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2024 USBBY Outstanding International Books List – PreK-2

“In this tale translated from Spanish, visits from a bookmobile transform a Honduran neighborhood. Villa Nueva is a place where “happy stories mix with sad ones.” Young Luis likes to lift his family’s spirits by sharing happy ones. On Mondays, the bookmobile’s arrival at school gives him the chance to replenish his well. Read-alouds, puppet shows, and the books the children choose for silent reading enable Luis and his classmates to “carry a glimmer of happiness back to their homes.” ”

– Kirkus Reviews

 

Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras

Written by Nelson Rodríguez & Leonardo Agustín Montes and Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
Illustrated by Rosana Faría & Carla Tabora
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

A beautiful, empowering story about the impact of literacy in underprivileged communities, based on a real bookmobile program in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Luis’s favorite day of the week is Monday, the day the bookmobile comes to his neighborhood. In Villa Nueva, sad stories can gather like dark, stormy clouds. But at the bookmobile, Luis hears stories that burst with life, laughter, and color. Maybe today will bring a song or a puppet show! He might even get to pick a book to read on his own. Every new Monday fills Luis and his neighbors with a joy they can’t help but bring back home.

Co-written by the director of JustWorld International’s bookmobile program in Tegucigalpa, Colorful Mondays is an inspiring celebration of the ways books and learning can bring joy to a community. Illustrated in captivating swirls of color, this uplifting book highlights the strength of disadvantaged children and the creativity of those who help them imagine a better future.

Primary ISBN: 9780802856166
Publication Date: September 2023
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Picture Book, Memoir, Age 05 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , ,

Setting: Honduras (Tegucigalpa)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Home Country

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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