IXCHEL WOULD LOVE TO WEAVE!

In the high mountains of Guatemala, Ixchel is in awe of her mother’s talent and craftsmanship.  Her mother can weave thread into the most beautiful pieces of art.  Ixchel is excited to produce her own piece of art.  Sadly, her request to weave is denied, but she turns her disappointment and sadness into ingenuity and resourcefulness.  As a result, she creates a rainbow of colors from unconventional means, and her mother quickly sees her daughter in a different light.

High praise for Linda Elovitz Marshall and her story Rainbow Weaver!  Accompanied by Elisa Chavarri’s intricate designs and a palette of beautiful colors, Rainbow Weaver offers a unique telling of making something out of nothing. In this story, unwanted trash bags littered in a community are made into bags and clutches.  The Author’s Note includes valuable insight to the lives of Mayan weavers and how their handwork helps to provide resources to their community.

A wonderful book to read in either English or Spanish.  For 6 years and up.

From Vivian the Children's Librarian at the Casa Verdugo Branch Library:

Box of Shocks by Chris McMahen

Oliver has a life filled with security—he lives with his working mother and father, he has a beautiful and organized home, he takes prepared lunches to school, and he gets to go on annual trips to see his Uncle and Aunt. 

On one ordinary day, Oliver discovers a buried box and decides to fill it with items that will give his parents the shock of their lives.  Reckless and dangerous acts of behavior is involved in getting these items and Oliver is consumed with protecting it.  Unfortunately, Oliver’s Box of Shocks is left behind in his old home and he decides to go on with his reckless behavior in order to get it back.  What Oliver soon discovers is that not everyone has the same disposition as he and that the last item placed in his box is the most meaningful. For older readers.

THREE STRIKES, YOU ARE OUT!

Gregory and his mother, little sister Jeanine, and imaginary friend Joey USED to live on a Navajo reservation. Now they live in a motel. Only his new friend Matt, in his new school, tells him its really a shelter, not a motel, and if they're not careful, Mr. Hass will give them three strikes and they're out! Not in the baseball way! The only saving grace for Gregory and his new set of circumstances is art class, where he can escape from all the problems and worries he has to deal with. BIRD SPRINGS by Carolyn Marsden is a quick read for a reluctant reader that's complex and adventurous enough for any reading level. For grades 4 and up.

COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER

Little Audrey by Ruth White is historical fiction about a young girl living in a coal mining camp during the Great Depression. As Audrey herself is struggling to recover from the illness which left her underweight and with bad vision, she has to also cope with the loss of a little sister that has left her mother with depression. Her father is an alcoholic mine worker who spends the little money he gets on drinking if he goes to work. There is always shortage of food and hunger lingers at home. The only two people who seem to notice her and like her for who she is, are her teacher and best friend Virgil and she loves them back because they are the only ones who seem to understand her.
Little Audrey's father dies in a car accident while drunk, which devastates the family even more, but ironically his death also brings the end of the tunnel in sight, as they become forced to move out of the mining camp. Her mother will now be able to earn money and bring it all home and Little Audrey and her three other sisters can go to a better school. For grades 5-8.
--Evelyn, Library Assistant

A NECESSARY JOURNEY

Though based on real facts dug up from the National Archives and conversation with his father and other relatives, Laurence Yep spins another vivid story of how his father came to settle permanently in San Francisco. Despite the fact that his father was a U.S. citizen, anyone entering the country from China in the early 1900s was interrogated thoroughly down to the most minute details about their home and family in order to prove they were who they said they were. Although the journey to Gold Mountain (that's what Chinese workers called California) was difficult it was worth it to find work and send money back to their families in the very poor villages of southern China.

The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel Island by Laurence Yep, a memorable and heartbreaking story of one child's immigration experience. For readers in 4th and older and those looking for a great California story.