Melena's Jubilee
About this ebook
Named to Bayviews Outstanding List (online journal for the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California (ACL))
2017 Skipping Stones Honor Book
After being sent to bed early the previous night, Melena wakes up to a new day with a song in her heart.
At breakfast she learns she has been given a “fresh start,” and she decides to celebrate by doing things differently for the rest of the day. Melena chooses not to fight with her brother, and shares the money she has rather than demanding to be repaid by a less fortunate friend. This story introduces children to the concept of jubilee, which stresses the important principles of debt relief, generosity, and forgiveness. Aaron Boyd’s mixed-media illustrations are as bright and vivid as a sun-washed day.
Fountas & Pinnell Level M
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About the author
Born in Canada, Zetta Elliott (Brooklyn, NY) moved to the US in 1994 to pursue her PhD in American Studies at NYU. Her poetry has been published in several anthologies, and her plays have been staged in New York, Chicago, and Cleveland. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including the award-winning picture book Bird. Her urban fantasy novel Ship of Souls was named a Booklist Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Title for Youth. Three books published under her own imprint, Rosetta Press, have been named Best Children’s Books of the Year by the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature. Elliott is an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing.
Aaron Boyd is the illustrator of 25 children’s books including Luigi and the Barefoot Races, Babu’s Song, Daddy Goes to Work, and the Panda Goes to School series. His pop-up Storybook Year won a Clio Top 4 award and was inducted into the Smithsonian Rare Books collection. He has also received Children’s Africana Book, Choices Sports, Notable Children’s Book, and Hermes Creative awards, and his advertising graphics have received Addy Gold and Graphis awards.
