North America

Travel through N.A. 
with these stories!

Canada

Click HERE for stories set in Canada.

Cuba

Engle, Margarita. All the Way to Havana. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2017.
A young boy and his parents take a road trip to Havana to help celebrate the birth of a new cousin. The family’s journey in their 1954 baby blue Chevy is colourfully illustrated by Mike Curato in this picture book recommended for readers 7 years old and up. [Automobiles; Cuba; Family life; Voyages and travels]

Figueredo, D.H. The Road to Santiago. New York: Lee & Low Books, 2003.

Alfredito and his parents want to join relatives for Christmas.  But how will they get from Havana to Santiago? The trains are not running because of the fighting between government forces and the rebels.  Set during the late 1950s and based on the author’s own childhood, this informative picture book with colourful evocative illustrations by Pablo Torrecilla is recommended for readers 7 to 11 years old. [Cuba; Family life; Historical fiction]

Wells, Rosemary with Secundino Fernando. My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Childhood. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2010. 

“Relates events in the childhood of architect Secundino Fernandez, who left his beloved Havana, Cuba, with his parents, first to spend a year in Spain, and later to move to New York City.” – CIP. Full colour illustrations and black and white photographs accompany this story of the architect’s childhood, the best children’s book I’ve found that depicts the political situation in Cuba during the reign of Batista and the turmoil as Castro gained power in 1959.   Highly recommended for all readers 9 years old and up. [Architecture; Dictators; Cuba; Family life; Fernandez, Secundino; Historical fiction; Spain]

Haiti

Williams, Karen Lynn. Circles of Hope. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2005.
Long ago, almost all the trees in Haiti were chopped down to use for lumber and firewood. This colourful picture book tells the story of a little boy who plants a tree in honour of his new baby sister. And soon more trees are being planted within stone circles to prevent the soil from washing away down the hillsides.  While the style and size of font do not complement the beautiful illustrations by Linda Saport, this is nevertheless an informative and inspiring story for children in grades one to three. [Brothers and sisters; Haiti; Tree planting]

Mexico

The Crossing

Paulsen, Gary. The Crossing. Dell, 1990, c1987.
Thirteen-year-old Manny, living in poverty on the streets of a Mexican town, meets an emotionally disturbed American soldier who helps him cross the border into the U.S.A.[Homelessness; Immigrants; Mexico; Poverty; Soldiers; Texas] 

Becoming Naomi

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Becoming Naomi Leon. New York: Scholastic, 2004.
Naomi, her younger brother and her great-grandmother, living in California, flee to Mexico to find Naomi’s father when her mother tries to reclaim her. [California; Courage; Grandmothers; Loyalty Mexico; Poverty; Runaways; Voyages and travels]

U.S.A.

Click HERE for stories set in the United States.

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