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Picture Books January 2017
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Happy in Our Skin
by Fran Manushkin; illustrated by Lauren Tobia
"This is how we all begin: small and happy in our skin." Starting with a close-up of a baby being tickled by doting parents, this joyful celebration of human skin zooms out to show a lively urban neighborhood filled with people of various ages, genders, abilities, religions, and (of course) skin colors. Young readers are treated to a rhyming run-down of all the things skin can do (such as itching, healing, and growing) before being refocused on the family from the beginning, now all tuckered out from a boisterous block party. For another upbeat look at human diversity, pick up George Shannon's One Family or Shelley Rotner's photo-illustrated Shades of People.
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One Family
by George Shannon; illustrated by Blanca Gómez
In this interactive picture book, kids are asked to consider "just how many things can 'one' be?" Here, "one" is definitely a family, and similar to Mary Hoffman's The Great Big Book of Families, One Family's chunky, winsome illustrations show family groups of diverse ages, ethnic backgrounds, and genders. In addition to these warm family portraits, the book also introduces the concept of many things in one -- such as five people in a family, or three pears in a bowl -- and reinforces it with sets of objects and people for kids to count. Destined for repeated readings, One Family "sends the message that everyone counts" (Kirkus Reviews).
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I'm New Here
by Anne Sibley O'Brien
In this inclusive spin on the traditional "new kid in school" story, three new Americans take on their first day of class in the U.S. Each has a burning concern: Maria from Guatamala is having trouble with the harsh sounds of English; Jin from Korea feels like he can't write his stories with English letters; and Fatimah from Somalia is worried that she doesn't fit in with her classmates. Readers can take heart right along with the characters as each one finds their way to a sense of belonging. Cheerful watercolor illustrations support this sweetly straightforward tale, which will reassure for newcomers as well as their classmates.
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Thunder Boy Jr.
by Sherman Alexie; illustrated by Yuyi Morales
In his picture book debut, celebrated author Sherman Alexie addresses the frustration of being a namesake. See, Thunder Boy Smith Jr. HATES his name. He looks up to his dad, but he wants a name that's unique. Brainstorming new names with his lively American Indian family yields some interesting suggestions -- maybe he should he be called "Mud in His Ears," or "Can't Run Fast While Laughing"? -- before dad finally picks the perfect name for his spirited son. Through mixed-media illustrations that crackle with color, award-winning illustrator Yuyi Morales skillfully underscores the connections between a child's dreams, his culture, and his loving family.
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Rainbow weaver
by Linda Elovitz Marshall
Ixchel, a young Mayan girl who is not allowed to use her mother's thread to weave, exercises her ingenuity and repurposes plastic bags to create colorful weavings. Includes glossary and author's note
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Mirror
by Jeannie Baker
Follows the intricately drawn, parallel stories of two families: one in an Australian city and another in a North African village, depicting how each follow respective morning routines before embarking on culturally representative shopping trips. By the author of the award-winning Where the Forest Meets the Sea. Jr Lib Guild.
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How do you say? = : Cómo se dice?
by Angela N Dominguez
"The story of two giraffes - one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking - that overcome the language barrier to forge a friendship"
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Haiku baby
by Betsy E. Snyder
The simple delights in baby's natural world--a bird, a fish, a leaf, a snowflake, a raindrop--are celebrated in the traditional Japanese poetic form, the haiku, in a little board book with tabs.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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