January 2019 - Page 2 of 15

Dragon Dancer
by Joyce Chng (Author) and Jeremy Pailler (Illustrator)

Booktalk: On the eve of Chinese New Year, Yao wakes the ancient sky dragon, Shen Long, from his year-long sleep, propelling Yao on a magical journey through the skies to battle the bad luck of the previous year and usher in the good.

Snippet: Shen Long’s voice was the sound of a thunderstorm. He circled the foyer of the shopping mall, claiming his territory, sniffing out bad luck like a hunting hound.

Yao could sense dark pools of bad luck, like sticky black goo, bringing misfortune to everyone who had gathered there.

It was time to dance.

Chinese New Year 2019, the Year of the Boar, begins on February 5.

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
by Anika Aldamuy Denise (Author) and Paola Escobar (Illustrator)

Booktalk: 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.

Snippet: The library needs a bilingual assistant.
Pura speaks Spanish, English, and French.
She is perfect for the job.

But where are her abuela’s stories?
Not one folktale from Puerto Rico is on the shelves.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!