Books with author Randa Handler

Unable to agree on their ideas about God and religious celebrations, four different ethnic tribes—Greeks, Chinese, Zulus, and Mayans—who live together harmoniously most of the year, combining aspects of each of their cultures to make their kingdom strong and prosperous, suddenly become divisive when religious holidays approach. During such times, they cannot agree on the timing or manner of religious traditions, and they each have their own god who looks and dresses as they do.When Niko, a young Greek boy, has several dreams of God, each tribe interprets the various details of his dreams according to its own view of God, further emphasizing the tribes’ differences in beliefs. Subsequently, Niko is shunned for having created even more disharmony and for lying to the tribes, or so they think, as no one believes he dreamed of God.To clear up all the confusion and arrive at the truth, Niko begs God to manifest in one final dream. This time, God shows him that the tribes’ beliefs are actually different expressions of the same god. Niko concludes that God is like colorless and formless iridescent light and the beliefs of all tribes about their gods are correct, as these gods are like colors of the rainbow that derive from white light.

It is 1941, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt has just made Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States. Takari’s family is coming from near and far to celebrate together.While helping her mother prepare Thanksgiving dinner, eight-year-old Takari breaks a platter that belonged to her Japanese grandmother. The platter had been an important part of her father’s family heritage, used traditionally by Takari’s grandmother to serve chestnut rice on the Japanese day of Thanksgiving.Angry, her mother shoos her away, telling her to go visit her best friend, Little Sparrow, whose family is Native American. He is making a special cornbread just like the one served at the first Thanksgiving dinner eaten by the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians at Plymouth Plantation. In the process, Takari learns about the history of the holiday and that a similar day of gratitude, when people give thanks for their blessings, exists in many countries, including in her father’s homeland, Japan.

One rainy day in the jungle, unlikely friends—Zebra, Lion, Leopard, Giraffe, Monkey, Elephant, and Chameleon—gather to lament how boring their daily activities are. Zebra, with her imagination and fun-loving nature, convinces the other animals to escape their mundane lives by pretending they are kings. Playing this game teaches them about their many differences and, more important, their own likes and dislikes. Zebra, upon discovering this information, realizes that it’s okay not to always want to play with other zebras as long as she listens to her inner voice and yields when it warns her of dangers or cautions her to maintain clear boundaries. Immediately she learns that Lion can stop being her friend when he’s angry or hungry.Along her quest, she learns about everyone’s likes and dislikes, including her own, and discovers the true meaning of friendship.

Derek, Chris, and Brian, three seven-year-old boys, befriend Derek’s new neighbor, Mike, who is blind. Their special friend, Cubbie Blue, a three-inch-tall being with supernatural powers, and his minuscule dog, Dot, help the boys learn about Mike’s limitations and needs. This important knowledge allows them to properly welcome Mike to the neighborhood. In turn, the boys help Cubbie escape from the evil soldiers trying to capture him, and he is saved by their bravery.

Three multiracial seven-year-old boys with varied backgrounds befriend a super-wise visitor from an enchanted part of Antarctica, tiny Cubbie Blue and his minuscule dog, Dot, who have accidentally landed in their hometown. Even though Cubbie is only three inches tall and therefore appears vulnerable, he has supernatural powers. He can read minds, make himself invisible, or stop time when needed. He also has the uncanny ability to only see things in a positive light. Throughout the series, this new friendship leads to important discoveries for both the boys and Cubbie. As they fly over cities in a magical bubble and explore realms near and far, Cubbie and Dot learn the true meaning of friendship and how to solve small and big problems while feeling protected in their scary new environment. The bond between them proves that sometimes unlikely allies are found among beings who seem to have the greatest differences. The tiny creatures are effective vehicles for conveying subtle messages, about rights and wrongs within the frame of an exciting and entertaining story.

It is 1941, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt has just made Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States. Takari’s family is coming from near and far to celebrate together. While helping her mother prepare Thanksgiving dinner, eight-year-old Takari breaks a platter that belonged to her Japanese grandmother. The platter had been an important part of her father’s family heritage, used traditionally by Takari’s grandmother to serve chestnut rice on the Japanese day of Thanksgiving. Angry, her mother shoos her away, telling her to go visit her best friend, Little Sparrow, whose family is Native American. He is making a special cornbread just like the one served at the first Thanksgiving dinner eaten by the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians at Plymouth Plantation. In the process, Takari learns about the history of the holiday and that a similar day of gratitude, when people give thanks for their blessings, exists in many countries, including in her father’s homeland, Japan. “Ms. Handler has delivered another beautifully illustrated and engaging story that should be a hit with young readers for years and years to come. Ms. Handler manages to provide a history of the origins of Thanksgiving, a description of how other cultures and nationalities also give thanks and, at the same time, promotes the importance (and possibility)of tolerance, friendship and sharing across cultural and national divides. Using kids from mainstream American, Native American and Japanese American families to tell her story, we learn that Thanksgiving is more than just another self-indulgent holiday!” James Loud. CO “Children will easily relate to this story which is educational as well as wonderfully inspirational: Educational, because many historical details of the first Thanksgiving are interwoven...and inspirational, because a little girl's adventures on Thanksgiving Day enable her to understand and feel genuine gratitude when her conflicts and experiences resolve.” Jessica Warne. CA “I really like the way the author brought in multiple cultures to help share in the true meaning of giving thanks for all we have. Randa Handler did a great job of making the storyline interesting and easy to follow. Children of all ages will find it fun and informative. I highly recommend this book. I give it my "Grandpa Seal of Approval." Larry B. Gray. FL

Derek, Chris, and Brian, three seven-year-old boys, befriend Derek’s new neighbor, Mike, who is blind. Their special friend, Cubbie Blue, a three-inch-tall being with supernatural powers, and his minuscule dog, Dot, help the boys learn about Mike’s limitations and needs. This important knowledge allows them to properly welcome Mike to the neighborhood. In turn, the boys help Cubbie escape from the evil soldiers trying to capture him, and he is saved by their bravery.