Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Multicultural Stories

We, the Vargas Ramírez family, come from a faraway place north of Tenochtitlan called Iztapalapa, Land of Clay Upon Water. A land surrounded by cars and dry grass; a place where the pieces of our small world were scattered. For some time we lived there, but then one day my father heard a beautiful birdsong that rose up and appeared to say tihui, tihui, tihui: let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. And so we gathered up our friends who made up that small world and decided to head north, for the other side, and a better life.

Black Boy, Rise combines gorgeous, moving text filled with lyrical references to poets and writers whose voices have lifted and defined the Black experience, including Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, W. E. B. Du Bois, and James Weldon Johnson, that powerfully reflect the soul and gloriousness of Black boys in all their brilliance: the rich legacy of their past, the grit and grace of their present, and the divine promise of their future.

Growing up, Jung-soon spent every moment she could at her grandparents' house. Dressing up and watching cartoons. Dyeing each other's fingernails with crushed balsam petals. Getting the whole neighborhood together to sweep their streets. Falling asleep together...just the three of them, happy. Grandfather was Grandmother's best and only friend. On every Jesa day, during the ancestral ritual, he would gently place the okchundang candy in her mouth, a big smile spreading across her face as it melted on her tongue.

After wielding time itself to save the Rym, Antares and Magdavellía return to Agartha as heroes. But peace is short-lived. As a mystic-led sneak attack plunges the Rym into chaos, they once again find themselves in a world on the brink of doom. Their only hope is a forgotten alchemyst map that supposedly leads to the Elementals—powerful Ancient Astronaut substances that, when combined, create the ultimate instrument of destruction.

You are INVITED. To a most marvelous party. For a most marvelous man. A man who turned the alphabet into THUMP A BUMP. Who turned words into JAZZ into RIVERS into BUSTIN' A MOVE. All of his word-children will be there, uh-huh. Because it’s a party for LANGSTON. Langston Hughes. King o’ Letters. Renaissance Man. So don’t be shy. Come on in. To the Hoopla in Harlem. EVERYONE is welcome.

Discover all the neat, sweet, and sometimes off-beat things that make you happy. No matter the day, if you’re asleep or at play … this book is an exuberant and delightful salute to just being your all-amazing self.

Antares de la Vega is an adventurer at heart. He dreams of journeying across burning deserts, trekking through wild and uncharted jungles, sailing the farthest reaches of the seas—and yet, he’s never stepped foot outside of South Florida. Until strange creatures come leaping out of lightning bolts to kidnap him. Locked away in a secret prison in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, Antares meets Magdavellía, a mysterious and iron-willed girl who opens his eyes to a shocking truth: This world is a far different—and weirder—place than he’s been led to believe.

When North and South met in 1865 at Appomattox Court House to end the Civil War, the official terms of surrender weren’t written in the hand of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, or any white soldier. Instead, this momentous event was recorded by General Ely S. Parker, a member of the Seneca (Iroquois) tribe. At that time, Parker was not only the highest-ranking Native American in the Union Army but also the Grand Sachem, or chief representative, of the Haudenosaunee—the powerful Iroquois Confederacy.

Side by side with Daddy and Grandma, a young girl is determined to take part in her family’s tradition of baking the perfect peach cobbler—just like Mama used to. From picking peaches to stirring and mixing and kneading the dough, it’s a little bit messy. But with sure hands to guide her, and her mother’s memory hanging sweet in the air, she has the recipe to make Mama proud.

Eli dresses up in his best clothes, Mama gathers the mayflowers, Papa straightens his hat, and together they join the crowds filling the streets of Charleston with bouquets, crosses, and wreaths. Joined by abolitionists, missionaries, teachers, military officers, and a sea of faces black, brown, and white, they march as one and sing for all those who gave their lives fighting for freedom during the Civil War.

In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and community, friendship, discovery, and pride.

From the intrusion of white settlers into Lakota territory, to the treaties signed with the U.S. government, and to the many subsequent battles, Red Cloud explains how the Lakota became the only nation to win a war against the U.S. Army on American soil. However, unlike fellow warriors Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, Red Cloud eventually came to accept the inevitable advance of white civilization. He submitted to change and moved his followers onto a reservation.

In Spanish Florida during the nineteenth century, one man shaped the course of Black Seminoles—descendants of Seminole Indians and free Blacks and escaped slaves—more than any other. A political and military leader of both Seminole and African heritage, John Horse valiantly defended his people from slave hunters, other tribes, and the U.S. government. After fighting in the Second Seminole War—one of the longest and most costly Native American conflicts in United States history—Horse negotiated territory for the Black Seminoles and became a guide and interpreter.

On her first day of school in a brand-new country, a gift from Mexico alights on María’s windowsill: “¡Una mariposa!” And with the butterfly, in comes magic. Filled from her toes to her new butterfly wings with memories of home, María knows exactly who she is. But when everything at school is different and strange, doubt begins to fade María’s confidence away. The place she comes from, the community she loves, the magic inside her … does any of it really belong in her new life in the United States?

Assalamu Alaikum, Sister. Welcome. Ameena feels invisible. Ever since she arrived at her school a few months ago, kids look at her like she’s something strange. Is it because of the twists in her hair? Or her brown skin? Then, one day, there’s a new new kid in class. Ameena sees her. Sees her brownness. Sees her hijab. Sees her in ways that the other kids do not. Ameena wants to be her friend … but she doesn’t know how. She can’t seem to find the right words … until one day, when they find those words together.

When Eddie’s parents drive from the Black Hills to the Dakota plains to drop him off with Grandpa and Grandma High Elk, Eddie aches all over at the thought of being away from Mom and Dad for the first time. But quickly, Eddie’s stay on the Rosebud Reservation becomes a summer that he’ll never forget as he spends his days riding horses, fishing, helping Grandma in her garden, and playing with the toy bone horses that his grandfather gave him. When his grandfather is hurt and needs medical attention, Eddie steps up and helps him get the care he needs.

Growing up, Wat Misaka wasn’t the tallest kid on the basketball court, but he was fast and he loved the game! In his Japanese American basketball league, Wat dribbled with speed and shared the ball as much as he scored. Encouraged by his father to always do his best, Wat applied this mindset to every challenge in his life. As Wat spent more time on the court, his passion for the game grew. He played in college at the University of Utah during WWII, a time when many Japanese Americans were stripped of their freedoms and incarcerated by the US government.

In the spring, Lily and her relatives gather for the Ching Ming Festival to honor their beloved ancestors. The day is full of joy and community, but also reverence and remembrance. As Lily zips between playing Chinese checkers with her cousin and helping her grandparents prepare a delicious meal for the family, a second narrative unfolds to reveal the sacrifices her great-great-grandpa had to make to settle in America.

Today, little Jesús has a big job to do. He’s helping Papá at work, and he’s in charge of the water jug—which is also a magical clock! When it’s empty, Papá explains, the workday is done. But what about all these thirsty animals? Soon, the water is gone, but the day is not over yet. Will Jesús be fired?! Or is the jug not really magical after all?

Long ago, our homeland cradled us, sheltered us, fed us, and eventually sent us off, as mothers do, confident our gifts would shine. Now, she croons to us a melody of love, reminding us of our bond with her and with one another.