Children's Nonfiction Skateboarding
Barefoot Skateboarders
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2024
- Category
- Skateboarding, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Asia
- Recommended Age
- 3 to 5
- Recommended Grade
- p to k
- Recommended Reading age
- 3 to 5
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781459838536
- Publish Date
- Sep 2024
- List Price
- $21.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459838550
- Publish Date
- Sep 2024
- List Price
- $27.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
The remote village of Janwaar in Northern India has been the same for a long time, with the community strictly divided into castes. It's a quiet village… until the construction project begins.
Ramkesh can't tell what it will be—it's all ramps and hills. When it's done, he sees kids playing on it, on strange boards with wheels... Soon, he's invited to try, and he's hooked—practicing tricks and soaring on his skateboard. At first, it's all boys, but Ramkesh invites his sister, and other girls join too. Word gets out that the tiny village is a hotbed of skateboarding talent, and people flock from all over to see it, and to teach the kids new tricks. Ramkesh and his friends even get invited to travel, gaining the first-ever passports for their village. But most important, they come back home to tell of their journeys...and to lead the way for Janwaar into the future, with a newfound sense of joy and unity.
Available in French as Les planchistes aux pieds nus.
Praise for Rina Singh
★“A very wise book, speaking volumes…Share this at story hours, or hand it to the child struggling to read; this communicates essential truths without a word. Marvelous.”—School Library Journal, starred review for Once, a Bird
★“This sweet, understated story is wordless—a perfect way to tell it, as it requires youngsters to relate to the illustrations in a unique, profoundly personal way…Refreshing, beautiful, moving, and meaningful.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Once, a Bird
★“With cinematic fluidity, Dion’s marvellous watercolor, gouache, and digital illustrations evocatively convey Singh’s thoughtful wordless narrative…This multilayered wordless picture book has much to say about nature, renewal, and resiliency.”—Booklist, starred review for Once, a Bird
★ "[A] tender tribute to the Hindu holiday of Holi…A joyful hybrid of concept book, holiday title, and portrait of familial love."
–Publishers Weekly, starred review for Holi Colors
★ "Singh celebrates Holi, the Hindu festival of colors and love, and highlights six colors in this vibrant, playful board book…The sheer joy of the event comes through on nearly every page…Communicating the universal concept of color within the specific celebration of Holi, this gem deserves a place in every child's book bag."
– Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Holi Colors
About the authors
Rina Singh is a children’s author and poetry slam coach whose curiosity and love for storytelling shape the heart of her books. Rooted in real-life events and the untold stories they hold, her writing spans themes of environmental justice, social change, and the magic woven into everyday life. Her critically acclaimed titles include Grandmother School, winner of the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize; Diwali: A Festival of Lights, nominated for the Red Cedar Award; and Once, a Bird. Her picture book Barefoot Skateboarders is based on a true story set in rural India.
SOPHIE CASSON has illustrated The Artist and Me by Shane Peacock, a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Quelle pagaille! by Danielle Marcotte and Laurence-Aurélie Théroux-Marcotte, a finalist for the Governor General’s Award, and Helen’s Birds by Sara Cassidy. Her highly acclaimed illustrations are inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and World War II–era posters. Sophie’s award-winning work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail, the New York Times, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times and Nature, as well as in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Sophie lives in Montreal, Quebec.
Awards
- Commended, 49th Shelf Kids Top Grade: Canlit for the Classroom
- Commended, Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard Selection
Editorial Reviews
“The potential of children to become changemakers even in the most stratified societies is the driving message of Barefoot Skateboarders, and Sophie Casson’s playful illustrations bring Ramkesh’s tentative first steps, and high-flying ollies, into full colour….Tells the true story of how sport can help bridge caste and gender divides.”
Montreal Review of Books (MRB)
“Casson’s simple illustrations...capture not just a small, dusty Indian village but also the energy and activity around the skatepark and the joyful expressions of all who become involved in this remarkable change. The book would be a useful springboard for discussions on…community-building. Recommended.”
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Bright, cheerful illustrations highlight first the differences and then the commonalities between the two village groups, effectively capturing the joy of the soaring skaters.”
Booklist
Other titles by
Bird Brothers, A Delhi Story
Les planchistes aux pieds nus
The Lion Queen
Rasila Vadher, the First Woman Guardian of the Last Asiatic Lions
Imagine a Garden
Stories of Courage Changing the World
Once, a Bird
111 Trees
How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl
Grandmother School Read-Along
Grandmother School
A Meeting in the Sky
Diwali
Festival of Lights
Other titles by
Les planchistes aux pieds nus
The Prisoner and the Writer
Same Here!
The Differences We Share
This Old Man (Enhanced Edition)
I've Been Working On the Railroad (Enhanced Edition)
Sing Out!
Six Classic Folk Songs for Tomorrow
Helen’s Birds
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Classic Folk Sing-Along Songs
Pop Goes the Weasel
Classic Folk Sing-Along Songs
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
Classic Folk Sing-Along Songs
