SAPL StoryWalk®

"A fun dive into culture and vocabulary (both English and Spanish) as well as color. And one more thing: the art work is just amazing!" --New York Family International Latino Book Award Winner Pura Belpré Award, Illustrator Honor Green is a chile pepper, spicy and hot. Green is cilantro inside our pot. In this lively picture book that Booklist described as "a cheerful color-concept book that presents a slice of Latino culture through food and fun," children discover a world of colors all around them: red is spices and swirling skirts, yellow is masa, tortillas, and sweet corn cake. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin, and all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this playful concept book will reinforce the colors found in every child's day! "Thong's buoyant rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud and Parra's stunning folk-art illustrations offer vibrant scenes that children will return to again and again." --School Library Journal (starred review) "Bold illustrations, rhyming words and Spanish color words make this a special read for preschoolers. An included Spanish glossary highlights cultural facts that make this a great read for older children as well." --Spartanburg Herald-Journal "Very rare picture book featuring Latino kiddos. Lovely on the eye. Rhymes to boot." --Eizabeth Bird, New York Times Public Library Collections Specialist

Everyone has the magic within! Grandpa Tu is famous for his special noodles, and as the emperor's birthday approaches, he teaches his granddaughter, Mei, the family trade. Mei struggles to find the magic needed to make noodles. Ultimately, she finds the magic--and the ability to succeed--within. Mei doesn't just make noodles--her magic noodles in varied shapes and sizes rain down from the sky! NOODLE MAGIC is written in the style of a Chinese folk story, with engaging cultural and community aspects. The family connection that's at the heart of the story has universal appeal. The grandfather and granddaughter work together to accomplish what one could not do alone. Meilo So, whose BRUSH OF THE GODS received four starred reviews, brings the story to life with beautiful, breathtaking illustrations.

'Twas Nochebuena and all through our casa,  every creature was kneading tamale masa... It's Christmas Eve, and you're invited to a Nochebuena celebration! Follow a family as they prepare to host a night filled with laughter, love, and Latino tradition. Make tasty tamales and hang colorful adornos (decorations) on the walls. Gather to sing festive canciones (songs) while sipping champurrado (hot chocolate). After the midnight feast has been served and the last gifts have been unwrapped, it's time to cheer, "Feliz Navidad and to all a good night!" Savor the magic of Nochebuena with a holiday tale you'll want to read again and again. 

Lively picture book enumerates the joys of counting in both English and Spanish Boisterous illustrations and rhyming text: One is a rainbow. One is a cake. One is a piñata that's ready to break! In this lively picture book, a companion to the Pura Belpré-honored Green Is a Chile Pepper, children discover a fiesta of numbers in the world around them, all the way from one to ten. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin and all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this vibrant book enumerates the joys of counting and the wonders that abound in every child's day! Filled with bright and colorful images that makes counting objects a party. Includes numbers 1 through 10 in English and Spanish and incorporates Spanish words into the rhyming text. Roseanne Greenfield Thong is the author of more than a dozen award-winning children's books, including Round Is a Tortilla, Wish, 'Twas Nochebuena, Día de Los Muertos, and Green Is a Chile Pepper. John Parra is an award-winning illustrator who has received three Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor awards. Fans of Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes and Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors will love this lively companion book, One Is a Piñata: A Book of Numbers. Perfect for preschoolers and early readers working on counting skills and learning basic Spanish vocabulary. Books for kids ages 4-7 Engaging children's picture book that teaches counting skills and is a basic Spanish-language learning tool Fun book to read aloud for families or elementary schools

  Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor 2018 ALA Notable Children's Book 2018 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2017 Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2017 Smithsonian Top Ten Best Children's Book of 2017 2018 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, written by Monica Brown and illustrated by John Parra, is based on the life of one of the world's most influential painters, Frida Kahlo, and the animals that inspired her art and life.  The fascinating Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is remembered for her self-portraits, her dramatic works featuring bold and vibrant colors. Her work brought attention to Mexican and indigenous culture and she is also renowned for her works celebrating the female form. Brown's story recounts Frida's beloved pets--two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn--and playfully considers how Frida embodied many wonderful characteristics of each animal. 

"Verde's unique style and simple yet increasingly important messages of peace, mindfulness, and community make her stories a must-share...A must-purchase." --School Library Journal (starred review) "Walls do not just create barriers and divide spaces. They can be canvases for artmaking; opportunities to shape a community." --The Horn Book "This story of urban renewal sends a welcome double message by Verde: neighbors and neighborhoods are more than the way they look, and ordinary people can band together to transform big things." --Publishers Weekly A boy takes on a community art project in order to make his neighborhood more beautiful in this empowering and inspiring picture book by Susan Verde, stunningly illustrated by award-winning artist John Parra. One creative boy. One bare, abandoned wall. One BIG idea. There is a wall in Ángel's neighborhood. Around it, the community bustles with life: music, dancing, laughing. Not the wall. It is bleak. One boy decides to change that. But he can't do it alone. Told in elegant verse by Susan Verde and vibrantly illustrated by John Parra, this inspiring picture book celebrates the power of art to tell a story and bring a community together.

"A powerful story." --The Horn Book "A worthy addition to children's biography collections." --Booklist "A solid treatment of an important but little-known figure, and it may prompt kids to think about the role and composition of a free press." --BCCB "Cline-Ransome tells [Ethel Payne's] story with economy and drive. 'Somebody had to do the fighting,' she quotes Payne saying, 'somebody had to speak up.'" --Publishers Weekly Renowned author Lesa Cline-Ransome and celebrated illustrator John Parra unite to tell the inspiring story of Ethel Payne, a groundbreaking African American journalist known as the First Lady of the Black Press. "I've had a box seat on history." Ethel Payne always had an ear for stories. Seeking truth, justice, and equality, Ethel followed stories from her school newspaper in Chicago to Japan during World War II. It even led her to the White House briefing room, where she broke barriers as the only black female journalist. Ethel wasn't afraid to ask the tough questions of presidents, elected officials, or anyone else in charge, earning her the title, "First Lady of the Black Press." Fearless and determined, Ethel Payne shined a light on the darkest moments in history, and her ear for stories sought answers to the questions that mattered most in the fight for Civil Rights.