"I do not like the people in the nearby kingdom. They are different. I must build a wall to keep them out!"
Sound familiar?
Today's featured book Catalina and the King's Wall by Patty Costello (Author) and Diane Cojocaru (Illustrator) is a story about diversity, inclusion, equality, and kindness, that appeals to children and adults alike.
Catalina and the King's Wall
Catalina is a skilled baker for the King. From crack of dawn until darkness of night she bakes cookies to satisfy his never ending hunger for sweat treats.
One day, the King announces that he "doesn't like the people in the nearby kingdom" and decides to build a wall between his and the other kingdom. Catalina is devastated as her family lives in said kingdom and she fears that she'll never see her loved ones again.
Catalina comes up with a plan to thwart the king’s order. She suggest to use baking ingredients as building materials for the wall, knowing they will not last.
The first wall is made out of ooey and gooey icing which gets washed away by the first rain.
The second wall is built out of colorful sprinkles which gets blown away by the wind.
As the King's getting more and more upset and demands a "wall that will last forever", Catalina suggests to build a gigantic cookie dough wall. The wall withstands wind and weather, however, it doesn't withstand the King's sweet tooth. The King starts eating up his wall until only crumbs of cookie dough remain and he's too stuffed to move or bother anyone ever again.
Catalina is reunited with her family, opens her own bakery and bakes cookies and treats for everyone, no matter which kingdom they're from.
Catalina and the King's Wall provides a gentle, joyful way to approach discussions and to open a dialogue to how it relates to what's happening in the real world, in particular when looking at our current political landscape of exclusion.
We couldn’t help but smile at some of the hidden or not so hidden facts, such as a King obsessed with building a wall, images of little Russian nesting dolls, and lines like "she had a plan for the king, who clearly had no plan of his own".
Book Facts
Age Range: 4 - 10 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 5
Hardcover: 32 pages
ISBN-10: 1632331055
ISBN-13: 978-1632331052
Giveaway
We're giving away (1) one copy of Catalina and the King's Wall.
How to enter: Like our Facebook page AND tag a friend on our Catalina and the King's Wall Facebook post (both actions required!). The giveaway ends at noon on June 11, 2018.