Mina Javaherbin

Six ragged boys play soccer in the hard dirt street of their South African home. They have a real soccer ball, won by Ajani for being the best reader. But Ajani is worried - if the bullies find out, they will steal the ball. How can the friends keep their ball and their game?

This is a stunning book. Beautifully understated text, gorgeous pictures, celebrating friendship, resilience, and the universal love of soccer (or football, depending on where you're from).

The poverty of Ajani and his show more friends isn't emphasized; they're presented in a way that a child in similar or very different circumstances can empathize with. Every child has to make compromises when they play with friends, every child has to deal with bullies, every child has a friend who makes mistakes and has to be forgiven. Children in very different circumstances in the US will be able to compare themselves to Ajani and his friends and understand where they're coming from while still getting a glimpse into a different world.

Verdict: Recommended, especially for older children in grades 1 - 4. show less

When the villagers hear of a huge and mysterious beast that has come all the way from India, they steal into the dark barn to see what it is. One is convinced it is a snake (after feeling the trunk) another is convinced its a tree (after feeling the legs) a third is convinced its a fan (after feeling the ears). This adaptation from a Rumi poem is a wonderful reminder to listen to others. We may only have a part of the puzzle, and that by listening we will be able to see the whole picture.

This book is about a young boy in Brazil and the members of his soccer team,and his little sister. The author's note mentions how the poverty is so rampant in Brazil and often times soccer is one of the only ways children can escape it. This books shows children working and in poverty, but not in a depressingly depicted way. I love that his sister is in school and helping her older brother learn too. I also loved that she was the one who scored the winning goal even though the boys had been show more saying, "No girls on the team!" Nice book. Would be good to talk about how even nice people can have exclusionary ideas (sexist, racist, etc) and because they were never taught any better.
Reading Level: 2.2 Interest Level: K-3 show less

What a lovely tale! This book can be seen as a bit silly at first but after reading the author’s note in the back I really love the message that it is conveying. The villagers try to guess what a new animal is after only touching it in the dark and they are all convinced they are correct. When the animal is revealed they begin to realize that each one of them only had part of the truth. The message is that if we insist on our own ideas without knowing the full story we will also be in the show more same position as the villagers. Although quite a difficult concept to grasp this story has a fun way of sending the message. Along with the animated drawings of the villagers I can see this book being a hit! show less