LIS 721 Books to Inspire Childlike Wonder

Maillard, K. (2019). Fry bread: A Native American family story. (J. Matinez-Neal, Illus.) Roaring Brook Press.       Using the various aspects of fry bread, a culturally significant food for Native American people, Maillard describes the history and lives that make up Native American culture today. Maillard is Native American himself and grew up with fry bread as a tradition and surrounded by family with stories of being Native American in our society through the years. This gives him some authority on the tradition he writes about. His writing is very respectful towards the subject and makes it obvious to the reader that there was care involved in it. Each spread begins with the phrase, “Fry bread is…” which keeps a consistent rhythm throughout the book even as the writing gets more abstract and strays from the food itself. The abstract parts may get a bit confusing for younger readers like in the spread for “Fry bread is place.” A younger reader might have a challe...

Burcaw, S. (2017). Not so different: What you really want to ask about having a disability. (M. Carr, Illus.) Roaring Brook Press.         Shane Burcaw was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as a baby and has been living with this disability ever since. This also means he has been dealing with the curiosities of people regarding what it is like to live with a disability since then which encouraged him to author this book on himself and his experiences. Though the title may imply that it is a book on disabilities in general, it is more specifically about Burcaw’s life with SMA describing a unique experience that cannot be applied to everyone, making him the best authority on the subject. The book is written in a conversational tone with every subject being introduced by a question he is commonly asked. The book then follows the flow of how a typical conversation revolving this subject with follow-up questions to better explain mentioned facts that many may no...

Denis, A. (2019). Planting stories: The life of librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré. (P. Escobar, Illus.) Harper. This book tells the life story of Pura Belpr é , the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City, from her visit to America in 1921 to the end of her life. The author, Anika Aldamuy Denise, felt a connection to this story because she is also a storyteller in a family of immigrants. Pura Belpr é brings a sense of pride to Denise, encouraging her to tell Pura’s story well and accurately, and she does. Spanning through the entirety of a life may seem like too large a scope, but Denise makes sure to mainly focus on the most impactful moments like creating puppets for her stories, sending her stories to a publisher, and getting married. This allows the reader to witness the full impact and scope of Pura’s life in the small amount of space a picture book provides. To keep the culture alive within the text, Denise includes Spanish words and phrases often allowing the context ...