Afghan Dreams:Young Voices of Afghanistan by Tony O'Brien and Mike Sullivan

Photographs by Tony O/Brien. This is a beautiful photo journal of children in Afghanistan who have been affected by the ongoing war. Some have lost family members, been injured themselves, had to drop out of school and more. Two children resorted to pick pocketing to survive. The book is divided into children from Kabul and children from the countryside. The authors present the childrens' stories in their own words with an accompanying photograph of each child. This book is very timely and it will enable upper elementary - high school students an opportunity to see what life is really like for children in a war-torn, impoverished country like Afghanistan.

A Song for Cambodia by Michelle Lord

Illustrated by Shino Arihara. The life of Arn Chorn-Pond, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge killing fields, is told in this picture book biography. Chorn-Pond survives a children's work camp through his skill at playing the khim, a traditional Cambodian musical instrument. The foreword and the afterword provide historical perspective as well as describing Chorn-Pond's accomplishments in human rights in Cambodia and the U.S. Because of the tragedy and violence in the story, I would recommend this multicultural title for Grades 4-6. It is a powerful tale of how music helped ease suffering during war. Good for social studies or music units.