Tomas and the Library Lady......by Pat Mora

This is the story of Tomas, a boy who travels from Texas to Iowa each summer with his family. While his parents work in the corn fields, Tomas finds the library which opens new worlds to him. This is a touching story and shows how Tomas sets off on his own then returns home to share with his family what he has learned.

Celebrations....by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley
This book presents holidays from around the world according to seasons.  There are lots of pictures to illustrate the celebrations.  They describe the food, activities, dress and objects associated with the holidays.  The authors focus their energy trying to express how the children feel and what they like most about the special days.  At the end of the book there is a calendar showing all of the celebrations described in the book.  This is a good cross-cultural reference.

Spider and the Sky God - An Akan Legend
by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
 
This is a story of the trickster spider from Ghana in West Africa.  The Akan people see Ananse the spider as a hero.  In the story, Ananse must perform certain tasks in exchange for the ability to tell stories.  He uses his wit and imagination to make the exchange.  This book shows that story telling is important.

The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison
 
The story of an 11 year old girl who wants her eyes to turn blue so that she will be beautiful and loved.  As the year goes by, she must endure painful hardships.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
by Michael Dorris
A tale of three generations - grandmother, mother and daughter that starts in the past and moves to the present. The daughter Rayona tries to reconcile her identity, the mother Christinetries to reconcile her feelings about her people, and the grandmother Ida guards the mysterious secrets of her past.

Bone
by Fae Myenne Ng
 
The story of a family living in San Francisco's Chinatown.  They try to understand the profound sorrow of the middle daughter, Ona, as they live among family secrets and shame.  Although they may hurt one another at times, they are ever loyal and loving.

Asian Women and Their Work

Written from a woman's perspective, this book contains essays about women from all over Asia. Essays deal with social status of women, economic considerations and oppression from a male dominated society.