Doors to the World - English

What the Rat Told Me: A Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

dnoto — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 17:59:08 +0000

Synopsis:

Translated from French, the book What the Rat Told Me is a retelling of a folktale about the creation of the Chinese Zodiac. This is a story of a trickster—the rat—and how each animal was chosen for the zodiac. As the Emperor, ruler of Heaven and Earth, invites all the animals to visit him before sunrise at the top of Jade Mountain, the clever rat devises a plan—he tricks the cat into sleeping late with a promise to wake her up in the morning. The rat cleverly ignores his promise, and hops on the ox to ride up Jade Mountain to be the first to reach the emperor. Each animal that arrives at the mountain top is rewarded with a year for all time. Since the cat remained asleep, she has been left out of the Chinese calendar. And this, the reader is informed, is why the cat and the rat are not friends.

The illustrators used bold colors of black, white, and red, in calligraphy and linoleum prints, to tell the story. The back matter includes the Chinese calendar, a zodiac wheel, and a glossary of characters written in Chinese, linoleum block print, and English.

Publisher:

NorthSouth Books

ISBN#:

9780735822207

Author:

Marie Sellier

Illustrator:

Language:

Multimodal Resource:

What the Rat Told Me: A Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

Place:

Asia and the Pacific

Country:

China

Publisher URL:

http://northsouth.com/

Medium:

Printmaking

Genre2:

Traditional Literature

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Credit Line:

Heather Brougham-Cook and Linda Prothers

Theme:

Traditions

Mini Unit New:

What the Rat Told Me: A Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

Take Me Out to the Yakyu

dnoto — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 17:57:07 +0000

Synopsis:

Take Me Out to the Yakyu tells the story of a young boy who goes to baseball games in the United States with his American grandfather, and in Japan with his Japanese grandfather. From the very first page, the author shows the love that the bicultural protagonist has for baseball, whether it be in the United States or Japan. The boy describes the two distinct experiences of baseball in the two countries. Each page shows a part of the experience, first from the American perspective and vocabulary, and then contrasting that with the Japanese one. The boy shows the reader the social, cultural, linguistic, and technological differences in the two baseball outings. The illustrations depict the differences described, giving visual context to a young reader. At the end of the story, the author provides a bilingual glossary of baseball and other terms as well as a short history of the game itself.

Publisher:

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN#:

9781442441774

Author:

Aaron Meshon

Illustrator:

Aaron Meshon

Language:

Multimodal Resource:

Take Me Out to the Yakyu

Place:

Country:

Publisher URL:

http://simonandschusterpublishing.com/atheneum/

Medium:

Acrylic Paint

Genre2:

Realistic Fiction

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Credit Line:

Elizabeth Arias and Vicky Mahoney

Theme:

Cultural practices

Families

Grandfathers

Traditions

Mini Unit New:

Take Me Out to the Yakyu

Father's Chinese Opera

dnoto — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 22:09:24 +0000

Synopsis:

Author and illustrator Rich Lo shows us the components of the Chinese opera as seen through the eyes of a young boy. In Father’s Chinese Opera we learn about the boy's desire to perform after watching his father conduct the opera, and see the steps the boy takes towards his goal.

Publisher:

Sky Pony Press

ISBN#:

9781628736106

Author:

Rich Lo

Illustrator:

Rich Lo

Language:

English

Multimodal Resource:

Father's Chinese Opera

Place:

Country:

Publisher URL:

http://www.skyponypress.com/

Medium:

Water Color

Genre2:

Realistic Fiction

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Theme:

Traditions

Art

Families

Cultural practices

Perseverance

Mini Unit New:

Father's Chinese Opera

My Name Is Yoon

dnoto — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 16:05:43 +0000

Synopsis:

My Name is Yoon is a beautifully rendered picture book depicting a Korean child who has left her native home and immigrated to America. She is struggling with the cultural differences. This is evidenced by Yoon’s resistance to writing the English version of her name.

At the beginning of the book, Yoon is given a phonetic spelling of her Korean name in English. Although her dad reassures her that the English version of her name still keeps its original meaning of “shining wisdom”, Yoon dislikes it because it loses the uniqueness of her Korean name. Yoon can see in her Korean name the symbols dancing together, reminding her of the life she left behind in Korea. In her English name she sees the letters each standing alone with no connections to each other, symbolizing her current feelings.

Publisher:

Farrar Straus Giroux

ISBN#:

9781250057112

Author:

Helen Recorvits

Illustrator:

Gabi Swiatkowska

Language:

English

Multimodal Resource:

My Name Is Yoon

Mini Unit:

My Name Is Yoon

Place:

North America

Country:

Publisher URL:

https://us.macmillan.com/fsg/

Medium:

Oil Paint

Genre2:

Realistic Fiction

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Theme:

Immigration

Mini Unit New:

My Name Is Yoon

The Green Frogs

dnoto — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 17:42:16 +0000

Synopsis:

Two little green frogs live with their mother by a lotus pond. The sons always do the opposite of what their mother tells them to do. Their mother uses reverse psychology and doesn’t provide consequences for their negative actions. As the frogs grow older they continue to disobey and do the opposite of what their mother says, up until her death. Prior to the mother frog’s death, she uses reverse psychology when planning her burial spot. This idea backfires as the frog sons finally do as they are told, with dire consequences for the mother. There are lessons to be learned for both parents and children. The folktale also explains why frogs cry out in the rain.

Publisher:

Houghton Mifflin Company

ISBN#:

9780618432288

Author:

Yumi Heo

Illustrator:

Yumi Heo

Language:

English

Multimodal Resource:

The Green Frogs

Mini Unit:

The Green Frogs

Place:

Asia and the Pacific

Country:

Korea

Publisher URL:

http://www.hmhco.com/

Genre2:

Traditional Literature

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Theme:

Families

Cultural practices

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The Green Frogs

The Wakame Gatherers

dnoto — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 20:24:35 +0000

Synopsis:

Nanami has two grandmothers: Baachan, who lives with her family in Japan, and Gram, who lives in Maine. When Gram visits Japan for the first time, Baachan takes her and Nanami on a trip to the seaside to gather Wakame, a long, curvy seaweed that floats near the shore.

While the three assemble their equipment and ride the streetcar to the beach, Baachan explains how Wakame and other seaweeds are used in Japan. Gram shares stories about how seaweeds are used in Maine, and Nanami translates for them both.

By the end of the day, Nanami's two grandmothers discover that they have much in common despite being from countries that fought in the war they both remember vividly. Now, looking out across the beach at the surfers, dog walkers, and seaweed gatherers, they share an appreciation of this precious peace.

Source: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/the-wakame-gatherers

Publisher:

Lee & Low Books

ISBN#:

978188500833

Author:

Holly Thompson

Illustrator:

Kazumi Wilds

Language:

Multimodal Resource:

The Wakame Gatherers

Mini Unit:

The Wakame Gatherers

Awards:

The Wakame Gatherers

Place:

Asia and the Pacific

Country:

Japan

Publisher URL:

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/the-wakame-gatherers

Medium:

Water Color

Genre2:

Realistic Fiction

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Credit Line:

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/the-wakame-gatherers

Theme:

Cultural practices

Environmentalism

Nature

Families

Food

Grandparents

Home

War

Mini Unit New:

The Wakame Gatherers

Parrots Over Puerto Rico

szachs — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:47:32 +0000

Synopsis:

Above the treetops of Puerto Rico flies a flock of parrots as green as their island home. . . . These are Puerto Rican parrots. They lived on this island for millions of years, and then they nearly vanished from the earth forever.

Puerto Rican parrots, once abundant, came perilously close to extinction in the 1960s due to centuries of foreign exploration and occupation, development, and habitat destruction. In this compelling book, Roth and Trumbore recount the efforts of the scientists of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program to save the parrots and ensure their future. Woven into the parrots’ story is a brief history of Puerto Rico itself, from before the first human settlers to the present day.

With striking collage illustrations, a unique format, and engaging storytelling, Parrots Over Puerto Rico invites readers to witness the amazing recovery efforts that have enabled Puerto Rican parrots to fly over their island once again.

Source: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2835

Publisher:

Lee & Low Books

ISBN#:

9781620140048

Author:

Illustrator:

Susan L. Roth

Language:

English

Multimodal Resource:

Parrots over Puerto Rico

Mini Unit:

Parrots over Puerto Rico

Awards:

Parrots over Puerto Rico

Place:

North America

Country:

Puerto Rico

Publisher URL:

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2835

Medium:

Collage

Genre2:

Nonfiction

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Credit Line:

https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2835

Theme:

Nature

Environmentalism

History

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Parrots Over Puerto Rico

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

szachs — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:32:26 +0000

Synopsis:

What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, more than you might ever imagine! Based on a true story, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire transformation-and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big.

Pick up a paintbrush and join the celebration!

Source: http://www.rafaellopez-books.com/maybe-something-beautiful

Publisher:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

ISBN#:

9780544357693

Author:

Illustrator:

Rafael López

Language:

English

Multimodal Resource:

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

Mini Unit:

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

Awards:

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

Place:

North America

Country:

Publisher URL:

https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Maybe-Something-Beautiful/9780544357693

Medium:

Genre2:

Realistic Fiction

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Credit Line:

https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Maybe-Something-Beautiful/9780544357693

Theme:

Art

Neighborhood

Imagination

Mini Unit New:

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

I Love Saturdays y Domingos

szachs — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:17:59 +0000

Synopsis:

Saturdays and Sundays are very special days for the child in this story. On Saturdays, she visits Grandma and Grandpa, who come from a European-American background, and on Sundays–los domingos–she visits Abuelito y Abuelita, who are Mexican-American. While the two sets of grandparents are different in many ways, they also have a great deal in common–in particular, their love for their granddaughter.

While we follow our narrator to the circus and the pier, share stories from her grandparents’ pasts, and celebrate her birthday, the depth and joy of both cultures are conveyed in Spanish and English. This affirmation of both heritages will speak to all children who want to know more about their own families and ethnic backgrounds.

Source: http://almaflorada.com/i-love-saturdays-y-domingos/