Crane Boy

By Diana Cohn, Youme Nguyen Ly
Paperback: $11.95

In this empowering picture book about arts, activism, and the environment, Kinga and his classmates create a dance to honor the cranes of Bhutan and raise awareness of their plight.

Description

Every year, Kinga and his classmates wait for the black-necked cranes to return to the kingdom of Bhutan. The birds fly south over the highest mountains in the world to winter in the valley where Kinga lives, deep in the Himalayas. The cranes have been visiting the valley since ancient times, but every year, fewer cranes return. Kinga is concerned. “What can I do?” he wonders. He and his classmates approach the monks for permission to create and perform a dance to honor the cranes and to remind the Bhutanese people of their duty to care for them. The monks caution them to first watch the cranes to see how they move and learn from them. The children watch and practice. And practice some more until the big day when they perform before the king of Bhutan.

About the Creators

Diana Cohn

Diana Cohn has worked on environmental, economic, and global justice issues as a teacher and a media activist, and an advisor, a program officer, and an executive director in philanthropic institutions. She is the award-winning author of seven children's books, including ¡Si Se Puede! / Yes We Can! Janitor Strike in L.A., The Bee Tree, and Crane Boy, all published by Cinco Puntos Press/Lee & Low Books. She lives with her husband on a houseboat in northern California.

Youme Nguyen Ly

Youme grew up loving stories. She has lived and worked as a community artist in New York, New Haven, Miami, Woods Hole, San Francisco, Kenya, Japan, Lao P.D.R., Vietnam, St. John, U.S.V.I., Haiti, and Cuba. Youme's books include Selavi (That Is Life): A Haitian Story of Hope, Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home, and Pitch Black with Anthony Horton. She is drawn to stories of survival and champions for social justice. Youme lives in an ever-changing location with her partner and their two children.

Awards

  • Freeman Book Award for East and Southeast Asian Children's Literature

    National Consortium for Teaching About Asia

  • Green Earth Book Award Honor

    The Nature Generation

Reviews

  • "[Diana] Cohn weaves numerous details about Bhutanese life and culture into her smoothly told story; Youme adds even more with watercolor images in a naïve style that nicely matches Kinga's present-tense narration. . . . [Crane Boy] gracefully celebrates both a little-known culture and its beloved birds."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "The soft watercolor illustrations are as graceful as the text . . . a fascinating, exquisite book."

    - Foreword Reviews
  • "Not only is this a charming tale, beautifully told and exquisitely illustrated, it introduces all of us to a fascinating country and culture through the eyes of a child."

    - Judy Reads Books
  • "Crane Boy is the beautiful story of a boy in Bhutan who loved the return of the black-necked cranes to his valley each year."

    - Midwest Book Review
  • "Give this lovely picture book to any child who is looking to change the world for the better."

    - School Library Journal
  • "This tale of wildlife conservation is narrated by a boy named Kinga, who eagerly awaits the annual return of the black-necked cranes to his Himalayan village. . . . The illustrations throughout showcase both Bhutanese life (filled with boisterously decorated prayer flags, flamboyant buildings, and lush forests) and the exquisite beauty and strength of the cranes, seen flying in formation and close-up."

    - Booklist

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781941026168
  • Price $17.95
  • Publication Date Oct 20, 2015
  • Trim Size 9 × 9 in
  • Weight 1 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Paperback

  • ISBN 9781941026175
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Oct 20, 2015
  • Trim Size 10 × 9 in
  • Weight 0.375 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Interests

  • Imprint Cinco Puntos Press
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Science & Nature / Environment
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Holidays & Celebrations / Other, Non-Religious
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Animals / Birds
  • Themes Animals, Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Dance, Fiction, People In Motion, Realistic Fiction, Religion / Spiritual
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 7 - 10
  • Grade Range Grades 2 - 5
  • Guided Reading R
  • DRA 40
  • Interest Level Grades 2 - 5
  • Reading Level Grades 4 - 5
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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