For the month of September, we will continue to explore the topic of Refugees in children’s books. Today I would like to share a book I recently came across on the topic: Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Cuban-American poet Magarita Engle (Henry Holt & Co, 2009). This is the author’s third novel in verse about Cuba (the previous two were the award-winning The Poet Slave of Cuba and The Surrender Tree), and this time her story takes place during WWII, when when the rise of Nazism led to a severe rise in refugees from Germany trying to find safety in other parts of the world.

A historical note at the end (and readers may want to consider reading it before getting started), helps contextualize the story, which is told, mostly, in the alternating voices of Daniel, a 13 year-old German Jewish who escapes Germany in 1939 after being separated from his parents, and whose ship is finally allowed entry in Cuba after being turned away from the U.S. and Canada; and Paloma, a 12 year-old girl who, unbeknownst to her father, is (more…)

Each year, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) presents a Member of the Year Award to a member who has given outstanding service to the organization. This year the award went to author Chris Cheng, SCBWI Australia regional advisor.

Always true to his gregarious and friendly nature, Chris is one busy and very effective bee when it comes to making connections, spreading the word on good books and projects, volunteering to read to children in schools, and more. And he seems to do it all—it takes a special kind of person, really—without ever losing sight of his own writing. Congratulations, Chris! It’s great to see your hard work and passion for all things book recognized by your peers!

You can read more about the award, which was given during the SCBWI LA Summer Conference (at the Golden Kite Luncheon, on Aug 2) and see some pictures of a stunned and happy Chris here and here.

IBBY United Arab Emirates (UAEBBY) has taken over the management of the  Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature. Publishers have until August 31st to submit their entries for this year’s prize. The winner of the prize which is valued at AED 1 million dollars ($275,000 usd) will be announced in October at the Sharjah International Book Fair.

The Etisalat Award was established in 2009 by Sheika Bodour Al Qasimi in order to bring about some healthy competition between the  publishing houses in the Arab World. At that time Sheika Bodour Al Qasimi said:

The Arab-speaking world does not have a reading culture per se as in the West. Parents don’t read bedtime stories to their children and there is a tendency for parents to rely on schools to give their children their first reading experience. As a consequence, parents don’t have the habit of buying books as presents for their children, so publishers have become relatively laid back and produce mediocre books that require very little investment.

My intention is for us to see eye-catching, well produced, interesting books for children out there in our bookshops. At the end of the day publishing is a business and money is a motivating factor and will hopefully spur the publisher’s interest to put more time and effort into the books they produce.

Now with UAEBBY’s management, the Etisalat Prize has evolved slightly and is intended to be an incentive not only for publishers but also for authors and illustrators to develop quality books, both form and content, that motivate children to be open to the world of knowledge and culture.

For a press release of the announcement of the 2010 prize , click here.

Our current issue of PaperTigers focuses on Refugee Children and one of the highlights in the issue is an interview with author Mitali Perkins about her latest novel, Bamboo People. The novel is about children caught up in conflict in modern-day Burma and, once again, as she has done in her previous novels, Mitali illustrates the tension of characters caught between cultures, but in Bamboo People the backdrop is war, and the stakes are higher than ever. This is Mitali’s first novel to feature male characters and has been receiving rave reviews since it was released on July 1st. Here’s an excerpt from our review of the book:

This fascinating story shines a light on the desperate situation of those affected by current Burmese policies and will help educate young readers about that situation in particular and the vagaries and confusion surrounding conflict in general.  The characters, Perkins’s first male protagonists, are very thoughtful, easy to engage with, and surprisingly similar.  In fact, as a reader, it felt as if Tu Reh and Chiko could have been the same person had circumstances not shaped their lives so differently.  This juxtaposition is absolutely brilliant and illustrates the point that war makes enemies out of people who, in a different context, would become the best of friends.

On Aug 19, from 7 – 8:30 pm, Porter Square  Books in Cambridge, MA, USA will be hosting a book launch party for Bamboo People and Mitali will be in attendance. Everyone is welcome to attend and light Burmese refreshments will be served. For more details click here.  Also be sure to check out Mitali’s blog Fire Escape and her Facebook page as she will be writing about the launch and posting some pictures too, I’m sure!

Katherine Applegate’s beautifully crafted and immensely readable novel in verse, Home of the Brave, has as its narrator Kek, who begins his story at the moment his plane from Sudan touches down in America. As he adapts to his new home with his Aunt and older cousin Ganwar, we learn about his roots and the life he has had to leave behind him as a result of conflict; and we follow him through trials and tribulations, as he makes friends and gets a job looking after a cow, who eventually has a transforming effect on his life – and becomes the centerpiece of a glorious climax.

Readers will feel drawn to Kek, and will want everything to work out for him. They will empathise with the happy, fun-loving boy who is always there, even if he is sometimes difficult to find under the strains and stress of his situation. This extract makes you laugh along with Kek and then brings you up short with the stark reality of the effect of conflict on his life:

“My brother Lual was Ganwar’s age,
and just as tall.
Maybe that’s why he tried
always to tell me what to do.
[...]

I would laugh,
and once I even slipped
two snakes onto his sleeping mat
while he lay snoring.
The whole village awoke to his screams.
I know it was wrong to do,
but they were harmless snakes,
and when I saw Lual’s face
I laughed until
my eyes rained.

Every day Lual scolded,
and every day I thought,
Lual, please just be my brother.
I don’t need two fathers!

I didn’t know that too soon
I would not have any.”

Our current issue of PaperTigers focuses on Refugee Children. Do take a look at our new features and reviews.

This week’s Poetry Friday is hosted by The Stenhouse Blog – head on over!

We are posting this reminder on behalf of our friends at Tara Books:

Just a reminder (especially for our librarian and educator friends) that Tara Books will be in D.C. this coming weekend for the American Library Association Annual Conference, at booth #2883. Exhibit Hours are: Friday, June 25, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Saturday-Sunday, June 26-27, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday, June 28, 9:00 am- 4:00 pm.

We’re excited to share our forthcoming titles for Fall 2010, including new artwork by renowned Gond artist Durga Bai and a graphic novel on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

For more information, please contact Tara Books’s US publicist, Jennifer Abel.

Looking for a different way to express your love this Mothers’ Day? To Mama With Love is “a collaborative online art project that honors moms across the globe while raising funds to invest in one remarkable mama, Mama Lucy Kamptoni, who dreams of building a home for children in Tanzania.” A “grassroots changemaker,” in 2003 Mama Lucy built a school near her home in Arusha with money raised from a small chicken farm. The school now serves 300 children and is considered the #1 in the village. Judging by the global groundswell of love and support I see in relation to this Epic Change fundraising campaign, I have no doubt that she will be able to reach her new goal.

You can find Mama Lucy on Twitter, or blogging at the Epic Change blog. You can also follow her sixth grade class at TwitterKids of Tanzania.

First published in 2002 and recently reissued in paperback by Groundwood Books, Lessons from Mother Earth by Elaine McLeod and illustrated by Colleen Wood seems to be a perfect book to share with kids on Earth Day. I haven’t read the book yet (am about to head to the library to look for it), but judging by this recommendation (originally posted to Amazon) by librarian Laurie von Mehren at the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Parma, Ohio, it sounds lovely. It seems to convey two very important aspects of aboriginal cultures: a deep respect for nature and the role of elders as culture bearers:

This book by an author born in the Yukon and a member of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation is about respecting and caring for the planet. Five-year old Tess visits her grandmother’s mountain cabin and learns about her garden, which consists of nature itself. The first rule grandma teaches Tess is: “You must always take good care of our garden.” Following that, she tells Tess to say a prayer of thanks while picking fruits and vegetables; to harvest just enough and at the right time; and to take care not to trample the vegetation or leave rubbish behind. For dinner, they gather wild edibles-lamb’s-quarters, dandelion shoots, and blueberries.

Wood’s realistic yet impressionistic watercolors are glowing and lush, with dabs of color for close-ups of berries and woodland animals. This book would work particularly well for Earth Day or as part of a nature/ecology unit.

Lessons from Mother Earth is also mentioned in Paul De Pasquale’s article recently reprinted on PaperTigers, Imagining Home in Children’s Picture Books by Canadian Aboriginal Authors.

Lee & Low announced today that it has acquired Tu Publishing, a company founded by Stacy Whitman in the fall of 2009 to publish multicultural Middle Grade and YA fantasy and science fiction. Tu Books is now an imprint of Lee & Low, and the first books under the new imprint are due out in 2011. Here’s the press release.

Congratulations, Lee & Low, on this new development! We look forward to enjoying the books and helping spread the word on them!

To remind people that Black History is worth teaching all year long, Lee & Low is having a end-of-Black-History-Month book giveaway. For a chance to win one of three sets of six fantastic books, you must enter the contest by midnight of February 28th. So hurry up! There are four ways to enter, and the more actions you take, the better your chances of winning! Head on over to Lee & Low’s blog now for the details, and good luck!