Articles

#INDIAKIDLIT – Why why? And other questions for Indian children’s books

by Shalini Srinivasan Unlike a lot of my own readers, my reading journey was – and continues to be – fairly uneven. I read Are You My Mother? at the recommended age (4ish, if you’re wondering) and met Enid Blyton and then Moby Dick (much abridged and with false editorializing from my father) and proceeded … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Why why? And other questions for Indian children’s books

#INDIAKIDLIT – Why I retell old Indian stories for the young

by Roopa Pai The Vedas and Upanishads for Children - by Roopa Pai (2019) / The Gita for Children - by Roopa Pai (2015) Some stories stand the test of time. The core themes of Shakespeare’s plays, for instance, are recognizable tropes in modern film and theatre across the world, and his words have passed … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Why I retell old Indian stories for the young

#WORLDKIDLITMONTH – September 2022 – Slices of Indian Children’s Literature Served Up Over Time – #INDIAKIDLIT

by Karthika Gopalakrishnan India is a country of multitudes, made up of over a billion lives that intersect across lines of class, culture, language, and tradition, to coalesce into a thriving, proud, and fascinatingly curious whole. Composed of individual states, some of which are more populous than Brazil while others have roughly the same population … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLITMONTH – September 2022 – Slices of Indian Children’s Literature Served Up Over Time – #INDIAKIDLIT

Simbi: the free eBook platform for world literature for kids

by Barb Reid, Primary School Teacher-Librarian, United World College of Southeast Asia - East Campus, Singapore Simbi and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) At the May 2022 Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) in Singapore, there was a panel with publishers from different countries discussing how they supported the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), … Continue reading Simbi: the free eBook platform for world literature for kids

(More) ASIAN TITLES CELEBRATING UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS & SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Consider this part two of the June 21st post where I highlighted mainly books from Singapore on the newly released booklist from the AFCC (Asian Festival of Children's Content) and the Singapore Book Council highlighting Asian titles celebrating UN SDG goals & social emotional learning. Now let's look at some books on the list from … Continue reading (More) ASIAN TITLES CELEBRATING UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS & SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: How Beautiful

The question of what is beautiful has preoccupied philosophers and poets alike. In How Beautiful, however, a caterpillar is the one pondering the subject. Yes, a caterpillar! In this elegant and whimsical picture book from Italy, a young caterpillar sets out to find exactly what beautiful means. As the book opens, the caterpillar lives "a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: How Beautiful

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Cicada

Office work can be dull, monotonous and thankless, especially for a cicada. In Cicada, a picture book aimed at high school readers, author/illustrator Shaun Tan reinvents the eponymous insect of the title as a data entry clerk. For seventeen years, Cicada has worked late, never taken a sick day, and received very little in return. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Cicada

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Telling Stories Wrong*

“Once upon a time, there was a girl who was called Little Yellow Riding Hood.” “No, red!” “Oh, right!” Little Red Riding Hood. Her mother called her one day and said, “Listen, Little Green Riding Hood…” “No, Red!” “Oh, right! Red. Her mother said: Now go to Aunt Hildegard’s house and take her this potato … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Telling Stories Wrong*

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Almond

Selected as a 2021 GLLI Translated YA Book Prize honor book, Almond is the story of Soon Yunjae, who as child is diagnosed with alexithymia, or the inability to identify and express one’s feelings. His amygdalae—the almond shaped structures in the brain responsible for interpreting external stimuli as emotional responses— are, as he explains, "unusually … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Almond

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: War

War is stealthy and secretive, slithering snake-like through the countryside. War is monstrous: an army of giant insects marching towards their target. This picture book, aimed at readers ages 9-12, packs a powerful punch from the opening pages. Striking illustrations in somber tones and sparse text help guide the reader’s exploration of this complex subject. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: War