Showing titles in Multicultural Stories

Curses aren't real. At least, that's what twelve-year-old, half-Hawaiian Anna Leilani Kama'ehu thinks when she listens to her grandmother's folktales about sacred flowers and hexes. Anna's friends back home in Colorado don't believe in legends either; they're more interested in science and sports—real, tangible things that stand in total contrast to Anna's family's loopy cultural traditions.

What do Indian shoes look like, anyway? Like beautiful beaded moccasins... or hightops with bright orange shoelaces? Ray Halfmoon prefers hightops, but he gladly trades them for a nice pair of moccasins for his grampa. After all, it's Grampa Halfmoon who's always there to help Ray get in and out of scrapes—like the time they teamed up to pet sit for the whole block during a holiday blizzard!

New kid Jorge is shocked to learn that his beastly friend Carter isn't the only legendary creature in Boca falls. Every few years, the town is terrorized by a haunted . . . piñata? Rumor has it that the petrifying party decoration floats around setting eerie fires to avenge a long-ago betrayal. Jorge can't help but laugh, until a rash of green fires forces the townspeople to consider moving away, including the parents of his pals Ernie and Liza! With Carter at their side, the three friends are in a race against time to catch the real culprit.

Nayati, le petit indien, vit chez sa grand-mère près de la forêt. Un jour, la vieille dame lui confie un secret : dans les bois, se trouve un tout petit arbre où son prénom a été gravé sur le tronc. Nayati, plein de courage, file vers la forêt à la recherche de son arbre. Sur son chemin, il interroge un vieux hibou, un jeune renard avant de tomber nez à nez face à cinq bandits armés.

After just barely surviving their last trip to the Rainbow Realm, Mihi Whan Park and her friends Reese and Savannah know that stepping back through the library refrigerator and into the magical fairy-tale world would be a dangerous choice. But when they discover that Mihi’s nemesis, Genevieve, has crossed through the fridge and into the Rainbow Realm herself, Mihi, Reese, and Savannah decide they must bring her home.

Marya’s eighth birthday is coming up in a week, and all she wants is an over-the-top birthday party just like the ones Alexa, her rich neighbor, always throws. When Alexa parades into school with fancy invitations, Marya can't help herself—she claims that she’s having the most epic henna party ever. Now she has to convince her family to make it happen. Enter Operation Help the Khans!

Indigenous women have always worked tirelessly to protect our water—keeping it pure and clean for the generations to come. Yet there was a time when their voices and teachings were nearly drowned out, leaving entire communities and environments in danger and without clean water. But then came Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn Peltier. This stunning audiobook from New York Times-bestselling author Carole Lindstrom gives voice to the water and asks young listeners to join the tidal wave of change.

Minoru Yamasaki described the feeling he sought to create in his buildings as “serenity, surprise, and delight.” Here, his granddaughter Katie Yamasaki charts his life and work: his childhood in Seattle’s Japanese immigrant community, paying his way through college working in Alaska’s notorious salmon canneries, his success in architectural school, and the transformative structures he imagined and built. A Japanese American man who faced brutal anti-Asian racism in post-World War II America and an outsider to the establishment, he nonetheless left his mark on the world.

In this story based on the author's childhood, a young Black boy confronts his first experience of overt racism. In recounting the events to his grandfather, the young narrator asks: “How can she hate me when she doesn’t know me?” Grandpa offers wisdom and encouragement to the child, reminding him that another person’s hate does not change the fact that he is loved and that he matters. Tyler Merritt presents a message of love and acceptance that will resonate with young listeners and offer a starting point for conversations about racial equality between parent and child.

Lotus Bloom just wants to express herself—with her violin, her retro style, and her peaceful vibe, not to mention her fabulous hair. Lotus is taking her talent to the seventh grade at a new school of the arts. The one where she just might get to play under a famous maestro. But Lotus's best friend thinks she should stay at their school. Rebel wants Lotus to help her protest, but Lotus isn't sure. If she's going to be in the spotlight, she'd rather it be for her music. When boys throw paper wads and airplanes into Lotus's afro, she finds herself in trouble for a dress code violation.

Gaby Ramirez Howard loves volunteering at the local animal shelter. She plays with the kittens, helps to obedience train the dogs, and writes adoption advertisements so the strays who live there can find their forever homes. Gaby has been feeling like a bit of a stray herself, lately. Her mother has recently been deported to Honduras and Gaby is stuck living with her inattentive dad. She's confident that her mom will come home soon so that they can adopt Gaby's favorite shelter cat together. When the cat's original owners turn up, Gaby worries that her plans are about to fall apart.

Latrice Rowe is a 10-year-old handicapped Black girl. She’s suffering not so much from her disability but from a lonely heart. Her mother’s work schedule prevents them from spending quality time together. Latrice’s frustration leads to bad behavior, which causes her to be grounded. Once inside her bedroom, Latrice is lured to her toy box and the secrets inside it. What she learns transforms her on the inside and out.

Join children from Haiti, India, Korea, Rwanda, Spain, New Zealand, and many more countries as they each declare God's truth about their identities. Each moment is a joyful exploration of how God has uniquely made every child to reveal His glory, but also serves as a beautiful reminder for kids about who they are—and, most important, whom they belong to.

At recess, Noko and his friends scurry out of class at Nature’s Night School hurriedly so that they can devour the yummy lunches that their parents packed for them. Upon opening their lunch bags and seeing Mmabudu’s lunch squirming about, it becomes clear to these bushveld buddies that not only do they enjoy very different treats, but they also look quite different and that their families do things in very different ways. This sparks intrigue and leads Noko to investigate what makes each of their tribes so unique and special.

Toothbrush? Check. Her special journal? Check! Eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi—flamingo fan, tree climber, and top-notch messmaker—can hardly wait for her family vacation to Japan, and by the time their plane finally touches down, she’s ready to dive into their new adventure. There are so many things to see in Tokyo: Ramen Street, which she learns is not a whole street made of ramen; old temples with fancy gates; and Tokyo Tower, where you can even spot Mount Fuji on a good day.

In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated. When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannot—constant companionship and insight into her changing world. Books, however, can't tell Anna how to find a true friend. She'll have to discover that on her own.

It's the Christmas holidays and Yasmin is miserable. Her family don't celebrate Christmas so she doesn't understand all the hype, plus Ezra has gone to Jamaica for 2 weeks and Levi is away on a mission. Then a snowstorm hits London, meaning Yasmin's enemy Tia can't fly to her luxury holiday in France. Yasmin is horrified when she gets sent a solo mission—to give Tia the best Christmas ever! Soon Tia is bossing Yasmin around and without her friends to help, Yasmin starts to wonder if making her arch nemesis happy might be mission: impossible.

Before May 31, 1921, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a thriving neighborhood of 10,000 Black residents. There, Black families found success and community. They ran their own businesses, including barbershops, clothing stores, jewelers, restaurants, movie theatres, and more. There also were Black doctors, dentists, and lawyers to serve the neighborhood. Then, in one weekend, all of this was lost. A racist mob tore through the streets, burning everything to the ground and killing scores of innocent residents.

In Spanish for Natalie: A New Friend, two girls from different cultural backgrounds discover they have a lot in common. Natalie is eight years old and has only her new kitten, Popsicle, to call a friend—or so she thinks. After her father encourages her to meet the new girl across the street, Natalie discovers a whole new language: Spanish. Through her newfound friend, Maria, Natalie learns how to say many new words and phrases in Spanish, including hello and goodbye, as well as numbers, colors, foods, and animals.

B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and joy. It’s a story of big ideas–P is for Power, S is for Science and Soul. Of significant moments–G is for Great Migration. Of iconic figures–H is for Zora Neale Hurston, X is for Malcom X. It’s an ABC book like no other, and a story of hope and triumph that can be enjoyed again and again.