My 13 year old son’s Exotic Fruit Challenge: Dragonfruit.
Reminds us of: watermelon crossed with kiwi. Read more…
All posts by
Wonderful Children’s Books About Thailand
A teacher mentioned on a comment on my blog that she was grateful for my lists on Laos and Hmong children’s books but she was looking for books covering Thailand and Myanmar/Burma for students in her classroom who were recent immigrants from these countries. This list (and the on on Myanmar) is for her.
Wonderful Children’s Books About Thailand
Mela and the Elephant by Dow Phumiruk, illustrated by Ziyue Chen
Kindness needs no reward, for it brings happiness and warmth to the heart.
Mela set forth on an adventure but didn’t take her little brother along because he had nothing to offer her. Her adventure went awry and the animals that she gave gifts in exchange for help, ran off with her offerings without helping her. Finally, an elephant helps Mela get home without asking for anything in return. This is a lesson that Mela puts to use the next day. Thai customs are woven throughout this story set in Thailand including bowing with clasped hands to show gratitude. Use this picture book to teach kindness and to explore Thai culture. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, illustrations by Holly Meade
In charming rhyme, a mother asks the wildlife around her to stay quiet while baby is asleep. The animals reflect the wildlife of Thailand: mosquito, lizard, cat, mouse, frog, pig, duck, monkey, buffalo, and elephant. Use this book to compare to a picture book about animals on a farm in the United States. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Top 10 Books with Bedtime & Family Themes & GIVEAWAY!
Please welcome my guest author, Jackie Azúa Kramer, today with her newest picture book, If You Want to Fall Asleep. You might remember her earlier from her post on picture books that celebrate imagination and friendship, and her book The Green Umbrella.
We are giving away a signed copy of If You Want to Fall Asleep. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.
If You Want to Fall Asleep by Jackie Azúa Kramer, illustrated by Lisa Brandenburg
It’s bedtime but Little Mouse isn’t sleepy. Mama Mouse helps Little Mouse with a long routine to get her baby to sleep. It works … finally! [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Top 10 Picture Books with Bedtime and Family Themes
5 Great Picture Books with Bedtime Themes
1. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
The story of Harold and his artistic adventures has been entertaining kids for decades. Follow along as Harold in his pajamas has a colorful and epic expedition. From drawing city landmarks to creating his own purple picnic to finding his way back to bed, this bedtime story is magical. Bedtime has never been this imaginative and exciting. It’s simply a classic. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
2. Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams
Frances and her bedtime delay tactics are as sweet and funny as they were when it was first published in the ‘60’s, and the black and white illustrations by Garth Williams are perfect. Caregivers and children alike will recognize themselves in this adorable bedtime battle. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
My Son’s Exotic Fruit Challenge: Prickly Pear Fruit
My son’s second Exotic Fruit Challenge: Prickly Pear Fruit (also called Tunas or Cactus Fruit).
Reminds us of: pomegranate crosses with melon.
Texture: like Honeydew melon but with larger and harder pomegranate-like seeds.
Flavor: like kiwi. Read more…
What To Do and Where To Eat in San Antonio!
We are heading to San Antonio where we will meet up with some indigo clothing co. models. Their parents are dear family friends, but, as my girls’ tell me, there is no such thing as a family vacation anymore because all vacations are working vacations for our young entrepreneurs.
Foodie Stops in San Antonio
103 E Jones Ave
San Antonio, TX 78215
Our friends know that we love Mexican street food and casual settings so they’ve scouted this restaurant out for us. It’s self-described as, “offbeat counter-serve kitchen & bar for big plates of high-end eats served in a funky outside space.” We can’t wait!
This light-filled Mexican spot lures locals with breakfast tacos, fajitas, enchiladas & margaritas.
955 S Alamo St
San Antonio, TX 78205
This looks like a fun area to explore: “located in San Antonio’s acclaimed arts district, Southtown.” “Here, tucked into historic pockets are grassroots art communities and notable architectural gems (not to mention the local enthusiasts working to preserve both) as well as more than enough unpretentious watering holes and good restaurants to make you consider taking up permanent residence.” from Texas Monthly
Top 5: Latinx Poetry Picture Book List & Signed Book GIVEAWAY!
Please welcome my guest author today, Emma Otheguy. She is the author of the bilingual picture book, Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos de la libertad, a biography of Cuban poet and independence leader José Martí. We are giving away one signed copy of her book. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
Martí’s Song for Freedom by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal. Translated by Adriana Domínguez.
As a boy, José Martí was inspired by the natural world. He found freedom in the river that rushed to the sea and peace in the palmas reales that swayed in the wind. Freedom, he believed, was the inherent right of all men and women. But his home island of Cuba was colonized by Spain, and some of the people were enslaved by rich landowners. Enraged, Martí took up his pen and fought against this oppression through his writings. By age seventeen, he was declared an enemy of Spain and forced to leave his beloved island.
Martí traveled the world, speaking out for Cuba’s independence. But throughout his exile, he suffered from illness and homesickness. He found solace in New York’s Catskill Mountains, where nature inspired him once again to fight for independence.
Written in verse, with excerpts from Martí’s seminal Versos sencillos, this book is a beautiful tribute to a brilliant political writer and courageous fighter of freedom for all men and women. [picture book, ages 7 and up]
Share Your #DiverseKidLit Book Reviews!
Welcome to #DiverseKidLit ! Please join us in sharing your diverse children’s book links and resources, as well as visiting other links to find great suggestions and recommendations.
What Is #DiverseKidLit?
Diverse Children’s Books is a book-sharing meme designed to promote the reading and writing of children’s books that feature diverse characters. This community embraces all kinds of diversity including (and certainly not limited to) diverse, inclusive, multicultural, and global books for children of all backgrounds.
We encourage everyone who shares to support this blogging community by visiting and leaving comments for at least three others. Please also consider following the hosts on at least one of their social media outlets. Spread the word using #diversekidlit and/or adding our button to your site and your diverse posts.
Our Girls at Berkshire Soccer Academy
In celebration of the launch of How To Coach Girls book, we are partnering with Berkshire Soccer Academy, a sleep away soccer camp for girls, with a five-part series.
March: The effect of Team Impact on the Boston College Women’s Soccer Team.
How To Coach Girls available here.
I let my kids do one week of extravagant camp each summer. My son has picked computer camp to learn Minecraft and mods in the past. My oldest daughter’s picks tend to be arty. PickyKidPix decided, during the summer of 2015, to go to camp to meet Mia Hamm. And she did it with her friend Sidnie, whose mom happens to be the co-author of How To Coach Girls.
Berkshire Soccer Academy hosts a week with Team First in which Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, & Tisha Venturini Hoch offer once-in-a-lifetime overnight soccer camp experience. They lead 8 on-field training sessions but they also talk to the group of girls, imparting inspirational messages of the importance of teamwork and putting your team before yourself as well as working hard to achieve your goals. These are lessons for both on and off the pitch. Read more…
10 Diverse Picture Books on Fine Artists & 2 Signed Book GIVEAWAY!
Please welcome author Sandra Neil Wallace with her list of 10 Diverse Picture Books on Fine Artists.
We are giving away 2 signed copies of her latest book, Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.
————
Art is for everyone and artists come from everywhere. But that’s rarely reflected in picture book biographies & autobiographies for young readers. Kids know a lot about Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keefe, and Henri Matisse. Now they’ll learn about other iconic artists who broke barriers of race, age, and physical ability with these diverse picture books featuring the inspiring lives of 10 fine artists.
10 Diverse Picture Books on Fine Artists
10. Teju Behan, self-taught artist and illustrator
Drawing from the City by Teju Behan
“They call me Teju … I feel at home indoors as well as outdoors, and my favorite place is near the stream that runs behind our hut.”
I absolutely love the intimacy and purity of this unconventional autobiography by Indian artist Teju Behan. With gripping candor, Teju recounts her artistic journey from a childhood in rural India, to the city of Mumbai where Teju and her family must find work to survive. Teju’s odyssey will open wide a window for children unfamiliar with the devotional life of the man she marries, who sings religious songs in return for food and how this old world occupation falls out of favor, and both he and Teju find a new life through art. Each page of Teju’s black ink drawings on brown, handmade paper are works of art and an ode to the power of transformation and art as a soulful experience. [picture book, age 10 and up]
9. Maud Lewis, self-taught folk artist
Capturing Joy: The Story of Maud Lewis by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrated by Mark Lang
“Maud painted for hours straight, supporting her painting hand with the other.”
Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis sought and found joy in her life. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and ostracized by her classmates and often by her husband, Maud discovered joy in painting. While the act of painting proved painful with her gnarled fingers, her jubilant attitude shines through. With no money for art supplies, Maud used the walls of her one-room house as a canvas or discarded scraps of wood. Bogart’s straightforward text and Lang’s black and white sketches provide the perfect backdrop for Maud’s colorful paintings that make this picture book a treasure: cheerful scenes of kids playing in the snow and riding through bright red covered bridges in horse-drawn sleighs. [picture book, age 8 and up]
I’m Mia Wenjen. Hi!
Follow Me On Instagram
Purchase HOW TO COACH GIRLS by clicking on image
Join me at KidLitCon 2019 in Providence!
I'm a co-chair of KidLitCon. It's March 22-23, 2019 (next year) in Providence, Rhode Island. Click on image for more info.
Grab My Button
<a href="https://PragmaticMom.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://pragmaticmom.com/miaavatar125.jpg" alt="PragmaticMom" width="125" height="125" /></a>
Honored to be included
Find Me On Blogarama
So Thrilled To Be Included!
