Abuela By Arthur Dorros; Illustrated by Elisa Keven. NY: The Trumpet Club/Dutton Children Books, 1993. Wonderous bilingual story about a young girl who dreams of flying over the city sites in the esteemed company of her grandmother. Story-Listening Interest Level: Ages 2 and up. Reading Level: 4th grade and up. KID RATING: **** 4 Stars

Amazing Grace By Mary Hoffman; Illustrations by Caroline Binch. NY: Scholastic, 1991. Grace has been told that there are things she can't do, just because she's a girl! But Grace wants to act the part Peter Pan in the school play. She asked her mother and grandmother for advice, and they tell her she can do anything! Find out what Grace does. Story-Listening Interest Level: Ages 3 and up. Reading Level: 4th grade and up. KID RATING: **** 4 Stars

La Abuelita y su Casa de Muñecas Por MaryLou M. Smith; Illustraciones de Ann Blackstone. Spanish translation © by Scholastic, Inc., 1993. Cuento de una niña y su relación con la abuelita con la casa marvellosa de muñecas. Story-Listening Interest Level: Ages 5 and up. Reading Level: 4th grade and up. KID RATING: **** 4 Stars

On the Day You Were Born.Story and Illustrastions by Debra Frasier. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1991. This book strengthens the notion of family by including a sense of belonging to the Universe into which we are born, and by which we are loved. Story-Listening Interest Level: Ages 2 and up. Reading Level: 4th grade and up. KID RATING: *** 1/2 3.5 Stars

More World Children's Literature Titles
About All Kinds of Families...

Coming Together

What would it be like to have serve dinner to slave-owners on Christmas day, while your own family took their meal in the slave quarters? This book gives historical accounts of Christmas on a plantation, moving between narratives from the "big house" and accounts of life in the slave quarters.

This book teaches about the seven-day festival of Kwanzaa, a true African-American celebration of cultural heritage.

Learning to make a holiday meal can be a very special way of learning about your family heritage. In this book, young Molly learns how to make latkes from her grandmother, who tells Molly all about the meaning of Hanukkah. A recipe for latkes is included in this book.

Why would a rich merchant want to make children without money pay just to smell his Hanukkah latkes? Find out how the Rabbi in this story makes a good plan, so everyone learns a valuable lesson of the season.

In this book, a young Japanese boy learns about mixing cultures and Christmas, when his mother, who grew up in the United States, decorates a pine tree with paper cranes.

On the island of Trinidad in the Carribean, Rosie and her brother celebrate Christmas by gathering red petals for the sorrel drink, helping bake black currant cakes, singing with the parang band, and hanging ornaments on a guava branch.

Although the tsar has made life unbearable for the Jewish peoples of Russia, Moses and his little brother Benjamin make a dangerous journey to safety in Palestine. On the way, they find a way to celebrate a special Hanukkah.

A hundred years ago, in Eastern Europe, it is a few days before Passover, and a young boy wants to adopt a cat, whom he calls Appleblossom.

At the height of European immigration to the United States, a little Polish girl begins on her travels with her family, to join her father in the United States. Their long journey at sea ends with a welcome at Ellis Island on Christmas Eve.

On January 6, the people of Puerto Rico celebrate Three Kings Day. Even living now in the United States, two young Puerto Rican children prepare for this awesome day.

In New York City's Chinatown, Ernie Wan tells the story of how his family celebrates the Chinese lunar New Year.

This lovely portrait of the home life of a Jewish family helps young listeners and early readers to learn more about both Jewish culture and the modern Hebrew language. Includes introductory notes on the Hebrew language and alphabet.

Spring is the season when Reggie, an Inupiat Alaskan native who makes his home in Kotzebue, Alaska, travels through the northern areas of the Arctic Circle to his family's to their camp, where Reggie learns more every year about his family's traditions.

This book, by celebrated Chicana poet Pat Mora, tells the story of how Celia presents her favorite aunt with a wonderful basket filled with reminders of happy times they have shared together.

What are the secret treasures Alicia's abuela brought with her to the United States? The little girl in this story finds out, one day when it's much too hot to take a nap, and Mama tells Alicia about how her great-great-grandmother came to the United States from Mexico bringing treasures.

From one of our most widely-recognized Chicana writers, this is the story of one girl's reflections on all the different kinds of hair her family members have, bringing an understanding of how difference can also be part of what every family shares.

Family can also mean the power of a belonging to a strong community. In this book, Miss Ida's porch is the place where all sorts of family -- mothers, fathers, uncles, grandmothers, and neighbors -- gather to swap stories of their lives and memories.

How are your city relatives different from your family members who live down south? Ernestine lives in a city up North, but finds out more about a different world, on the North Carolina farm where she was born.

Pinkey's Ernestine once again dreams of visiting her relatives in North Carolina, and in this story, she gets to ride a train to do it.

What if you had to walk far, far away to visit your grandmother? Zolani, his mother, and baby Noma, who live deep in their homeland of South Africa, must walk many miles across the Transkei countryside to visit Grandma Zindzi, but arriving is worth the trip.

In this story, South African children come together at the crossroads to reunite with their fathers who have been away for ten months working in the mines.

A folktale about how Herschel, while traveling from Minsk to Pinsk, tricks an innkeeper into giving him a meal by promising to show the innkeeper just what his father did long ago, when he got no supper. What could make the innkeeper want to give Herschel the meal? Read this book!

What's one of the best ways to learn about your family's heritage? Ask an elder! In this story, a young girl finds out about who her family is through her grandfather's stories about his boyhood in Italy and coming to the United States.

A simply elegant book, showing the grace and power of an Asian grandfather's return to his "home."

Korie learns about her Russian heritage from her grandmother, who saw many mysterious, wonderful, and frightening things, throughout her life.

Although we don't much like the title of this book, there is value in the story of a young African American girl who joins a Seminole pow-wow in the 1930s, and learns about how the tribal ancestors rescued her grandfather from slavery and accepted him as a brother.

Learning to Heed Wisdom of the Ages...

In this rural North Carolina folktale, Little Eight John is just as mean as mean can be! He won't listen to his mother, and moans and groans and turns away from all good sense ... until one Sunday he is turned into a spot of jam on the kitchen table!

Understanding the ancient Chinese traditions of Taiwan, Tad-Tin knows that, on the ninth day of the ninth month, he can fly his special dragon kite and release it into the sky. The kite will take all Tad-Tin's troubles away with it, and his sick grandfather will be well again.

A traditional Korean folktale here teaches one of the most common wisdoms of the ages: that if we are kind when others are not, good will always triumph over hardship.

What would happen if a child broke an important part of a family tradition? In this story, Hoang, a Vietnamese boy, breaks the gia truyen, a teapot which houses May Man, good spirits and protects his family's good fortunes! Will he be able to fix the teapot and keep away bad luck?

The wisdom of the ages brings balance, justice and fairness, in these stories about the many good decisions Judge Ooka makes, no matter how difficult or strange the situations.

The word "pilgrim" means a "traveler," and in this book, Molly's mother doesn't believe in the idea that all the pilgrims came to the United States on boats from England to Plymouth Rock. In fact, Molly's mother rocks that notion when she honors her heritage as a Jewish immigrant from Russia, by helping her daughter present a clothespin pilgrim doll that looks Russian for a class Thanksgiving project.

Change Brings New Wisdoms

Sachiko, a young Japanese-American girl, loves her grandmother dearly. In this story, Sachiko learns that her grandmother is getting older, and that she has become ill with Alzheimer's disease. Understanding what this change will mean brings Sachiko even closer to her family.

Told through a moving photo essay, Jennifer Jordan-Wong, who is eight, shares her story about living with an African-American foster family. When she is later adopted, Jennifer shares the many ways in which all kinds of families and cultures blend and become one "forever family."

After her grandmother has passed away, Marita curls into Abuelita's rocking chair and remembers Abuelita's stories about her childhood in Puerto Rico. Text available in both bilingual and Spanish-only versions.

Sorrow is replaced by a new peaceful understanding in this story, when young Jamie comes to feel that her grandmother, even in death, is still near her.

What changes may come when the spirit travels? This lovely book tells the story of of a Plains Indian grandmother on a spiritual journey.

What is the answer to understanding the past? In this story of 1900's Chinatown, Maylin makes a dish for the visiting governor of South China, and names it "Roses Sing on New Snow." But, when the governor wants the recipe to take back to China, Maylin explains it's a New World dish that cannot be made in the Old World! Find out why, by reading this book.

What if everyone in your family shared the same talent, and you didn't have that talent? In this humorous story of finding value in difference and change, Yingtao lives with his Chinese family in Seattle, and is the youngest boy in this family in which everyone makes great music. But Yingtao is pretty sure he's got no musical talent at all, so he wants to give up his violin lessons. How will he convince his parents that sometimes change brings new wisdoms?

Working Together: Cooperation Among Families and Friends

A jealous Russian king wants to break apart Alexis' family by stealing his wife, so the king orders Alexis to go I Know Not Where and bring back I Know Not What. But family is family, and Alexis and his very smart wife Olga outsmart the jealous king. Find out how!

Ahmed has a wonderful secret that he can hardly wait to share with his family: he has learned to write his name in Arabic! But, before he can go home to tell everyone his good news, Ahmed must finish his day working as a butagaz boy, delivering the cooking gas his customers need all over Cairo.

Many children have known times when even their parents were afraid. Learning to work together as a family to bring hope from fear is what ten-year-old Sami learns, when a war breaks out in Beirut, and Sami and his family must hide in their basement, hoping for the day the violence will end.

When the Second World War makes home an unsafe place for a Jewish family in Holland, a young girl is sent to find stay with friends of her parents, who work to provide safety and become a different kind of family.

A Latino family reunion at abuela's house is warmed by the tradition of making tamales for all. A great book for teaching young listeners and early readers the value of performing simple tasks together.

Yumi Heo both writes and illustrates this lovely book that teaches again the bond that develops between family members while sharing chores. Here, a Korean boy and his mother spend a day doing errands, and readers discover what closeness that may bring.