Softball, World War II and prejudice come together in an historical fiction title that takes place in Yuba City, CA, in 1945. Fifth-grader Maria, whose father is from India and mother is from Mexico, fights to save her baseball field while helping to fight injustice against her intercultural family. (Grades 4-8)
Honorable Mention
Machher Jhol
Gopu finds courage as he travels through the bustling crowds, the market, and traffic of Calcutta, to gather ingredients for his grandma to cook his father’s favorite dish—fish curry (machher jhol). The illustrations invite the reader to travel along with Gopu, and hope that the special dish is just the medicine Gopu’s father needs to feel well again. (Grades K-5)
Following My Paint Brush
Following My Paint Brush is the story of Dulari Devi, a domestic helper who went on to become an artist in the Mithila style of folk painting from Bihar, eastern India. (Grade 5 & under)
Small Acts of Amazing Courage
In 1919, independent-minded Rosalind lives in India with her English parents, and when they fear she has fallen in with some rebellious types who believe in Indian self-government, she is sent “home” to London, where she has never been before and where her older brother died, to stay with her two aunts. (Grade 6 & above)
Sita’s Ramayana
The Ramayana, one of the greatest legends of ancient India, is presented in the form of a visually stunning and gripping graphic novel, told from the perspective of the queen, Sita. (Grade 6 & above)
No Ordinary Day
Valli has always been afraid of the people with leprosy living on the other side of the train tracks in the coal town of Jharia, India, so when aa encounter with a doctor reveals she too has the disease, Valli rejects help and begins a life on the streets. (Grade 6 & above)
The Wooden Sword
Disguised in servant’s clothes, an Afghani shah slips out of his palace to learn more about his people. When he encounters a poor Jewish shoemaker faithful that everything will turn out just as it should, the shah grows curious. Vowing that no harm will befall the poor man, he decides to test that faith. (Grades K-5).
Same Sun Here
A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner’s son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism. (Grades 4-7)
The Elephant’s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India
Drawing from three books of best-loved Indian folktales — Hitopadesha Tales, Jataka Tales, and Panchantra Tales — this graphic storybook collection, alive with kid-friendly illustrations, is infused with humor and warmth. (Grades K-4)
Chained
To work off a family debt, ten-year-old Hastin leaves his desert village in India to work as a circus elephant keeper but many challenges await him, including trying to keep Nadita, a sweet elephant, safe from the cruel circus owner. (Grades 4-7).