Africa South of the Sahara
Ghana
A is for Accra
By Ekow Pierre, Nana Pierre (Translator)
A is for Accra. Ekow Pierre. Illustrated by Nana Pierre. Spiderwize and Book Printing UK, 2017. ISBN 9781911596257. 40 p. (Ages 3-5). Picture book.
A is for Accra is a beautifully illustrated book, featuring a rhyming alphabetical journey around Ghana. Younger readers can learn their ABCs, while older readers can learn about Ghana and its cultures and customs. Parents can share additional information with their kids about the places, people, and foods from the glossary in the back. [gd]
India
Thukpa For All
By Praba Ram and Sheela Preuitt, Shilpa Ranade (Illustrator)
Thukpa For All. Praba Ram and Sheela Preuitt. Illustrated by Shilpa Ranade. Karadi Tales Picturebooks, 2019. First published in Chennai, in 2018. ISBN 9788193388983. 48 p. (Ages 7-9). Picture book.
Tsering can’t wait to eat his grandmother's noodle soup, Thukpa. He invites all his friends and neighbors for a celebratory moment, but there is a power cut. Will his Abi, grandmother, be able to make the noodles? Narrated from a blind child’s, Tsering’s, perspective with remarkable illustrations, this story is perfect for readers who want to learn more about Ladakh region of India. Would pair with My Ocean is Blue by Darren Lebeuf. The first author, Praba Ram, is a children’s writer, reading specialist, and early childhood educator. She is also the founder of Saffron Tree— an award winning site dedicated for children’s literature from India and the US. Ram resides in Chennai with her family. The second author, Sheela Preuitt is based in Oregon, US and is a writer, cuisinière, applications developer, childhood literacy advocate, and craftswoman. Thukpa For All was selected for the 2019 IBBY list of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. It was also featured in the 2020 USBBY Outstanding International Books list. Shortlisted for Neev’s Book Award (2019) and listed as Highly Commended book by South Asia Book Awards (2019). Watch a book-reading of Thukpa For All by author Praba Ram. [mi]
Latin America
El Salvador
Guacamole: A Cooking Poem
By Jorge Argueta, Elisa Amado, Margarita Sada (Illustrator)
Guacamole: Un poema para cocinar /A Cooking Poem (Bilingual Cooking Poems). Jorge Argueta. Translated from the Spanish by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Margarita Sada. Groundwood Books/Libros Tigrillo/House of Anansi Press, 2016, c2012. ISBN 9781554988884. 32 p. (Ages 5-8). Poetry.
A recipe/poem for guacamole that will get kids excited about cooking other foods too! This is the third book in the “Bilingual Cooking Poems” series, which currently numbers five. Recipient of the International Latino Book Award, Jorge Argueta has also won many more awards for his books, which have been placed on the Américas Award Commended List, the USBBY Outstanding International Books List, Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books, and the Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices. Though Argueta is a Pipil Nahua Indian and spent much of his life in El Salvador, he now lives in California. [jm]