September is #WorldKidLit month, a celebration of children’s literature from around the world, with a focus on diverse books and books in translation. I am excited to have been asked to contribute to the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative site this month and look forward to sharing my passion for global children’s literature with you.

First, a little bit about Planet Picture Book, a blog I started back in May 2017. Inspired by Ann Morgan’s year of reading the world, I decided to undertake a similar challenge . . . with picture books. Fast forward almost 2.5 years and I have researched, read and reviewed 103 picture books from 36 countries, including 43 titles in translation. It has been a joy to discover authors and illustrators previously unknown to me, and to open the door to a vibrant and diverse world of stories, characters, writing and artistic styles. I have also been fascinated to find out more about international children’s publishing and literary translation.

By sharing my findings, I hope to shine a light on picture books from around the world and their original creators, as well as the translators and publishers that bring these stories to life (often) in a new language for a new audience. The titles I feature represent just a small percentage of the global children’s books available to us all.

This September, I intend to post a selection of book reviews on the GLLI site that I have already published on Planet Picture Book. Each day, I will simply select a book review from my archives, as one might select a book from a library shelf. That book may be from anywhere in the world – this is a global bookshelf after all! I also plan to share some new material with you as my picture book journey takes me to Slovenia.

Let’s celebrate beautiful diverse, global children’s books this September!

Laura Taylor is the founder of children’s literature blog Planet Picture Book. She is a small business copywriter, NAATI-certified translator of French into English and member of AUSIT. When she is not writing, she is reading and chasing after her two young children.  She tweets regularly @plapibo and posts at www.planetpicturebook.com