough food

Calling the water drum

2016

by LaTisha Redding and Aaron Boyd

"A young boy loses both parents as they attempt to flee Haiti for a better life, and afterward is only able to process his grief and communicate with the outside world through playing the drums. Includes author's note"-- |cProvided by publisher

¡Fiesta!

2009

by Sherry Shahan and Paula Barragán

Describes a festival or holiday celebrated in Latin America for each month of the year, from the feast of Saint Anthony in January through Mexico's Cinco de Mayo, an Inca festival in Peru in June, and a ritual of African origin in Brazil in September

Songs in the shade of the flamboyant tree

2004

by Chantal. Grosléziat and Paul. Mindy

A collection of 30 lullabies and nursery rhymes performed by children, men and women from Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion celebrate the culture and sound of the tropical islands, in a volume complemented by informative facts and lyrics in French Creole and English

Hope for Haiti

2010

by Jesse Joshua. Watson

As the dust settled on Port-au-Prince, hope was the last thing anybody could see. When the earth shook, his whole neighborhood disappeared. Now a boy and his mother are living in the soccer stadium, in a shelter made of tin and bedsheets, with long lines for food and water. But even with so much sorrow all around, he finds a child playing with a soccer ball made of rags. Soon many children are caught up in the magic of the game that transports them out of their bleak surroundings and into a world where anything is possible. Then the kids are given a truly wonderful gift. A soccer ball might seem simple, but really it's a powerful link between a heartbroken country's past and its hopes for the future. Jesse Joshua Watson has created an inspiring testament to the strength of the Haitian people and the promise of children.

I Came from the Water: One Haitian Boy’s Incredible Tale of Survival

2012

by Vanita Oelschlager and Mike Blanc

Tells the story of a young boy who was swept down the river and lost his family when Tropical Storm Jeanne hit Haiti in 2004 and then ended up in an orphanage where he weathered the 2010 earthquake, in a work based on actual events.