This is our world: from Alaska to the Amazon meet 20 children just like you.
By Tracey Turner, Åsa Gilland.
A colourful celebration of our planet's cultural and environmental diversity — an unforgettable journey that brings the people, customs and wildlife of 20 places around the world vividly to life for young readers.
My village: rhymes from around the world.
Collected by Danielle Wright; illustrated by Mique Moriuchi; introduction by Michael Rosen.
Collects poems and nursery rhymes from around the world, including such countries as China, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Iran, and provides the English translations along with the rhymes in their original languages.
Hopscotch around the world.
By Mary D. Lankford; illustrated by Karen Milone.
Presents directions for playing variations of hopscotch, an ancient game still played worldwide.
Hey You!
By Dapo Adeola & many illustrators.
This moving picture book honestly addresses the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future.
Hello world: a celebration of languages and curiosities.
By Jonathan Litton; illustrated by L'Atelier Cartographik.
With over 150 languages, flaps to reveal pronunciation and fact-files explaining how to write 'hi' in hieroglyphs and how to sign 'hao' in Native American hand talk. Hello World opens up a world of exploration and greetings at your fingertips.
Hats of faith.
By Medeia Cohan; illustrated by Sarah Walsh.
This book is a beautifully illustrated introduction to the shared custom of head covering.
Wisp: a story of hope.
By Zana Fraillon and Grahame Baker-Smith.
Idris is a child refugee, born into a world of tents and fences. He has known no other life than this. He has no memories of the world outside. Then the Wisp arrives, floating in on the evening breeze. Everyone who holds it finds their memories reawakened, their hopes of freedom reborn. But what about Idris, who has no memories? What will happen when he holds the magical Wisp?
My name is not refugee.
By Kate Milner.
A young boy discusses the journey he is about to make with his mother. They will leave their town, she explains, and it will be sad but also a little bit exciting. They will have to say goodbye to friends and loved ones, and that will be difficult. They will have to walk and walk and walk, and although they will see many new and interesting things, it will be difficult at times too.
Migrants.
By Issa Watanabe.
A vital and powerful wordless picture book of courage, loss and hope-everything it takes to migrate to a new land.
Rise of the lioness: restoring a habitat and its pride on the Liuwa Plains.
By Bradley Hague.
In western Zambia, the vibrant world of the Liuwa Plains provides a perfect habitat for zebras, wildebeests and the mighty lions. But poaching and war have damaged this isolated wilderness, reducing its lion population to just one: Lady, the last lioness.
Welsh fairytales: sixteen mysterious myths and legends from the hills and valleys of Wales.
Retold by Philip Wilson; illustrated by Sue Clarke and 4 others; introduction by Neil Philip.
The traditional stories of Wales conjure up a world of adventure and chivalry. Knights and princesses, kings and bards, and the little people who can make the impossible happen — these are just a few of the characters in the stories featured in this book.
My footprints.
By Bao Phi; illustrated by Basia Tran.
Upset after being bullied, Thuy, a Vietnamese American, pretends she is different creatures, including an especially strong, wonderful being made up of her two mothers and herself. Includes note about the phoenix and the Sarabha.
Dancing hands: how Teresa Carreño played the piano for President Lincoln.
By Margarita Engle; Rafael López.
As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals. Then a revolution in Venezuela forced her family to flee to the United States.
Dear Pope Francis.
By Pope Francis and the children of the world; in conversation with Antonio Spadaro, S.J.
Children from around the world voice their concerns to Pope Francis in letters accompanied by colourful drawings.
Heart and soul: the story of America and African Americans.
Words and paintings by Kadir Nelson.
A simple introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama.
Fry bread: a Native American family story.
By Kevin Noble Maillard; illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal.
Using illustrations that show the diversity in Native America and spare poetic text that emphasizes fry bread in terms of provenance, this volume tells the story of a post-colonial food that is a shared tradition for Native American families all across the North American continent. Includes a recipe and an extensive author note that delves into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America's 573 recognised tribes.
The blackbird girls.
By Anne Blankman.
On a spring morning, neighbours Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work — Chernobyl — has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna.
A 16th century mosque.
By Fiona Macdonald; series created by David Salariya; illustrated by Mark Bergin.
Discusses the design, construction and spiritual significance of Islamic mosques, looking in particular at those built in 16th century Istanbul.
The mouse and the ant.
Retold and illustrated by Lisala Halapua.
Mouse is tricked out of eating a banana by some ants.
Tokelau heroes.
By David Riley; illustrated by Moses Viliamu.
Tokelau heroes presents inspirational stories of achievers who have Tokelauan ancestry.
Lala salama: a Tanzanian lullaby.
By Patricia MacLachlan; illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon.
A mother relates the events of a peaceful day along the banks of Lake Tanganyika to her baby, wrapped up and ready for sleep.
Guji Guji.
By Chih-Yuan Chen.
Raised from an egg by Mother Duck, Guji Guji is quite content with life as a duckling, having no idea that he is actually a crocodile. Then one day three crocodiles ask Guji Guji to help them trap ducks. Can Guji Guji find a way to save his family?
Boy, everywhere.
By A. M. Dassu; cover illustration by Zainab Daby Faidhi.
Forced to sell all their belongings and leave their friends and beloved grandmother behind, Sami and his family travel across the Middle East to Turkey, where they end up in a smuggler's den. From there, they cross the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean and manage to fly to England, only to be separated and detained in an immigration prison for the crime of seeking asylum. Yet the transition from refugee to immigrant in a new life will be the greatest challenge Sami has ever faced.
Titan and the Wild Boars: the true cave rescue of the Thai Soccer Team.
By Susan Hood and Pathana Sornhiran; illustrated by Dow Phumiruk.
One afternoon, 11-year-old Titan, his friends from the Wild Boars soccer team, and their coach rode their bikes to explore local caves. They crawled through the narrow tunnels in the dark to reach the center of the cave. When they turned to go home, heavy rains had flooded the tunnel. They were trapped. With rising waters and monsoon season upon them, time and oxygen were running out.
The revenge of the black cat: Swiss myths.
Edited and retold by Katja Alves.
Offers 23 traditional tales from different regions of Switzerland, featuring ghosts, dwarfs, goblins, demons, devils, and dragons.
My happy life.
By Rose Lagercrantz; illustrated by Eva Eriksson; translated by Julia Marshall.
Story of a young girl with a lot of optimism, even though events in her life sometimes make it hard for her to be happy.
Brothers in hope: the story of the lost boys of Sudan.
By Mary Williams; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.
Eight-year-old Garang, orphaned by a civil war in Sudan, finds the inner strength to help lead other boys as they trek hundreds of miles seeking safety in Ethiopia, then Kenya, and finally in the United States.
The boy who met a whale.
By Nizrana Farook.
A thrilling adventure set in fictional Sri Lanka, jam-packed with peril and kidnap and a huge blue whale!
All you knead is love.
By Tanya Guerrero.
Banished from her abusive home for a summer with her estranged grandmother in Barcelona, 12-year-old Alba feels hope and love while exploring a newly discovered passion for bread baking.
Books and bricks: how a school rebuilt the community.
By Sindiwe Magona, in collaboration with Ellen Mayer; with an afterword by Dr. Allistair Witten.
Residents of an impoverished South African town find new hope when they come together at their school and start a brickmaking business.
Muktar and the camels.
By Janet Graber; illustrated by Scott Mack.
Muktar, an 11-year-old refugee living in a Kenyan orphanage, dreams of tending camels again, as he did with his nomadic family in Somalia, and has a chance to prove himself when a traveling librarian with an injured camel arrives at his school.
A day of surprises: life in the Solomon Islands.
By Claire Blunt; illustrated by Philip Webb.
The whole community comes to the island's school and goes down to the seashore to watch a special delivery of resources for the students. They watch the packages being lowered from a coastal cargo ship into the chief's motorised long canoe.
Lizard's tale.
By Weng Wai Chan (NZ author).
It's Singapore in 1940, war is just around the corner, but 12-year-old Lizard doesn't know that. He lives in Chinatown above a tailor's shop, surviving on his wits and hustling for odd jobs.
Ballerina dreams: a true story.
By Michaela DePrince and Elaine DePrince; pictures by Ella Okstad.
At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true.
Hello Scottish animals!
By Kate McLelland.
Say hello to Scotland's most famous animals! From leaping red squirrels and hungry highland coos, to jumping dolphins and playful otters, children will love the fun and friendly illustrations. But what's that splash, splash, splashing in Loch Ness?
The green bicycle.
By Haifaa Al-Mansour.
Since girls do not ride bikes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 11-year-old Wadjda has a scheme to get her own.
Mose and the Manumea.
By Jane Va'afusuaga and Rebecca Stirnemann; illustrated by Christina Brady.
A Sāmoan story of adventure as two boys search for the manumea. Their thrilling journey takes them from the village at the coast to the dark forest, discovering wonders along the way.
To Carnival!: a celebration in Saint Lucia.
By Baptiste Paul; illustrated by Jana Glatt.
The sights, sounds and tastes of vibrant Saint Lucia come to life in this cumulative #OwnVoices tale of a girl's journey to Carnival. When a series of unexpected delays disrupts her journey to the big parade, Melba must adjust both her expectations and her route to the festivities. Who will she meet and what will she learn along the way?
The real boat.
By Marina Aromshtam; illustrated by Victoria Semykina; translated from Russian by Olga Varshaver.
A magical picture book about a little paper boat that wants to be a real boat on a real ocean.
Nadia: the girl who couldn't sit still.
By Karlin Gray; illustrated by Christine Davenier.
Nadia Comaneci was a feisty and fearless little girl who went from climbing trees in the forests of Romania to swinging into history at the 1976 Olympic Games, where she received an unprecedented seven perfect scores in gymnastics.
Love from A to Z.
By S.K. Ali.
After a chance meeting in an airport, Adam and Zayneb are thrown together during spring break. Both have obstacles they need to overcome to be themselves and to be together. S.K. Ali creates believable, likeable characters in this character driven novel that explores what it’s like to be a young adult trying to be true to yourself and your beliefs.
Three balls of wool (can change the world).
By Yara Kono, Henriqueta Cristina; translated by Lyn Miller-Lachmann.
Exiled from their homeland, a young girl and her entire family are unhappy about the monochrome sweaters all children wear until Mom decides to make a change. Includes facts about Portugal's history and government, about Amnesty International, and the text of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
A winter's day in 1939.
By Melinda Szymanik (NZ author).
Adam is 12 years old and lives with his family on a small farm in rural Poland. It is 1939 and the war has just broken out. Russians invade Poland and confiscate Adam's family's house and farm. They are sent to live with another family nearby, but are then moved on and put on a train for a Russian labour camp as refugees, prisoners of Russia.
Cora cooks pancit.
By Dorina Lazo Gilmore; illustrated by Kristi Valiant.
When all her older siblings are away, Cora's mother finally lets her help make pancit, a Filipino noodle dish. Includes a recipe for pancit.
Zonia's rain forest.
By Juana Martinez-Neal; Asháninka translation by Arlynder Sett Gaspar Paulino.
Zonia's home is the Amazon rain forest, where it is always green and full of life. Every morning, the rain forest calls to Zonia, and every morning she answers. She visits the sloth family, greets the giant anteater, and runs with the speedy jaguar. But one morning, the rain forest calls to her in a troubled voice. How will Zonia answer?
Ada's violin: the story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay.
By Susan Hood; illustrated by Sally Wern Comport.
The extraordinary true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
The shark caller.
By Zillah Bethell; cover, inside and map illustrations by Saara Katariina Söderlund.
Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing's island. At first, the girls are too angry to share their secrets and become friends. But when the tide breathes the promise of treasure, they must journey together to the bottom of the ocean to brave the deadliest shark of them all.
Sitti's secrets.
By Naomi Shihab Nye; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.
When Sitti, an American girl, goes to visit her grandmother in her small Middle Eastern village on the other side of the world, they don't need words to understand each other's heart.
Malala's magic pencil.
By Malala Yousafzai; illustrated by Kerascoët.
As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil that she could use to redraw reality. She would use it to give gifts to her family, to erase the smell from the rubbish dump near her house, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. As she grew older, Malala wished for bigger and bigger things. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realised that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.
A girl called Genghis Khan: how Maria Toorpakai Wazir pretended to be a boy, defied the Taliban, and became a world famous squash player.
By Michelle Lord; illustrated by Shehzil Malik.
Meet Maria Toorpakai Wazir, a brave Pakistani girl who pursued her love of sports in spite of being taunted and beaten. When the President of Pakistan gave Maria an award for outstanding achievement, the Taliban threatened her squash club, family, and life. Forced to quit the team, she continued to practice in her bedroom — every day for three years!
