This collection of children's books highlights Haitian protagonists and the rich culture of Haiti, celebrating its traditions and the vibrant diversity of Haitian communities. These stories offer a beautiful way for children to learn about and appreciate Haitian heritage.
For your convenience, we've included publisher's descriptions along with each book.
A lyrical text and vivid, luminous imagery transport readers to Haiti through a father's tales and a child's imagination--and invite them to tell stories of their own.
Krik! Krak!
This is how story time begins.
Lune loves hearing her daddy's stories--the funny ones, the sad ones, the ones with lessons about truth and love. Whether evoking an ill-fated climb up a mango tree or life after a hurricane, flying over magical mountains or the healing power of a mother's love, all of Daddy's stories begin with "lakay"--back home--and each one ushers Lune to Haiti, her father's homeland, a place she doesn't know but can see, hear, and feel when she closes her eyes. Daddy is her favorite book, and sometimes she stays up late just to hear another story when he gets home from work. Everyone has stories, her mommy tells her, so Lune begins to wonder: could she have stories of her own, too? Author Arlène Elizabeth Casimir offers a love letter to her parents' birthplace and to the ways storytelling can bring us together, illustrated in lush, enchanting colors by acclaimed artist Ken Daley. Included is a glossary and two author's notes--one to caregivers and teachers, one to kids--providing ideas and encouragement for sharing the power of story.
A Haitian American girl finds connection to generations of family lore in this story of identity, heart and home.
Every winter, a young girl flies to Haiti to visit her Auntie Luce, a painter.
The moment she steps off the plane, she feels a wall of heat, and familiar sights soon follow -- the boys selling water ice by the pink cathedral, the tap tap buses in the busy streets, the fog and steep winding road to her aunt's home in the mountains.
The girl has always loved Auntie Luce's paintings -- the houses tucked into the hillside, colorful fishing boats by the water, heroes who fought for and won the country's independence. Through Haiti's colors, the girl comes to understand this place her family calls home. And when the moment finally comes to have her own portrait painted for the first time, she begins to see herself in a new way, tracing her own history and identity through her aunt's brush.
A young girl in Haiti is eager to learn how to carry a basket to market in an exuberant picture book with universal appeal.
"To carry the panye, we move gracefully, even under the weight of the sun and the moon."
In the hills above Port-au-Prince, a young girl named Fallon wants more than anything to carry a large woven basket to the market, just like her Manman. As she watches her mother wrap her hair in a mouchwa, Fallon tries to twist her own braids into a scarf and balance the empty panye atop her head, but realizes it's much harder than she thought. BOOM! Is she ready after all? Lyrical and inspiring, with vibrant illustrations highlighting the beauty of Haiti, My Day with the Panye is a story of family legacy, cultural tradition, and hope for the future. Readers who are curious about the art of carrying a panye will find more about this ancient and global practice in an author's note at the end.
A touching tale of parent-child separation and immigration, from a National Book Award finalist
After Saya's mother is sent to an immigration detention center, Saya finds comfort in listening to her mother's warm greeting on their answering machine. To ease the distance between them while she's in jail, Mama begins sending Saya bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on cassette tape. Moved by her mother's tales and her father's attempts to reunite their family, Saya writes a story of her own--one that just might bring her mother home for good.
With stirring illustrations, this tender tale shows the human side of immigration and imprisonment--and shows how every child has the power to make a difference.
Writer Danielle Joseph and illustrator Olivier Ganthier's I Want to Ride the Tap Tap is a day-of-the-week picture book about a Black family who ride the taxi-bus service--called a tap tap--in Haiti, and the fascinating people they meet along the way, illustrated by a Haitian artist known for his vibrant street art
Monday through Saturday, Claude and Manman walk Papa to the tap tap stop, where Claude meets all sorts of interesting people waiting for the tap tap. Claude wants to join Papa, but Claude has classes at school and chores at home...
On Sunday, Manman and Papa have a surprise for Claude--a ride on the tap tap! They go to the beach, where they meet a lady selling mangoes, a fisherman, a straw-hat maker, a steel drummer, and an artist. They show Claude how to fish, make hats, play the drums, and paint.
With Haitian Creole words sprinkled throughout and a glossary at the end, I Want to Ride the Tap Tapis a warm and lively portrayal of everyday life in Haiti.
This buoyant and richly illustrated ABC picture book follows six Haitian children on their way to school--a Coretta Scott King Award winner!
Long before the sun even thinks of rising, the Haitian children run to school--over the hills, through the fields, across the city square. Under the bright morning sun, surrounded by the sounds of nature, the eager student's journey through their nation's hill and meadow regions to learn the letters, sounds, and words of their beautiful books at school.
These children's books about Haitian culture offer a meaningful way to introduce kids to Haiti’s rich traditions and heritage. For more diverse book recommendations celebrating cultures from around the world, visit our bookshop.
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