Diverse Characters
The Birchbark House
jFICTION/Erdrich, Louise
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Historical Fiction
Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.
Birdsong
Julie Flett
jE Flett
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Picture Books
"When a young girl moves from the country to a small town, she feels lonely and out of place. But soon she meets an elderly woman next door, who shares her love of [nature and art]. Can the girl navigate the changing seasons and failing health of her new friend?"--Publisher marketing.
Added by Casey
This is our house
Hyewon Yum
jE Yum
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Picture Books
Follows a family through seasons and generations as the house to which their immigrant grandparents came is transformed into a home.
This is a title I love sharing at storytime. Not only are the illustrations and message beautiful, but the house as a character here is truly wonderful. Read this one in a quiet moment together. -Casey
Juana & Lucas
Juana Medina
jFICTION Medina, Juana
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Early Chapter Books
A spunky young girl from Colombia loves playing with her canine best friend and resists boring school activities, especially learning English, until her family tells her that a special trip is planned to an English-speaking place.
Juana Medina's early chapter book series is delightful. Funny and realistic, this is a series not to miss. -Casey
Yaffa and Fatima : shalom, salaam
Fawzia Gilani-Williams
jE Gilani-Williams
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Picture Books
"Yaffa and Fatima live on neighboring date farms. When very little rain leads to a poor harvest, both women go to extra measures to make sure that their neighbor doesn't go hungry"--
Added by Casey
The most beautiful thing
Kao Kalia Yang
ON ORDER BOOK
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Picture Books
"Drawn from Kao Kalia Yang's childhood experiences as a Hmong refugee, this heartfelt picture book offers a window into the life of a family with little money and a great deal of love"--
I cannot wait to see this one when it gets in! -Casey
We are water protectors
Carole Lindstrom
jE Lindstro
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Picture Books
Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all... When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people's water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource. Inspired by the many indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption.
Wow. Images and text combine here to give a wonderfully powerful message, I could gush for days about how beautiful and important this book is. Read it already! -Casey
Shanyaak'utlaa̲x
jE Salmon
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Early Chapter Books
"After a Tlingit mother gives her son a dried piece of salmon with mold on the end, he flings it away in disgust, committing a taboo. This offends the Salmon People, who sweep him into the water and into their world, where they name him Shanyaak'utlaa̲x or Salmon Boy. Find out what happens to Shanyaak'utlaa̲x in this ancient Tlingit story"--Dust jacket.
Added by Casey
Like the moon loves the sky
Hena Khan
jE Khan
Read Woke, Diverse Characters, Picture Books
Illustrations and prose inspired by the Quran celebrate a mother's love and hopes for her child.
This incredible picture book was inspired by the Quran, and celebrates the love between mothers and daughters. -Casey
The book of lost friends : a novel
Lisa Wingate
FICTION Wingate Lisa
Diverse Characters, Historical Fiction
"Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation; Juneau Jane, her illegitimate free-born Creole half-sister; and Hannie, Lavinia's former slave. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following dangerous roads rife with ruthless vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and eight siblings before slavery's end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the seemingly limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope. Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt--until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, seems suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled live oaks and run-down plantation homes lies the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything"--
Added by Mari
Guilty confession: the first time I listened to this book was on a trip and we didn't finish it. Not because it isn't lovely! I remember enjoying it so much that I'm excited to pick it up in its physical format and start this one from the top. -Casey