#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The 2023 Eisner Nominees

Looking to dip your toe into the ocean of new graphic novels (in translation) for children and young adults? Reading the Eisners is the perfect approach. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are the comic kingdom’s equivalent of the Oscars, with the winners announced annually at San Diego Comic Con.

Children’s graphic novels in translation appear in the obvious places–the two international categories (Best US Edition of International Material and Best US Edition of International Material–Asia) and the three children’s book categories (Best Publication for Early Readers Up to age 8, Best Publication for Kids (9-12), and Best Publication for Teens (13-17)). But they can and do lurk throughout the list, often in unexpected places, as YA crossovers abound among the Eisners–and graphic novels, in general.

If you don’t already know which books won the Eisners (announced every July), you’ll find the list online here. The winners are named first, with the nominees farther down. But don’t follow that link quite yet! You might enjoy reading through some of the nominees first, forming your opinion, and only then checking out the winners.

The following are my five favs from this year’s nominees. Two are books I reviewed earlier this year: Shuna’s Journey, a translation of an early work by the world-famous Hayao Miyazaki, and Beneath the Trees: Summer, a fun, sweet book with deep meaning and very few words, for ages 4-8.

The remaining three books are YA/crossovers.

Down to the Bone: My Leukemia Story is the beautifully done, heartbreaking memoir of author/illustrator, Catherine Pioli who discovers her persistent sciatic pain is actually acute leukemia. Drawn with great sensitivity, humor, and precision, plus with useful back matter, it describes her sudden descent from being a vibrant young woman to a cancer patient. Warning for the soft hearted: while hopeful and upbeat, the story ends abruptly and tragically. Down to the Bone was deservedly nominated in two categories, Best Graphic Memoir and Best Graphic Album–Reprint.

Most adults in the U.S. are familiar with the 1930s Dust Bowl era–a decade-long ecological disaster in the Great Plains caused by over-farming and drought. A work of historical fiction translated from Dutch, Days of Sand humanizes this dry history, telling the story of a fictional young photographer hired to take pictures of the dust storms, poverty, and misery he finds at the height of the disaster. Eloquently drawn, Days of Sand shows his personal and professional growth as he shucks his city-slicker persona and slowly begins to identify with his subjects and their daily suffering. Real-life photos and history in the back matter also help bring this period of history to life. Nominated for Best Graphic Album–Reprint.

Last but not least, there is Tiki: A Very Ruff Year, a fictionalized autobiography about a family that decides to adopt a Shiba Inu puppy from a pet shop during the pandemic–with fairly disastrous results. A story about family, emotional truth, and, yes, pet ownership, this is one of my translations. Nominated for Best US Edition of International Material.

Finally, there are two more nominees worth mentioning, due especially to their subject matter: Alice Guy: First Lady of Film, about a pathbreaking cinematographer from the dawn of film who has been forgotten today; and So Much For Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship, about a young woman who gets lured into an emotionally abusive relationship, with excellent self-help back matter.

Every year, the graphic novels nominated for the Eisners are uniformly excellent–and not simply those for young readers or in translation. Check out the above handful and then peruse the full list of nominees. You may well find yourself enticed into reading many more once you take a peek!

Shuna’s Journey
Written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki
Translated from the Japanese by Alex Dudok de Wit
ISBN: 9781250846525
November 1, 2022, First Second

Reviews: Kirkus, New York Times, Gizmodo