Beatrice’s Dream by Karen Lynn Williams, photographs by Wendy Stone
03 Mar, by in African, Biography, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction
At 13, Beatrice is sure of her dreams: " ...
BookDragon Biography
Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
21 Feb, by in Biography, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American, Vietnamese, Vietnamese American, Young Adult Readers
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is one of those mega-award-winning Canadian authors (with more than a dozen titles) who hasn't crossed over our shared border (just yet!) with the same success. She's best known for her historical novels for younger readers about what must be one of...
Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome
13 Feb, by in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction
The award-winning wife-and-husband children's book team of Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome capture Frederick Douglass' early years from his slave birth to his first escape attempt as a teenager. Using Douglass' autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, American Slave and pulling quotes directly from Douglass' own memories, author Cline-Ransome...
Love Twelve Miles Long by Glenda Armand, illustrated by Colin Bootman
25 Dec, by in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction
Trust me on this one: Debut author Glenda Armand’s Love Twelve Miles Long is THE perfect book to share today. "This was a special night," the story begins, "Mama had come to visit ...
Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan, illustrated by Ron Mazellan
20 Dec, by in Biography, Children/Picture Books, European, Jewish, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction
On his deathbed, Irena Sendler's father taught her the lesson that would guide her life. At age 7, she internalized his dying words: "...
There Is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Rescue Her Country’s Children by Melissa Fay Greene
25 Sep, by in Absolute Favorites, Adult Readers, African, Audio, Biography, Jewish, Nonfiction
Melissa Fay Greene first arrived last spring in my mailbox via her latest book, No Biking in the House Without a Helmet, and made me cry. But she also left me tickled with joyous laughter at the antics of her sprawling, multiplying, multi-ethnic family. While Biking made me...
The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames
21 Sep, by in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Chinese, Egyptian, European, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction
Cleopatra: "Serpent of the Nile" by Mary Fisk Pack, illustrated by Peter Malone Agrippina: "Atrocious and Ferocious" by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrated by Peter Malone Mary Tudor: "Bloody Mary" by Gretchen Maurer, illustrated by Peter Malone Catherine de' Medici: "The Black Queen" by Janie Havemeyer, illustrated by Peter Malone Marie...
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
09 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Biography, Indian American, Nonfiction, South Asian American
I won't lie: at almost 600 pages (or almost 21 hours if you choose the audible option), Siddhartha Mukherjee's 2011 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction is a Commitment (yes, capitalization intended!). But commitment can come with vast rewards and, in this case, get ready for a massive infusion of...
The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrated by Albert Nguyen
21 Apr, by in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Egyptian, European, Indian, Middle Grade Readers, Mongolian, Persian, Turkish
Hatshepsut of Egypt Artemisia of Caria Sorghaghtani of Mongolia Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman Isabella of Castile Nur Jahan of India Happy birthday to the world's most famous queen (still!) who turns 85 today, making her son the oldest prince-waiting-to-be-king in British history. Next week, on April 29, Queen E2 will...
The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai
01 Jan, by in Adult Readers, Biography, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Tibetan, Young Adult Readers
Every new year seems to begin with a fervent prayer/wish/hope for true PEACE. So far in my own lifetime, worldwide peace hasn't been achieved. Still, I have a few more years left in me and surely enough stubbornness to believe peace can truly happen before...
Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home by Youme
07 Dec, by in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Laotian, Nonfiction, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American
As thin as this title might seem, it actually embodies three important sections.
The main focus is clearly the story of young Mali, which begins with her carefree life in her native Laos...
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
29 Nov, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Biography, Mongolian, Nonfiction
Hurray (itself a word of Mongol origin) for cultural anthropologist and Macalester College professor Jack Weatherford who reclaims Genghis Khan from a much maligned history that defines him as "the quintessential barbarian," leading an...
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama, illustrated by Loren Long
24 Nov, by in Adult Readers, Biography, Children/Picture Books, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers
Yes, President Obama's first picture book is, of course, a gorgeous gift to his two young daughters. But it's also quite a legacy for every child anywhere as it reminds us that...
Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Robert Byrd
19 Nov, by in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Mongolian, Nonfiction
Let's start with the last pages first: Kathleen Krull notes in her "Author's Note" that "[i]nformation about Kubla Khan is sketchy." Her illustrator Robert Byrd adds that "[p]ictoral references dealing with the...
Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow | A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
29 Oct, by in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction
Growing up in Seattle, Washington, young Jimi Hendrix first made music on a one-string ukulele. He drew, he told funny stories, he hung out at the local record store with his friends "who never teased him about his worn-out clothes and wild hair ...
The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America by Mae Ngai
28 Oct, by in Adult Readers, Biography, Chinese American, Nonfiction
When the local San Francisco public school denied Mamie Tape admission solely based on her Chinese heritage, her parents sued the city's Board of Education in what became the landmark 1885 case, Tape vs. Hurley. Mamie was seven years old, the American-born child of middle-class Chinese...
Game Set Match Champion Arthur Ashe by Crystal Hubbard, illustrated by Kevin Belford
19 Oct, by in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction
To better appreciate this biography of tennis legend Arthur Ashe – first-ever African American Grand Slam champion, #1 tennis champion in the world – read it backwards. That is, turn to the back and first read the "Author's Note" on the last page. Why? Because author Crystal Hubbard...
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
29 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Biography, Black/African American, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers
I rarely ever say this: skip the book, and go see the film version of The Blind Side (which got Sandra Bullock her much-deserved Oscar win). The story of Michael Oher – a massive young man estranged from his addict mother, his dysfunctional siblings, and lost to...
African American Actresses: The Struggle for Visibility, 1900-1960 by Charlene Regester [in Library Journal]
04 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Biography, Black/African American, Nonfiction, Repost
Charlene Regester (African & Afro-American studies, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill) documents the lives and careers of nine African American actresses working before the Civil Rights era whose “contributions to mainstream cinema have been either minimized or erased in the histories of Hollywood cinema.” Madame...
Black Jack (vol. 1) by Osamu Tezuka, translated by Camellia Nieh
01 Jun, by in Awful Duds, Bilingual, Biography, Japanese American, Short Stories, Translation
So it's not officially the start of summer by calendar date, but when temperatures get this hot, my eyeballs turn to lighter reading to soothe the heat-addled brain. Given my later-in-life appreciation for manga, Osamu Tezuka always proves to be a reliable go-to choice. In...