Our Children's Librarian columnist, Julie Booker, brings us a new view from the stacks every month.
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The Foolish Men of Agra and Other Tales of Mogul India, retold by Rina Singh, illustrated by Farida Zaman, is a collection of short, fun stories designed to teach wisdom through foolishness. Set during the 1500s to 1700s, the stories feature the mogul emperor’s son, Akbar, and his clever Hindu courtier/state minister, Birbal, who continually challenges Akbar’s beliefs. In the title story Akbar asks Birbal to find the most foolish men in Agra, and Birbal comes across a man who has fallen with his arms wide open who says he can’t move because, “I will lose the measurement of the fabric my wife wants.” In the end, through Akbar’s challenge to Birbal, both of them end up on the foolish list themselves. (Grades 1 and up)
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In the brilliantly illustrated Jewish folktale, Rachel Captures the Moon, by Richard Unger, Simon the carpenter decides he doesn’t want to wait each night to see the moon, so he builds a ladder to catch it for himself. When that doesn’t work, various townsfolk set out to entice the moon down, using, for example, the smell of delicious soup, the sound of a violin, a huge blanket, and a fisherman’s net. It is Simon’s daughter who, finally, has the ingenious idea to use the water’s reflection in a barrel to capture the image. (Kindergarten and up)
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The Mermaid’s Muse, the Legend of the Dragon Boats, by David Bouchard, with paintings by Zhong-Yang Huang, is a large picture book based on the true story of poet Qu Yuan’s banishment, having been falsely accused of unfaithfulness to the king. Both illustrations and story tell the dramatic tale of him falling in love with a sea dragon who appears to him as a mermaid. They heal each other’s wounds and Qu Yuan decides to join her in the sea forever. When the villagers see this and think he is being captured by the dragon, a big battle ensues in which Qu Yuan takes the shape of a golden dragon in defence of his love. Today’s dragon boat festivals are a way of honouring this story. (Grade 1 and up)
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The Dream of Aengus, by Joanne Findon, illustrated by Ted Nasmith, is an Irish tale of tragic love. The immortal Caer’s sorcerer father does not want her to fall in love with a mortal, so he changes her into a swan. As a bird, Caer watches the mortal Aengus from afar and falls in love anyway. She visits him each night in dreams, where Aengus becomes lovesick. He sends his court messengers to discover her real identity, igniting a dramatic battle between Aengus’ and Caer’s fathers. This one has a not-so-happy ending, but love does prevail. (Grade 1 and up)
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A Time of Golden Dragons, by Hao Yu Zhang, illustrated by Song Nan Zhang, is not a story, but the history of dragons and the zodiac. With just the right amount of information about the significance and origins of these creatures, this book offers imagery of dragons, past and present, across cultures. The typical dragon, for example, is made up of several familiar animals—deer antlers, camel head, serpent’s neck, frog’s belly, fish scales, tiger’s claws, etc. And did you know a dragon’s gate seen at high points in temples is meant to prevent undeserving fish from getting in to heaven? Only those that can jump the gate can get in! (Grade 3 and up)
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Sinbad From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights, retold and illustrated by Ludmila Zeman, is a Persian version of one of the famous stories Scheherazade told the king to prevent being beheaded. Persian motifs are seen in the illustrations, the layout, illuminated letters, and border decorations in this tale of Sinbad the Sailor. After losing all his riches and taking to sea, he lands on an island that turns out to be an angry whale. He swims to a place where he attaches himself to a gigantic bird who drops him into a valley of diamonds. He must escape the pit of snakes guarding the jewels in order to barter passage on a ship. The Sinbad stories are continued in the sequel, Sinbad in the Land of Giants (Grade 1 and up)
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Brave Jack and the Unicorn, by Janet McNaughton, illustrated by Susan Tooke, is a Newfoundland story about the rewards of kindness. The nicest of three brothers, Jack sets off to save his brothers being enslaved in an evil magician’s quarry. Along the way, Jack helps all those he meets—ants, an apple tree, a seamstress, a farmer. They give him some odd gifts which, as in all good fables, later help him save a princess. Bonus: there’s a unicorn ride in a dramatic magical chase in this one. Because of the amount of text, this one is recommended for Grade 2 and up.
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La Diablesse and the Baby, by Richard Keens-Douglas, illustrated by Marie Lafrance, is a Caribbean folktale, written in oral-storytelling fashion. A diablesse steals children. She has one human foot and one clawed foot. One night, the protagonist, tells us, her grandmother is rocking a little baby amongst the cocoa and fruit trees and the rain is coming down. There’s a knock on the door; it’s a woman asking for shelter from the rain. “You can stay on the veranda,” the grandmother says. The woman asks to come in and hold the baby instead, but luckily, the grandmother, knowing about la diablesse, holds the baby tight, refusing. The child is saved from a terrible fate. “That little baby was me!” says the final line. (Kindergarten and up)
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On her first day as teacher-librarian, Julie Booker was asked by a five-year-old if that was her real name. She's felt at home in libraries since her inaugural job as a Page in the Toronto Public Library. She is the author of Up Up Up, a book of short stories published by House of Anansi Press.