Children’s Books
In spring, the Sonoran Desert of Arizona is full of activity. Look beneath the cacti, and you will find holes in the ground. So, what’s in the hole? Join the animals, birds, insects, and reptiles to figure out the puzzle. Be curious!
Learn the names of 29 critters in the languages of O’odham, science, Spanish, and English, including: Gila Monster, Diamondback Rattlesnake, Dove, Burrowing Owl, Antelope Squirrel, Desert Spiny Lizard, Sonoran Desert Toad, Peccary or Javelina, Bee, Bobcat, Horned Lizard, Tarantula, Quail, Round-Tailed Ground Squirrel, Various Birds, Mule Deer, Coyote, Jackrabbit, and Desert Cottontail.
Don Burgess took these wildlife portraits just north of Tucson, Arizona; and his daughter, Lisa Maria Burgess, wrote the book. Don Burgess (1939-2022) photographed most of the wildlife portraits in this book behind his house north of Tucson, Arizona; he photographed the burrowing owls near Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. Also on the north side of Tucson, Bryan Wilson photographed the snake on the move and the tarantula, and Lisa Maria Burgess the bunnies in the hole. With thanks to Kristin Williams for photographing Don!
And many thanks to Ronald Geronimo, Director of the Oʼodham Language Center, for providing names in O’odham, and to the staff at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for their identification review.
Winner of the 2018 NM/AZ Book Coop Award, bilingual Children’s Book
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Winner of the 2018 NM/AZ Book Coop Award, bilingual Children’s Book 〰️
Osito wants to play, but his fur is growing slowly and he’s got the shivers. His new friend thinks covering this baby bear with honey and a coat of wildflowers is a good idea. Osito does get warm, but then the bees arrive, and he has to make a run for it!
This charming story by Lisa María Burgess is set in the mountains that traverse the US and Mexico, and takes inspiration from her childhood in the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua.
In making the vibrant collages, Susan L. Roth created Osito and much of the landscape with tree bark paper, which has been made in Mexico since precolonial times.
This story is bilingual for young readers, in English and Spanish.
Author and Illustrator:
Lisa María Burgess grew up in the Sierra Madre of north-western Mexico. She originally wrote this story with her father when she was a little girl. Over the years, they both retold the story over and over again. She wrote Juma and Little Sungura, Juma on Safari, Juma Cooks Chapati, and Juma’s Dhow Race about a little boy in Tanzania when she taught literature and writing at the University of Dar es Salaam.
Susan L. Roth, a New York Times best-selling author, has written/illustrated more than 50 books for children. Her awards include: The Robert F. Sibert Medal for Nonfiction; NYT Best Illustrated Book; Boston Globe Horn Book Award; Children’s Africana Book Award, Africana Access; Arab American Book Award; Green Earth Book Award; and Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.
The Tanzania Juma Stories, introducing the Swahili language
Juma finally gets the baby sister he has wished for. In this first book of the “Tanzania Juma Stories,” meet four year old Juma and learn about the beautiful country of Tanzania, located in East Africa and bordered by Kenya and Uganda. This book introduces readers to the geography of the country, as well as to Swahili words for family members and the traditions for baby naming. The story is supplemented with a national map of the United Republic of Tanzania, a map of the continent of Africa, and a Swahili language glossary.
Juma and his sister, Sareeya, eat chapati and then sneak into the garden to make these breads by themselves. With the gardener's help, they succeed despite a marauding crow. The story introduces food, children’s games, and life in a suburb of Dar es Salaam, in the East African country of Tanzania. Juma also provides his recipe for cooking chapati. The story is supplemented with a map of the city of Dar es Salaam, a map of the continent of Africa, and a Swahili language glossary.
Juma and his family drive across Tanzania to visit his grandmother. Now eight years old, he and his young sister, Sareeya, enjoy adventures from Dar es Salaam across to the plains of the Serengeti. During the journey, they see Mt. Kilimanjaro and encounter an obstinate elephant, a drooling giraffe, and wrestling beetles. The story introduces northern Tanzania and Swahili words for animals. The story is supplemented with a national map of the United Republic of Tanzania, a map of the continent of Africa, and a Swahili language glossary.
Juma hides in his uncle’s dhow (after arguing with his cousin) and inadvertently joins the annual Dhow sailing race around the islands of Zanzibar, while his sister chases after the Changuu Island tortoises. The story introduces the ancient Stone Town and the Swahili boat culture. The story is supplemented with a map of the United Republic of Tanzania, focusing on the islands of Zanzibar, a map of the continent of Africa, and a Swahili language glossary.
North Beach, Tanzania by Alain Noudehou