Today’s post comes to you from Zack Davisson: Every kid in Japan grows up on Shigeru Mizuki. He is the Yokai Hakase—the Yokai Professor—who educates the children of Japan on the folklore that is so elemental to their culture. Nearly every piece of popular Japanese entertainment, from Pokémon to One Piece to Godzilla to whatever … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Shigeru Mizuki—The Yokai Professor
Today's post comes to you from Malavika Nataraj: A few years ago, I attended a concert where I heard an Okinawan all-women’s group sing melodious ballads about the rich, natural beauty of the Ryukyu Islands. The shaman-like lead singer, with her waist-length grey hair, played an ancient snakeskin sanshin. As the beautiful voices rose in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: “The Girl with the White Flag” Opens a Hidden Door
Today’s post comes to you from Pudthila Srisontisuk: On a visit to the ‘recommended’ shelf at most book stores here in Bangkok, there always seems to be a row of translated fictional stories based in shops, cafés, convenience stores or laundromats. In a world where connections, transactions and communication are increasingly curated online, it is … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Coffee, Counters and Cafés–Cozy Fiction for Teens
Today’s post comes to you from Holly Thompson: Not long ago, I was pleased to be in conversation with translator Jocelyne Allen about her translation of the bestselling novel Colorful by Eto Mori. Mori is an acclaimed Japanese author of award-winning children’s and YA books, including the novels Rizumu (Rhythm), Tsuki no fune (Moon Ship), … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Talking about “Colorful: A Novel”
Today’s post comes to you from Alison Fincher: Go and The Color of the Sky Is the Shape of the Heart were not necessarily written for a young adult audience. In fact, Go won Japan’s top award for popular fiction for adults, the Naoki Prize, and The Color of the Sky was short-listed for Japan’s … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Asking “Who Am I?” in Two Novels about Japanese Young Adults
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
