A PIECE OF HOME
by Sonia Levitin
illustrated by Juan Wijngaard
Dial;ISBN: 0803716257;$14.99;1996

From Russia to America, each family member may take only one favorite possession; Gregor chooses the blanket Great-Grandmother made.

Suggested for ages 5 - 7
Subjects: America | Emigration | Immigration | Russian

A POKE IN THE I: A COLLECTION OF CONCRETE POEMS
illustrated by Chris Raschka
selected by Paul B.  Janeczko
Candlewick;ISBN: 0763606618;$15.99;2001

Playful poems/ Bend bounce wiggle/ Up over under/ Jazz-bright collage / Words take shape/ Eyes dance, ears hear.

Suggested for ages 9 - 12
Subjects: America

EVERY TIME A RAINBOW DIES
by Rita Garcia Williams
ISBN: 0688162452;$15.95;2001

Sixteen-year-old Thulani is shaken out of his reclusive grief when he witnesses a rape, and assists the injured girl. A haunting and sensitive text brings the gritty urban neighborhood to life, and the developing romance between the two teens is beautifully realized. A powerful story for sophisticated readers.

Suggested for ages 14 - 16
Subjects: America | Brothers | Caribbean | Immigrants | New York (State) | Pigeons | Rape | Urban Life

SHIPWRECKED!: THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF A JAPANESE BOY
by Rhonda Blumberg
HarperCollins;ISBN: 0688174841;$16.95;2001

The true-life story of a 14-year-old Japanese fisherman who, when shipwrecked, helped break down the isolationism of his country in the 19th century. This biography is fast-paced, historically accurate, and handsomely presented.

Suggested for ages 10 - 14
Subjects: America | Japan | Sailing | United States | Whaling