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How Much?: Visiting Markets Around the World, written/illus. by Ted Lewin, (HarperCollins, 2006), 36p, Ages 5-9.
Most people all around the world have at least one thing in common. They shop at markets, whether for food, animals, flowers, or just plain junk. Featured is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near Bangkok, Thailand, the Bazaar Flower Market of Madras, India, the Agua Calientes Market in Peru where a train runs through, the Aloup Camel Market near Cairo, Egypt, the Golden Nugget Antique and Collectible Flea Market in New Jersey, the Ethiopian market in New York, and even a pet market under a highway in Cairo, Egypt. Ted Lewin's illustrations richly capture the heart of the bustling marketplaces that most children will never have a chance to visit.

Josias, Hold the Book, written by Jennifer Riesmeyer Elvgren, illus. by Nicole Tadgell, (Boyds Mills Press, 2006), 32p, Ages 6+.
A young boy in rural Haiti must tend his bean garden to help provide food for his family, but this year nothing grows. There is no time for an education, but everyday his friend urges Josias to join them at school or "hold the book." Josias realizes how valuable an education is when his friend's teacher provides an answer to his garden problem.

My Father's Shop, written/illus. by Satomi Ichikawa, (Kane/Miller Books, 2006). 40p, Ages 4-7.
Mustafa's father owns a carpet shop in a Moroccan marketplace. One day Mustafa finds a hole in one of the beautiful carpets and asks to keep it. In exchange for the carpet, Mustafa agrees to learn foreign phrases that will help him sell the patterned rugs to tourists someday. Finding the lessons boring, Mustafa runs through the marketplace (with the carpet on his head) meeting tourists and discovering a different way of learning foreign words.

The Scarab's Secret, written by Nick Would, illus. by Christina Balit, (Walker Books, 2006), 32p, Ages 4-8.
Narrated by a scarab named Khepri, this clever tale tells of a life-altering experience between the scarab beetle and a prince of Egypt. After discovering a murderous plot by the prince's adversaries, Khepri alerts the prince to the danger and guides him to safety. Vivid illustrations of Egyptian animals, clothing, murals, architecture, boats, and tools accompany this tale of friendship between man and insect. Endpapers give information on an ancient Egypt civilization and its pharaohs.

Sky Sweeper, written by Phillis Gershator, illus. by Holly Meade, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007), 40p, Ages 7+.
A young Japanese boy becomes "Flower Keeper" at a Zen temple working in the monks' garden. Year after year when family and friends recommend that he find more lucrative work, he replies, "The monks need a temple, the temple needs a garden, and the garden needs a Flower Keeper." Takeboki works contentedly by sweeping, arranging patterns in the sand, and tending to the leaves and flowers. This he does into adulthood and beyond into the next life sweeping the celestial garden in the sky. The moral of the story is simply that hard work has value, no matter what the task.