Book 1
《大震》
Grade Level：G10+
Author：卢一萍
Publisher：百花文艺出版社
ISBN：9787530680605
Shelf Number：2F—0165
This novella is set against an earthquake event, but it is more about a story of human redemption. Chen Erbi, about to be executed, Tan Lewei, a correctional officer, and Yang Yaodong, a habitual thief about to be released from prison, survive the sudden earthquake, but their detention center collapses, and the fates of the three characters become tightly bound. Facing the ruins around them, a series of challenges, and wailing everywhere, they are constantly presented with choices and making decisions. They must consider crime and punishment, responsibility and ethics, family affection and conscience; and finally, they complete their own redemption.
In the story, the earthquake is not only a natural disaster, but also a testing ground for human nature. Not only are buildings shaken, but also the souls of the readers. After reading this novella, the shock still lingers, making us unable to calm down for a considerable time thereafter.
Book 2
The House on Mango Street
Lexile measure: 870L
Grade Level: G8+
Author：Sandra Cisneros
Publisher：Vintage Books
ISBN: 9780679734772
Shelf Number: 2F—0458
This novel consists of 44 chapters, all of which take place on a street in Chicago called Mango Street. Esperanza, a girl living on Mango Street, a poor Latin American community, was born with a sympathy for others’ sufferings and a strong sense of beauty. She looks at the world around her with clear eyes, and uses beautiful and child-like language to talk about growing up, the vicissitudes and beauty of life, and about the aspirations and dreams of youth. Esperanza dreams of having a house of her own, pursuing her passion for writing, helping others, flying out of Mango Street as soon as possible, and realizing her dream of reconstructing herself, all reflected in a poem that she wrote:
I want to be
the waves on the sea,
the clouds in the wind,
but I’m still a small one.
One day I’ll jump
out of my skin.
I’ll shake the sky
like a hundred violins.
Book 3
《企鹅寄冰》
Grade Level：G1-G2
Author：冰波
Illustrator：郭雨晴
Publisher：浙江少年儿童出版社
ISBN：9787559710826
Shelf Number：1F- 0750
The Lion King lived in hot Africa and learned from the leopard that there is something called ice in Antarctica. The lion wrote a letter to a penguin in the Antarctic, asking him to send him ice cubes. After many days, the lion received the box sent by the penguin, opened it, and found that there was only water in it. So, he sent the box back with a letter explaining the situation. But when the penguin opened the box, it was clearly ice. Does this ‘back and forth’continue? Are penguins still sending ice to lions?
The illustrations in this book are rich in colour, and the original collage design adds a sense of three-dimensionality and realism to the pictures. The front lining of the picture book echoes the climatic characteristics of Africa with a bright yellow background, and the Antarctic continent represented by the cool blue on the back lining is self-evident. The Lion King’s changeable expressions are also hinted at his mood changes before and after receiving the ice cubes.
Picture books with pictures and texts conveying important information are very suitable for parents and children to read together, and helps to improve children’s observational and thinking skills. After reading this book for the first time, one can read it a second time to ignite further and deeper discussions on certain issues, such as the climate characteristics of both Antarctica and Africa, the three states and changing conditions of water, and the tools and ways of communicating with people. If you were the penguin, what would you do?
Book 4
The Awesome Book of Animals
Grade Level：G3-G7
Author: Adam Frost
Publisher：Bloomsbury Children’s Book
ISBN：9781408885130
Shelf Number：1F—1481
This is an animal science book with pictures and texts. It will definitely bring a lot of unheard and jaw-dropping facts and knowledge to the reader.
For example, not only rain falls from the sky, but also fish, jellyfish, frogs, spiders, earthworms, and even raw meat. And…in the animal kingdom, there is a serious imbalance in the proportion of male and female organisms.
You may not know that there is an animal that can produce a most deafening sound – the 5 centimeter-long pistol shrimp, using its giant claw.
Whether it is to do with their appearance or their names, there are animals who have been misunderstood by us e.g. Bald Eagles are not actually bald, and Killer Whales are not actually whales.
Whether you are interested in animals or not, once you flip through this book, you will be naturally amazed by and drawn to the diversity of the animal kingdom!
