Showing results for "Life" in Multicultural Stories

You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for ourselves? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives? The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration for kids ages 10 and up to help them succeed on and off the court.

It’s a big week for Azaleah Lane. The principal, Ms. Li, is choosing a third grader to be the STEM lab monitor, and Azaleah’s name is the one picked! But the week doesn’t go quite as planned. First Azaleah gets paired up with a bossy classmate for a group project. Then the STEM lab guinea pig goes missing—on Azaleah’s watch! Can she use her scientific thinking and detective skills to get to the bottom of things before it’s too late? Or will Azaleah Lane go down as the worst STEM lab monitor ever?

Azaleah's big sister, Nia, has been cast as Willa Wonka in the school musical, and the entire Lane family is looking forward to the show. Azaleah has even helped plan a surprise dinner party for Nia at Avec Amour, Mama's restaurant. But then the real drama starts. At the first rehearsal, all sorts of things go wrong: missing batteries, sets falling over, props misplaced . . .

Mama and Daddy are heading out of town, which means Azaleah and her sisters get to spend the weekend at Auntie Sam's. The girls can't wait for their special weekend! Azaleah even decides to bake cookies to surprise her parents when they return. After all, as Mama says, "Cooking for someone is like giving them a gift."

Azaleah can't wait for her class field trip to the National Zoo in Washington D.C., especially when her teacher announces the chance to earn extra credit. But when Azaleah gets home, she quickly realizes extra credit isn't as easy as she thought. Azaleah's younger sister Tiana can't find Greenie, her stuffed animal, and she's sure he's been stolen. With Mama at the restaurant and Daddy at work on a big case, it seems Azaleah is the only one available to track down the stolen stuffie. Can Azaleah get to the bottom of the mystery in time to finish her extra credit?

It’s laundry day, and J.C. is excited to help his mom. But when J.C. adds too much detergent to the machine, suds are everywhere! Laundry day turns into a mess for everyone in the apartment building. Can J.C. fix his mistake and save laundry day?

J.C. is excited to go to the Spring Flower Festival with Nana and Pop-Pop! But then his best friends, Amir and Vicky, invite J.C. to go to the zoo at the same time. Can J.C. figure out a way to make it to both events?

J.C. can't wait for his class field trip to the Famous Black Americans Museum. Even better, Dad is coming too—as a chaperone. But then J.C.’s group gets separated from the rest of the class. Can J.C. help save the day and find his classmates?

Baseball is J.C.’s favorite sport, so he’s excited to see it on the activity list at the local community center. He can't wait to show off what a great pitcher he is. But then J.C.'s friend Vicky gets to be the pitcher instead. Can J.C. learn to share the mound?

This joyful poem celebrates the wonderful and complex identity of children of immigrants and refugees, embracing all that they are—a dancer, a shining light, a K-pop song—and promising what they will never be: invisible.

This inspiring biography tells the story of New York City's first Puerto Rican librarian, a woman who championed bilingual literature. When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura’s legacy.

"Ibram X. Kendi narrates his well-researched biography of Malcolm X 100 years after Malcolm's birth. Kendi vividly shares Malcolm's family's difficulties..." — Kirkus National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi brings an American icon to life in...

Cassie doesn't feel at home in her hometown in California. So when her family moves to South Korea, where her parents were born and raised, she thinks life might be easier. But Cassie soon learns she is wrong. Despite being ethnically Korean, there is so much about her that is American—parts of her she can't erase. Yet there are just as many parts of her that are Korean, too. From English to Korean, chocolate to ho-dduk, can Cassie find a language where she can wholly be loved?

Native American princess or British celebrity? Pocahontas played a pivotal role in the New World, but the powerful pull between her tribe and the new settlement on Virginia's shores took its toll.

This biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the most influential and gifted speakers of all time. Doreen Rappaport uses quotes from some of his most beloved speeches to tell the story of his life and his work in a simple, direct way.

The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake? Although life at the lighthouse isn’t what Lucy hoped for, it is beautiful—ships come and go, waves pound the rocks—and it has one major advantage: it’s near the site of a famous shipwreck, a shipwreck that went down with a treasure her father wanted more than anything.

A powerful, emotional, and uplifting picture book about the real-life experience of a Japanese American boy incarcerated with his family during World War II. Cowritten by Minoru Tonai, an advocate for Japanese American rights, Unbreakable is based on Tonai’s harrowing real-life experiences. This moving book includes extensive back matter: information on the American incarceration camps and the campaign to release Tonai’s father, a timeline, a bibliography, author and illustrator notes, and questions for further discussion perfect for caregivers and educators to further engage young listeners.

Mama says her little boy is a songbird with a voice bigger than his whole body. But at school, his classmates make fun of the way he walks and the way he talks―which makes him feel like a songbird too shy to sing. With the encouragement of his choir teacher, he embraces his talent, realizing that his voice is unique and distinct. When it’s time for the school showcase, he’s finally ready to embrace his joyful talent and share it with the world.

Ira Aldridge dreamed of being on stage one day and performing the great works of William Shakespeare. He spent every chance he had at the local theaters, memorizing each actor's lines. He knew he could be a great Shakespearean actor if only given the chance. But in the early 1800s, only white actors were allowed to perform Shakespeare. Ira's only option was to perform musical numbers at the all-black theater in New York City. Despite being discouraged by his teacher and father, Ira determinedly pursued his dream and set off to England, the land of Shakespeare.

A powerful biography of the influential civil rights leader and multitalented musician Coretta Scott King, with illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Cozbi A. Cabrera. Young Coretta Scott was a gifted musician, learning multiple instruments and breaking barriers to study music in college. Yet...