From the desk of Kathryn Devine

April 30 marks Día, the culmination of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day).

Dia is an initiative started by the American Library Association to “emphasize the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.”

For more information about Día, check out the ALA website.

In the spirit of Día, we hope you enjoy these titles and others at the Washington State Library.

 

Storm Boy. By Paul Owen Lewis

Beautifully illustrated in Haida style, this is a story of a chief’s son who is lost at sea and finds himself washed ashore in a strange village of enormous–but friendly—people.

 

The Great Migration. By Jacob Lawrence

Artist Jacob Lawrence illustrates the experiences of African Americans who migrated from the South to the northern industrial cities in search of work beginning around the time of World War I.

“’And the migrants kept coming’ is a refrain of triumph over adversity. My family and others left the South on a quest for freedom, justice, and dignity. If our story rings true for you today, then it must still strike a chord in our American experience.” –Jacob Lawrence

 

Shu-Li and Tamara. By Paul Yee.

Shu-Li is a young Chinese immigrant living in Vancouver, Canada. Working at her parents’ deli she is regularly embarrassed by her mother’s English in front of the neighborhood kids.

She strikes up a friendship with her new neighbor Tamara. When rumors spread about Tamara, Shu-Li must decide whether she should stand by her new friend or follow the crowd.

 

The circle of equilibrium: poems of conscience and leadership by Native, Latino, African and Asian American youth

Collection of poems written by middle school and high school students from Oregon and Washington.

 

Color: Latino voices in the Pacific Northwest

A collection of one-page stories told by recent immigrants to the U.S. about their experiences here.

 

I am Sacajawea, I am York: Our Journey with Lewis and Clark. By Claire Rudolf Murphy.

A children’s book about the Lewis and Clark expedition, alternately told in the voices of Sacajawea and York.

 

 

Seeking light in each dark room: those who make a way, young Latino writers in Yakima = Buscando luz en cada cuarto oscuro: por los abrecaminos

“The stories and poems in this book were written by writers who call themselves abrecaminos, enrolled in a year-long Latino literature and writing course at Davis High School in Yakima, Washington using bilingual texts from the great works of Latin American writers.” –From Acknowledgements

 

Nosotros: the Hispanic people of Oregon : essays and recollections

Packed with pictures, stories, and essays about Hispanic history, culture, and people of Oregon.