[BHE 116] Picturebooks about War and Refugees’ Journeys (Fiction and Nonfiction) and Picturebooks from the Philippines

Myra here

Every Sunday, we share the books that have hunted us down and found their way into our hearts and hands. The public libraries here in Singapore have a Double Up Your Reading Promotion until end of this month. And since we have three library cards, this is how my place looked like in the last few weeks:

All of these books fit our current reading theme until the end of August.

Fiction Picturebooks about War

Since I have gone on a book-borrowing rampage from the library, I thought it best to divide my post in two. This first part will feature the picturebooks that I found in keeping with Tales of War & Poetry, Refuge & Peace: Scarred Souls and Bloodstained Memories.

Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland, Sami and the Time of the Troubles by Florence Parry Heide & Judith Heide Gilliland and illustrated by Ted Lewin, The Little Yellow Bottle by Angèle Delaunois and illustrated by Christine Delezenne.

Home and Away by John Marsden and illustrated by Matt Ottley, Lest We Forget by Feana Tu’akoi and illustrated by Elspeth Alix Batt, Dust by Colin Thompson for Save the Children.

The House by J. Patrick Lewis and art by Roberto Innocenti, Grandfather’s Story Cloth (Yawg Daim Paj Ntaub Dab Neeg) by Linda Gerdner and Sarah Langford, illustrated by Stuart Loughridge, Tug of War by John Burningham.

Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace by James Proimos, When I Grow Up, I Will Win The Nobel Peace Prize by Isabel Pin, A Child’s Garden: A Story of Hope by Michael Foreman, The Silence Seeker by Ben Morley and illustrated by Carl Pearce.

Nonfiction Titles

I’ve been meaning to get my hands on this Kadir Nelson title for a long time now – Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, Debbie Levy’s We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

One Day We Had To Run! by Sybella Wilkes, Meltem’s Journey: A Refugee Diary by Anthony Robinson and Illustrated by June Allan.

Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin and art by Anne Spudvilas, Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse and artwork by Robert Ingpen, Year of the Jungle: Stories from the Home Front by Suzanne Collins and illustrated by James Proimos.

Picturebooks from the Philippines

Yesterday, I gate crashed the Asia Pacific Writers Conference held at the Arts House to have a quickie chat and catch-up with fellow academic and kidlit enthusiast and new friend Professor Heidi Emily Eusebio Abad. 

Thank you so much for bringing so many lovely picture books from the Philippines including Bernadette Neri’s Ang Ikaklit Sa Aming Hardin illustrated by CJ De Silva, which features two mothers and their daughter. Very timely with the Tango and Swan hoopla with the NLB.

Mam Heidi was very generous in sharing her own published books with me: Magnificent Pearl by Heidi Abad and illustrated by Rexie San Luis, Faye the Always Angel illustrated by Bernadette Solina-Wolf, The Grease Man with illustrations by Diosdado Montano, Colorless Rainbow illustrated by Rexie San Luis.

Big World for Little People with illustrations by Jamie Bauza and Polliwog’s Wiggle illustrated by Beth Parrocha Doctolero. Thank you so much, again, Mam Heidi!

How about you, dear friends, what are the books that found their way into your hands this week? Do you have any recommended titles for us? We look forward to knowing your suggestions.