Multicultural Book Reviews
77 book reviews found, page 6 of 16. Narrow results by selecting age range:
Fisherman and His Wife
Rachel Isadora (2008), 32 pages
Illustrated by Rachel Isadora
Audience: Preschool - 2nd Grade
A fisherman catches a fish then throws it back when it speaks and begs for his life. When his wife finds out she sends him back to ask for a wish, a hut to replace the pigsty they live in. Her wish is granted, only to cause her greed to grow. She soon demands a castle, then to be king, emperor, and finally pope. Collage-style illustrations supplement spare text in this retelling of a popular folktale.
Similar books: The fisherman and his wife: a brand new version by Rosemary Wells. The Ugly Duckling, Hansel & Gretel, Rapunzel by Isadora Duncan
Awards won: Parents' Choice Award, 2008
Reviewed by: djd
Date read: 7/7/2009
ISBN-10: 0399247718
ISBN-13: 9780399247712
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It's scary enough to leave your old school and your old friends to begin sixth grade. But Rosemary will be one of just a few African American students at Robertson Elementary School, and when her best friend gets polio, she will be the only African American student in sixth grade. Her parent's troubled marriage is scary too, and now she has no one to talk to. Rosemary finds two new friends in very unexpected places, and she also learns to believe in herself. A very personal look into a troubled time in our history.
Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award 2011
Reviewed by: donna
Date read: 4/27/2010
ISBN-10: 043966098X
ISBN-13: 9780439660983
Gift from Childhood: Memories of an African Boyhood
Baba Wague Diakite (2010), 134 pages
Illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite
Audience: 4th Grade - 8th Grade
Accomplished illustrator Baba Wague Diakite tells the story of his boyhood in a small village in Mali, West Africa. Each chapter describes something interesting he learned from people in the village or from daily life. When Baba asks when he can go to school, his grandmother tells him, 'You will go to school when you are educated.' Finally, Baba is considered educated, and is sent back to the big city of Bamako where he lives with his mother and attends school. The beautiful illustrations, many painted on earthenware tiles, portray the people and places of the village.
Reviewed by: msp
Date read: 6/30/2010
ISBN-10: 0888999313
ISBN-13: 9780888999313
To save the Jews in 1580 Prague, Rabbi Loew brings to life The Golem; a giant man of living clay. This creature protects the Jews from persecution due to a lie - that they have mixed the blood of Christian children with their matzoh. The Golem catches those responsible, then grows ever larger when the frustrated enemies of the Jews storm their ghetto. Elaborate cut-paper illustrations bring the legend to life.
Similar books: Elfwyn's Saga, The Wave of the Sea-Wolf, Sundiata Lion King of Mali, all by David Wisniewski.
The Sabbath Lion, by Howard Schwartz and Barbara Rush; The Barefoot Book of Monsters, by Fran Parnell and Sophie Fatus.
Awards won: Caldecott Medal
Reviewed by: djd
Date read: 7/7/2009
ISBN-10: 0395726182
ISBN-13: 9780395726181
Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case: A Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Book for Young Readers
Alexander McCall Smith (2012), 96 pages
Illustrated by Iain McIntosh
Audience: 3rd Grade - 5th Grade
Young Precious Ramotswe lives in the African country of Botswana. She solves her first case when pieces of cake disappear from the school. Is one of the students the thief, or is there someone else who can't resist cake? Read this whimsical story to learn how Precious becomes a young detective.
Reviewed by: msp
Date read: 8/7/2012
ISBN-10: 0307949451
ISBN-13: 9780307949455
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