Miguel’s Brave Knight

Miguel’s Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote
by Margarita Engle (Author) and Raúl Colón (Illustrator)

Booktalk: This fictionalized first-person free verse biography of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra follows the early years of the child who grows up to pen Don Quixote, the first modern novel. The son of a gambling, vagabond barber-surgeon, Miguel looks to his own imagination for an escape from his family’s troubles and finds comfort in his colorful daydreams. At a time when access to books is limited and imaginative books are considered evil, Miguel is inspired by storytellers and wandering actors who perform during festivals. He longs to tell stories of his own. When Miguel is nineteen, four of his poems are published, launching the career of one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language.

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Copyright © 2018 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Cinderella and the Furry Slippers

Cinderella and the Furry Slippers
by Davide Cali (Author) and‎ Raphaelle Barbanegre (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Cinderella is dying to go to the ball. She’s seen pictures of the fancy castle and the handsome prince, she’s heard the fairy tales about true love, she’s found the perfect dress in Princess magazine and she’s even found an ad for a Fairy Godmother. She’s all set.

Except the fairy godmother doesn’t look like the one in the ad. And the castle doesn’t look like the picture. And the prince . . . well, Cinderella decides her fairy-tale ending is going to look different–and be a whole lot more fun.

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Copyright © 2018 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.