Today's post comes to you from Holly Thompson: The Deer King Vol. 1 Survivors; The Deer King Vol. 2 Returners by Nahoko Uehashi / Translated by Cathy Hirano; cover art by Masaaki Yamamoto; map art by Yui Ohara (Yen Press 2023; 2024) Author Nahoko Uehashi is a giant in Japanese young adult fantasy literature. A … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month: Two Riveting Duologies from East Asia
Today’s post comes to you from Wendy Uchimura: On Your Mark…Get Set… Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate / Translated from the Japanese by Adrienne Beck (VIZ Media, 2016) With any kind of competition, it’s good to start with a warm-up. Manga has rules of its own, both with the style of reading and the visual cues, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month: A Winning Team—Manga and Novels of Competition
Today’s post comes to you from David Jacobson: This September marks ten years since the publication of Are You an Echo? The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko edited and translated from the Japanese by David Jacobson, Sally Ito, and Michiko Tsuboi, illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri (Chin Music Press, 2016). At the time of the release, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Ten Years After Are You an Echo?
Today’s post comes to you from Sabrina Rossi: If summer feels already like a distant memory, you may want to dive into the following middle grade books, all set in the hot Japanese summer and offering, like a colourful ice cream, flavours for any taste: from historical fiction to magic realism, from short novella to … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month: Summer Adventures and Goodbyes—Four Japanese Books for Middle Graders
As I draft this post, it's late July and that wonderful annual event known as San Diego Comic-Con has just ended its 2026 installment. For some, Comic-Con is a public arena for joyous cosplay, for others it's an opportunity to watch said cosplay with delight, camera in hand; for some it's a place to buy … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The 2026 Eisner Awards
Comparing two translations of a children’s novel is often impossible, as, typically only one has been published. But at least two English-language translations exist of a trim, eight-chapter classic by Sachiko Kashiwaba, Kiri no mukō no fushigi na machi—translated from Japanese to English as The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist (1987) by Christopher Holmes, and … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Two Translations of Sachiko Kashiwaba’s First Novel
Today’s post comes to you from Ecre Karadag: The scope and impact of the Second World War can seem overwhelmingly large when encountered through dates and casualty figures, but children’s literature can bring that history closer through the ordinary details a child can understand: a school day, a paper lantern or even a glass of … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month: History at a Child’s Scale—Three Japanese Middle-Grade Books on War and Memory
Kiki’s Delivery Service by Hans Christian Andersen Award (“children’s Nobel Prize”) winner Eiko Kadono has been well known in both Japanese and English for years as the book that inspired the Studio Ghibli film of the same name. But did you know it’s the first book in a series? When interviewed about the first book, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: A Series for All Ages
Today’s post comes to you from Cathy Hirano: The Fluffy Futon by Yuichi Kasano / Translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano (Gecko Press, 2026) On a warm, sunny day, Grandma spreads her futon out on the porch to air. Along comes a kitty-cat. With a great big yawn, it curls up for a nap, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Funny Books that Nurture the Soul
Today's post comes to you from Lisa Wilcut: Shinsuke Yoshitake is a Japanese author/illustrator, philosophical humorist, and beloved cultural icon with an instantly recognizable artistic style. His books have been translated into more than ten languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. His picture books appear regularly on ‘best of’ lists by … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Wonderful World of Picture Books by Shinsuke Yoshitake
