Articles

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

a cluster of five girls of different ethnicities against a reddish-orange backgraound with green, purple, and orange leaves around them and white lettering for the title and subtitle in the upper left corner

Equal parts Our Bodies, Ourselves, Margaret Mead, and biology/history explainer, Born a Girl: It Takes Courage is an approachable feminist manifesto for today's teens that embraces difficult topics. Organized around the fictionalized stories of five teenage girls---one each from Nepal, France, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Mexico---this nonfiction YA illustrated book lays out a frank, sympathetic description … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: When the Sun Sets

Today’s post comes to you from Rasil Kaur Ahuja When the Sun Sets “You read a lot of baby books,” a well-wisher commented recently. “This one,” she added, pointing to a book that was shortlisted for the 2025 Neev Book Award, “doesn’t even have words!” How to explain the power of a story spoken in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: When the Sun Sets

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Baloo’s Big Win

Today’s post comes to you from Suji DeHart. Baloo’s Big Win: How Palwankar Baloo Broke the Caste Barrier in Cricket by Mamta Nainy, illustrated by Saumya Oberoi (Puffin / India Puffin, 2024) - picture-book biography for ages 6+  Baloo’s Big Win by Mamta Nainy, is more than just sports history or an Indian biography; it’s a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Baloo’s Big Win

#WorldKidLit Month 2025: Wrapping Up!

Welcome to the last day of #WorldKidLit month 2025 on GLLI! Thank you so much for joining us over the last month to celebrate #WorldKidLit month. This year's focus on GLLI was on European books, largely in translation. Here is a complete list of this month's posts, arranged by country: Czech Republic Welcome to #WorldKidLit … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2025: Wrapping Up!

#WorldKidLit Month 2025: ‘Moominvalley in November’

Welcome back to #WorldKidLit month! Today's post comes to us from Nadine Bailey. Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson (1970) translated by Kingsley Hart (1971) is the final prose Moomin book, written twenty-five years after her first book. The first Moomin book (The Moomins and the Great Flood, translated by David McDuff, 1945) was written … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2025: ‘Moominvalley in November’

We have a new Executive Director!

The Global Literature in Libraries Initiative (GLLI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Vashalice Kaaba as our new Executive Director. She brings substantial international experience to the position. Dr. Kaaba recently completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Kenya, working to enhance library access and student engagement. She previously worked as an English … Continue reading We have a new Executive Director!

#WorldKidLit Month 2025: The Quest for Legacy in ‘Finding the Way to Faraway Valley’ 

Welcome back to #WorldKidLit Month. Today's post comes to us from Lisa Miller. Sharing the precariousness of Earth’s plight in a gentle, hopeful but realistic way is the miracle of Finding a Way to Faraway Valley (2023) written and illustrated by Cecelia Heikkilä, and translated from Swedish into English by Polly Lawson. An old postcard … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2025: The Quest for Legacy in ‘Finding the Way to Faraway Valley’ 

#WorldKidLit Month 2025: The Moonwind Mysteries

Welcome back to #WorldKidLit Month 2025! Today's post comes to us from Staci Fox. One of the coolest things about running a library these days? Our readers are more connected to the world than ever before. Whether it's through travel, streaming services, international classmates, or even TikTok trends, there's a real appetite for stories that … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2025: The Moonwind Mysteries

#WORLDKIDLIT MONTH 2025: HOPE HOPS IN ‘MISHKA’ 

Welcome back to #WorldKidLit Month 2025. Today's post comes to us from Angie Erickson. Some books feel heavy because of what they hold. Mishka (2022), written by Edward van de Vendel and Anoush Elman, illustrated by Annet Schaap, and translated by Nancy Forest-Flier, feels light, even though it is about one of the heaviest things … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLIT MONTH 2025: HOPE HOPS IN ‘MISHKA’ 

#WorldKidLit Month 2025: Roses & Violets

Welcome back to #WorldKidLit month on GLLI. Today's post comes to us from Mairin Raisdana. Published in 2019 and translated in 2023, Roses and Violets is the first book in the Rosenholm fantasy trilogy by Danish author Gry Kappel Jensen, translated by Sharon E. Rhodes. The book is set in Rosewood Boarding School, a school … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2025: Roses & Violets