Thailand:
The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Bridges
This heartwarming story reminds us to be proud of who we are, to be true to ourselves, and to share our talents with those around us. Noot is a little girl from a tiny village in Northern Thailand where paper umbrellas have been handmade for hundreds of years. Noot is finally old enough to join her family in their making and dutifully paints the traditional designs on the umbrellas sold at the market, but in the evenings she makes doll-sized ones from scraps where she can paint what's in her heart. In the end her creativity is rewarded in a beautiful way.
This heartwarming story reminds us to be proud of who we are, to be true to ourselves, and to share our talents with those around us. Noot is a little girl from a tiny village in Northern Thailand where paper umbrellas have been handmade for hundreds of years. Noot is finally old enough to join her family in their making and dutifully paints the traditional designs on the umbrellas sold at the market, but in the evenings she makes doll-sized ones from scraps where she can paint what's in her heart. In the end her creativity is rewarded in a beautiful way.
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho
In this sweet story a mother hears successive noises from the animals that live in their village, and tells each one to "Hush!" because her baby is sleeping. To the delight of the reader, what they see, but the mom does not, is that the baby isn't asleep at all. The rhythm and rhyme of this gentle text creates a wonderful read-aloud or bedtime story that ends with the animals and mom sound asleep...but not the baby!
In this sweet story a mother hears successive noises from the animals that live in their village, and tells each one to "Hush!" because her baby is sleeping. To the delight of the reader, what they see, but the mom does not, is that the baby isn't asleep at all. The rhythm and rhyme of this gentle text creates a wonderful read-aloud or bedtime story that ends with the animals and mom sound asleep...but not the baby!
Peek! A Thai Hide-And-Seek by Minfong Ho
A delightful companion to "Hush!", this story is of a father playing "peek-a-boo" ("jut-ay" in Thai) with his young daughter. He searches around the house and in the yard, encouraging the nearby animals to help him in the search. Again the illustrations invite the readers' involvement with each page as they seek and find the girl when the dad cannot. This is another delightful and playful rhythmic romp through Thailand!
A delightful companion to "Hush!", this story is of a father playing "peek-a-boo" ("jut-ay" in Thai) with his young daughter. He searches around the house and in the yard, encouraging the nearby animals to help him in the search. Again the illustrations invite the readers' involvement with each page as they seek and find the girl when the dad cannot. This is another delightful and playful rhythmic romp through Thailand!
Elephants of the Tsunami by Jana Laiz
The 2004 Tsunami in South East Asia claimed thousands of lives, but this tale recounts the true story of eight brave elephants in Thailand who broke their chains to rescue nearly fifty people on the beach! This story is sensitively written for all ages, but I would recommend it for ages seven and up.
The 2004 Tsunami in South East Asia claimed thousands of lives, but this tale recounts the true story of eight brave elephants in Thailand who broke their chains to rescue nearly fifty people on the beach! This story is sensitively written for all ages, but I would recommend it for ages seven and up.
Tyger! Tyger! by Elizabeth Stanley
Based on the real-life actions of a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, this story explains the sad realities of tiger poaching that occurs, and about the generous and kind-hearted monks who have created a sanctuary within their walls for these beautiful creatures. Because of the subject matter and an illustration of a shot tiger, I would recommend this gorgeous picture book for ages eight and up.
Based on the real-life actions of a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, this story explains the sad realities of tiger poaching that occurs, and about the generous and kind-hearted monks who have created a sanctuary within their walls for these beautiful creatures. Because of the subject matter and an illustration of a shot tiger, I would recommend this gorgeous picture book for ages eight and up.
