New Crayons: What's New On Our Shelves

Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Every week on Sunday, I post what's new in our box. Hope you'll share what you picked up from the library, store or in the mail, too.

Another great week for our book drive. We received eight parcels this week! Very excited to share with you some of the books we put on our shelves yesterday. We're at the midway mark. There are a lot of unmarked titles on our wish list so if you have been thinking about donating, please check our wish list at Powell's. We warmly welcome your gently used books, too.

The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle

Publisher's comments:
It is 1896. Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not tree. People have been rounded up in reconcentration camps with too little food and too much illness. Rosa is a nurse, but she dares not go to the camps. So she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her.

I've seen this on several blogs and knew I wanted it for our library. We want and need more poetry. It's multicultural. It addresses the personal and political. Can you imagine me doing my happy, loc swingin' happy dance when I saw this?


Amy Hodgdepodge: All Mixed Up by Kim Wayans and Kevin Knotts.

Synopsis:
After years of being home schooled, Amy Hodges is excited to start fourth grade at a "real" school. On Amy's first day, she gets teased not only because she is new, but also because she looks different. Amy is part Asian, Caucasian, and African American. Eventually, Amy meets a group of nice kids and one of them even affectionately gives her the nickname "Amy Hodgepodge..."

I've been following Ms. Wayans on Twitter. She's not a celebrity writing books. She's a real diversity advocate and activist. She's personable and her series reflect her extended family. Really excited about putting this on our shelves. A generous donor sent us a copy of each of the first three books.

Words Don't Fit In My Mouth by Jessica Care Moore

Okay, this is native Detroiter. True, blue activist, artist. Her first published work has been our wish list for awhile. And I did say how much we love and want more poetry? Ms. Moore is a mom loving her babies, freelance writer, poet and publisher. Major houses not supporting emerging writers of color didn't stop Ms. Moore. She founded her own company. She walks the walk and she's not walking alone. Moore Black Publishing has published such notables as Saul Williams and Asha Bandele as well as two of her own books, The Words Don't Fit My Mouth (1997) and The Alphabet Verses: The Ghetto (2003).

Color of Heaven by Dong Kim Hwa

Synposis:
In the tradition of My Antonia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, from the pen of the renowned Korean manwha creator Kim Dong Hwa, comes a trilogy about a girl coming of age, set in the vibrant, beautiful landscape of pastoral Korea.

Review:
This manhwa — first in a trilogy — chronicling the lives of a single mother and her daughter in rural Korea is a moving and evocative look at love as seen through the eyes of one feeling it for the first time and another who longs to savor it once more. The story follows daughter Ehwa from age seven up as she discovers the physical differences between boys and girls, grows into young womanhood and undergoes her initial confusing experiences with attraction and romance...

A very kind donor sent us the first three volumes of this graphic novel series. The cover art and the pages are beautiful. I'm looking forward to reading this and encouraging our girls to check it out.