One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon is available now. This beautiful picture book tells the true story of Isatou Ceesay’s quest to clean up her neighborhood by ridding it of potentially dangerous plastic bags. Isatou and her friends did this by gathering the plastic bags and crocheting them into purses. Not only were these purses useful and beautiful, but they generated an income, and the act of recycling transformed Isatou’s neighborhood into a cleaner, safer place. Elizabeth Zunon will be signing the book at Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady, NY, on Sunday March 1 from 12-1:30pm. At the end of March, they will be joined by the star of the story, Isatou Ceesay herself, to visit schools in the Albany, NY, area where they will be creating recycled art projects with students.
Tony Baroni Loves Macaroni, written by Marilyn Sadler and illustrated by Lucie Crovatto, is available now! This charming book is an ode to picky eaters everywhere, but contains a subtle lesson about the importance of a balanced diet. Find Tony Baroni Loves Macaroni on Amazon or Barnes & Noble today.
The Spider and Head Lice by Elise Gravel are available now. The much-anticipated latest books in Elise Gravel’s Disgusting Critters series are finally for sale! They join other titles The Worm, The Rat, The Slug and The Fly in a fun, informative series all about those nasty little creatures many refer to as disgusting.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, illustrated by Frank Morrison and written by Katheryn Russell-Brown, has been chosen as part of the Amelia Bloomer Project. The Amelia Bloomer Project creates a yearly list of the best feminist books for ages 0-18, chosen by the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. This inspiring book details the life of ‘little’ Melba Liston, a jazz trombonist who overcomes great adversity to become a global star.
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) has published a list of Outstanding International Books for grades K-12, and Not My Girl was selected as part of the 2015 list. Over 3,000 books have been submitted to the USBBY since the list began 10 years ago, and this year only 42 were featured. Not My Girl was written by Christy and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton with illustrations by Gabrielle Grimard. More information here.
The Children’s Book Council and National Council for the Social Studies (CBC/NCSS) publishes a list of Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People every year, and Under the Freedom Tree received the honor of being included on this list. The CBC/NCSS selects books that “emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations that enrich the text.” Under the Freedom Tree was illustrated by London Ladd and written by Susan VanHecke. View the complete list and more here.
