Recommended Reads from the Children's Collection @ the Education Library

Twins Camila and Carlos find a postcard in their mailbox from a boy in Australia, and they set off on a magical adventure to see his country.

From the islands of Hawaii comes the electrifying tale of Nanaue, who has to balance his yearning for Dad's guidance with his desire for Mom's nurture.

Sofia is like most 12-year-old girls in New Zealand. How is she going to earn enough money for those boots? WHY does she have to give that speech at school? Who is she going to be friends with this year? It comes as a surprise to Sofia and her family when her big brother, Lenny, starts talking about protests, "overstayers", and injustices against Pacific Islanders by the government. Inspired by the Black Panthers in America, a group has formed called the Polynesian Panthers, who encourage immigrant and Indigenous families across New Zealand to stand up for their rights.

It's been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy's grandmother in Australia. Now that she's back, Livy has the feeling she's forgotten something really, really important about Gran's house. It turns out she's right. Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn't forget Livy, or her promise.

Mafatu was afraid of the sea. It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided the sea, until everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts, he determined to conquer his fear -- so he went off in his canoe with his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge, then, days on a desert island. This is the story of how Mafatu's courage grew and how he finally returned home.

Isabel's mother died peacefully. At least that's what Isabel likes to think since no one will talk about the truth. But the truth has a way of revealing itself at night. It's up to Isabel to help her family get beyond the pain and loss--to be the keeper of the night. But who will be there for Isabel and help her through to the other side? Set on the lush island of Guam, Kimberly Willis Holt has written a story about a young woman's struggle to protect her family after suicide hits home.

If you asked Fred to draw a map of her family, it would be a bit confusing. Her birth father was never in the picture, her mom died years ago, and her stepfather, Luca, is now expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. According to Fred's teacher, maps don't always give the full picture of our history, but more and more it feels like Fred's family is redrawing the line of their story . . . and Fred is feeling left off the map. Fred hears that her Australian town will be taking in hundreds of refugees seeking safety from a war-torn Kosovo. Some people think it's great and want to help. Others, however, feel differently. Fred, who has been trying to navigate her own feelings of displacement, ends up befriending a few refugees. But what starts as a few friendly words in Albanian will soon change their lives forever, not to mention completely redrawing Fred's personal map of friends, family, and home, and community.

Dylan Barstow has finally crossed the line. After getting caught on a late-night joyride in a stolen car, Dylan is shipped off to live with his ex-Marine uncle for the summer. But Uncle Todd has bigger plans for Dylan than push-ups and early-morning jogs. Deep in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea, there's a WWII fighter plane named SECOND ACE that's been lost for years, a plane that Dylan's own grandfather barely escaped from with his life. In all this time, no one has ever been able to track down SECOND ACE -- but now Dylan and his uncle are going to try.

Saipain provided a vital buffer between Japan and the advancing American forces in WWII. One of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific war ensued on Saipan--more than 30,000 Japanese and Americans lost their lives. These numbers do not include the island natives who were caught in the crossfire. Based on historical events, we witness the story unfold through the eyes of Joseph and his half-Japanese cousin, Kento. Forced to experience the unimaginable horrors of Suicide Cliff, they discover, within themselves, what it means to become warriors.

Through an afternoon of lyrical stories, Mama "sings" to her daughter of their life and adventures on a tropical island. Papa's island is a place where you can feed fish straight from your hand, walk through clouds of butterflies, race hermit crabs on the beach, and watch geckos walk on the ceiling. Mama's stories celebrate the familiar rhythms between mother and daughter while capturing the sights and sounds of Guam.

Felix is a grandfather. He has achieved much in his life and is widely admired in the community. He has mostly buried the painful memories of his childhood, but they resurface when his granddaughter Zelda comes to stay with him in Australia. Together they face a cataclysmic event armed only with their with gusto and love--an event that helps them achieve salvation from the past, but also brings the possibility of destruction.

Funny, tough-minded and tender, this is the story of Matilda and her two sisters growing up in Sydney, Australia, in the early 1950s. Their father is mentally unstable and largely absent, their mother is possibly in the thrall of his brother, and a headline-making Russian spy defection is taking place next door. Punctuated by the headlines of the times, The Red Shoe depicts how the large events of the world can impinge on ordinary lives.

Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knock on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small Australian mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie's help. Terribly afraid but desperate to impress, Charlie follows him into the night. Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion. He locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love, and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.

This novel in verse reveals the tough and tender sides of a young boy growing up in a small, sleepy river town in Australia. Harry swims in the swamp, eats watermelon with his brother and dad, survives schoolyard battles, and races through butterflies in Cowpers Paddock. Life isn't easy - his mother died when he was seven, and he lost his friend Linda in a flood. Harry yearns to get away, but there's a mystery that he needs to solve first.

Michael likes to hang out with his friends and play with the latest graphic design software. His parents drag him to rallies held by their anti-immigrant group, which rails against the tide of refugees flooding Australia. And it all makes sense to Michael. Until Mina, a beautiful girl from the other side of the protest lines, shows up at his school, and turns out to be funny, smart -- and a Muslim refugee from Afghanistan. Suddenly, his parents' politics seem much more complicated. Mina has had a long and dangerous journey fleeing her besieged home in Afghanistan, and now faces a frigid reception at her new prep school, where she is on scholarship. As tensions rise, lines are drawn. Michael has to decide where he stands. Mina has to protect herself and her family. Both have to choose what they want their world to look like.

Learn to count with the animals of Australia's West Arnhem Land and the traditional art of indigenous Kunwinjku culture. Accompanied by illustrations drawing on traditional Kunwinjku art, each of the twelve entries of this counting book showcases a different animal of West Arnhem Land, Australia. From crocodiles and echidnas to wallabies, children and adults alike will enjoy learning the Kunwinjku names for numbers and animals, as well as discovering more about these animals' habitat and behavior, and what they mean to the indigenous Bininj. The fascinating Kunwinjku Counting Book offers insight into the complex ecology of West Arnhem Land and the vibrant traditions of Bininj culture.

An Aboriginal ceremony of Welcome to Country is depicted for the first time in a stunning picture book from two Indigenous Australians. Welcome to the lands of the Wurundjeri people. The people are part of the land, and the land is a part of them. Aboriginal communities across Australia have boundaries that are defined by mountain ranges and waterways. Traditionally, to cross these boundaries, permission is required. Each community has its own way of greeting, but the practice shares a common name:

In about A.D. 400, a group of seafarers reached a small, isolated island in Polynesia and founded a new settlement. They developed a rich and complex culture that lasted more than a thousand years. The population eventually declined, and soon all that remained were a few inhabitants and hundreds of mysterious giant stone statues in varying stages of disrepair. Caroline Arnold explains how archeologists and other scientists and scholars have pieced together a history of Easter Island by studying its natural resources, listening to family stories and Polynesian legends, and examining the statues and other clues the people left behind.

Examines the vanishing culture of the Tiwi tribe, aborigines who live on a small island off the coast of Australia.

Staring blankly out from the coast of Easter Island stand imposing stone statues that have intrigued countless explorers, archaeologists, and anthropologists. How were they built? What can they tell us about the people who inhabit this tiny island in the South Pacific? Explore the culture, history, and traditions of the people of Easter Island, and delve into the past to uncover how and why this extraordinary civilization came to be.

Tahiti is a paradise in the Pacific Ocean, but what how did it become a country? This book explores the origins of Tahiti and its place in modern society. It examines cultural aspects such as language, religion, history, and economy.

This book introduces the reader to the Pacific Island region, then to the location and natural landscape of Fiji. The author describes the spread of different ethnic groups to Fiji, and the establishment and preservation of major cultural traditions of the country. The modern Fijian society, economy, and politics are reviewed. The author concludes the book with a forward-looking assessment of the current and near-future status of Fiji as a member of the world community of nations.

The country of Papua New Guinea has a diverse landscape filled with incredible animals and plant life. With thick rain forests and beautiful mountains, it is a tropical paradise. The people are as varied as the lands. In fact, the country is home to the greatest language diversity in the world. Modern pressures on one of the last nations to maintain a tribal life lend to a complex culture trying to preserve the beauty of the land while growing and prospering as a nation.

It looks like a bear, but isn't one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey-- but isn't a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what's a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschie's tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea's cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals.

New Zealand has captured the imagination of foreign travelers and citizens for centuries. Some of the world's most beautiful landscapes are found within this island nation. New Zealand society honors indigenous peoples, the environment, and its culture.

It's easy to miss all the astounding wonders of nature, unless you look closely. Have you ever noticed that ladybugs have different numbers of spots? When you look at a leaf, what do you see: is it pointed or round, long or short, soft or hard? In this idea book, author and illustrator Sandra Morris shares her love for the flora and fauna of her native New Zealand and encourages budding scientists to record their own discoveries in creative ways, no matter where they live.

An introduction to the history, modern and traditional cultural practices, and economy of the Maori people of New Zealand.

Dr. Tom McKnight introduces the reader to the natural landscape of Australia, the driest of the inhabited continents. The transfer of British culture is then considered, followed by a review of British attitudes and practices toward the land and its resources. The book concludes with a forward-looking assessment of the current and near future status of the island continent as a member of the world community of nations.

In the middle of the Australian continent, a huge sandstone rock rises more than a thousand feet from the flat desert floor. This imposing landmark is called Uluru, the name given to it by the Anangu, the Aboriginal people who live on the land around it. A site of ongoing geological processes and exceptional beauty, it is unlike any other place in the world. Author Caroline Arnold discusses Uluru's role as a sacred site for the Anangu and how the plants and animals that are part of its natural environment are an integral part of their traditional way of life. She describes the geologic processes that formed the rock's distinctive shape and red color, the land and climate of the central Australian desert, and how wildlife has adapted to the extreme conditions.

In the center of Australia lies a strange desert wilderness called the Dead Heart. It is difficult to imagine anything can exist in such a forbidding place. But the Dead Heart contains amazing stories of adaptation and survival. Learn what the indigenous people of Australia have long known: not all is quite as it seems.

Discover thirty-eight of the weird and wonderful creatures of Down Under -- from the iconic kangaroo to the puzzling echidna; from the tiny crusader bug to the enormous saltwater crocodile; from the adorable quokka to the terrifying Tasmanian devil.

Recounts the story of Hawaii's last heir to the throne, who was denied her right to rule when the monarchy was abolished.

In the open eucalyptus forest of Australia, an emu as tall as a human settles down on his nest to warm and protect the eggs left by his mate. When they hatch, the chicks will be ten times bigger than domestic chicken hatchlings and covered in chocolate-and-cream stripes to provide camouflage in the grasslands. This unusual family sticks together until the hatchlings grow up, facing dangers that include eagles and dingoes.

A Folktale from the Marshall Islands. Surfs up! Sandpiper finds her daily stroll on the beach interrupted by Whale, who boasts that he is ruler of the sea. Sandpiper responds with equal bravado, asserting her rights to the sand and seawater. How will this end? The outcome of this timely yet timeless nature tale suggests that we are all connected in the ecological chain. These Pacific folktales will teach readers the importance of citizenship, respect and sharing.

Tiddalick the Frog has drunk all the water from the river! The animals try their best to get Tiddalick to give back the water. Kangaroo, Emu, Bandicoot, Kookaburra, and Lizard attempt to make him laugh to get the water back, but nothing seems to work--until a tiny little eel shows up. This enchanting Australian tale will have young readers engaged and impressed with the creativity of these resourceful animals.

In the 15th century, four Mahu sail from Tahiti to Hawaii and share their gifts of science and healing with the people of Waikiki. The islanders return this gift with a monument of four boulders in their honor, which the Mahu imbue with healing powers before disappearing. As time passes, foreigners inhabit the island and the once-sacred stones are forgotten until the 1960s. Though the true story of these stones was not fully recovered, the power of the Mahu still calls out to those who pass by them at Waikiki Beach today.

Traditional & autobiographical stories of Aboriginal culture & its roots.

A collection of twenty traditional tales from the Australian Aborigines, explaining how the world began and what followed.

Folk tales collected from Fiji, Rotuma, Tonga, Samoa, the New Hebrides, and other South Pacific islands.

Retells the legend of how New Guinea was made by the great sea turtle, the mother of all sea turtles.

Sandpiper finds her daily stroll on the beach interrupted by Whale, who boasts that he is ruler of the sea. Sandpiper responds with equal bravado, asserting her rights to the sand and seawater. Soon the rivals are calling in their cousins, and the beach and sea are filled with shorebirds and sea mammals of every stripe. The standoff grows ominous as Whale leads his cousins in an assault on the beach, eating the sand from under the birds. Sandpiper retaliates by ordering her cousins to drink up the ocean. Soon the landscape is filled with fish, crabs, and sea creatures gasping for survival. How will this end? The outcome of this nature tale from the Marshall Islands suggests that we are all connected in the ecological chain.

A collection of nineteen tales from various Maori tribes of New Zealand about the trickster Maui, the Creation, monsters, birds, animals, and special places.