From TIA ISA WANTS A CAR
In honor of the resilient women and girls of the Caribbean that were knocked off their feet by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and are still fighting to take care of families, friends, and their studies, we feature “One-Girl Sensaciónes,” bold characters and brilliant children’s books authors of Caribbean heritage.
“Love is like the rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you’re not careful it will drown you.”― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory
We have borrowed the honorary title of “One-Girl Sensación” from Puerto Rican American author Anika Denise, the creator of the irrepressible, Starring Carmen!
This topic was a podcast conversation with WKVT Green Mountain Mornings.
It is not too late to help the Caribbean in any small way you can!
From Puerto Rican American author Anika Denise…
Starring Carmen!
By Anika Denise
Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gómez
Published by ABRAMS
Age Range: 5 – 7 Years
Discover at a Local Bookstore
Meet Carmen! She LOVES the spotlight and applause. She’s an actress, a singer, a dancer—a one-girl sensación! She exhausts her parents with her nightly performances and completely overshadows Eduardo, her adoring little brother. But when Eduardo shows his big sister how much he loves her in a way even Carmen can’t ignore, will Carmen realize that the stage is big enough for two? Exuberant illustrations by Lorena Alvarez Gómez offer the perfect complement to Anika Denise’s warm, Spanish-sprinkled text in this celebration of theater, family, and imagination.
Free bilingual activity guide and reading posters available HERE.
“…women, brave as stars at dawn”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory
From Cuban American author Meg Medina…
Tia Isa Wants a Car
By Meg Medina
Illustrated by Claudio Munzo
Published by Candlewick Press
Age Range: 3 – 7 Years
Discover at a Local Bookstore
Tía Isa wants a car. A shiny green car the same color as the ocean, with wings like a swooping bird. A car to take the whole family to the beach. But saving is hard when everything goes into two piles – one for here and one for Helping Money, so that family members who live far away might join them someday. While Tía Isa saves, her niece does odd jobs for neighbors so she can add her earnings to the stack. But even with her help, will they ever have enough? Meg Medina’s simple, genuine story about keeping in mind those who are far away is written in lovely, lyrical prose and brought to life through Claudio Muñoz’s charming characters.
“The girl she said, I didn’t tell you this because it was a small thing, but little girls, they leave their hearts at home when they walk outside. Hearts are so precious. They don’t want to lose them.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory
From Trinidadian American author Tracey Baptiste…
The Jumbies
by Tracey Baptiste
Published by Algonquin Young Readers
Age Range: 9 – 12 Years
Discover at a Local Bookstore
Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. She knows that jumbies aren’t real; they’re just creatures parents make up to frighten their children. But on All Hallows’ Eve, Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden woods. Those shining yellow eyes that follow her to the edge of the trees, they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
Corinne begins to notice odd occurrences after that night. First she spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market. Then this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, cooking dinner for her father. Danger is in the air. Sure enough, bewitching Corinne’s father is the first step in Severine’s plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and ancient magic to stop Severine and to save her island home.
“These were our bedtime stories. Tales that haunted our parents and made them laugh at the same time. We never understood them until we were fully grown and they became our sole inheritance.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Krik? Krak!
From Haitian American author Ibi Zoboi…
American Street
By Ibi Zoboi
Published by HarperCollins Publishers
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years
Find at a Local Bookstore
A National Book Award Finalist with five starred reviews!
In this stunning debut novel, Pushcart-nominated author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture.
On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.
But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.
Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?
“It’s not easy to start over in a new place,’ he said. ‘Exile is not for everyone. Someone has to stay behind, to receive the letters and greet family members when they come back.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Brother, I’m Dying
