If you are familiar with Japanese picture books, you may know that Chirri and Chirra, In the Night is merely the latest (eighth!) entry in the delightful series from author and illustrator Kaya Doi. Translated by David Boyd, this sweet little book is an ode to the magic that nighttime can bring. Chirri and Chirra … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Chirri & Chirra, In the Night
Last week the American Library Association (ALA) presented their annual Youth Media Awards, celebrating the best in literature for young people. Among major awards such as the Caldecott and the Newbery medals, there is also the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, given to an outstanding "children’s book originally published in a language other than English in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II
Sometimes you are searching your library catalog for books for a winter-themed storytime, and you come across the perfect book not only for storytime, but also for your next GLLI book review! The Penguin Who Was Cold is an absolutely charming picture book about a penguin who does not fit the mold. Written and illustrated … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Penguin Who Was Cold
As someone who works in early literacy, I am a huge advocate of pretend play for young children. Pretend play, also known as imaginative play or dramatic play, imparts a host of developmental benefits. Through pretend play, children develop language and vocabulary skills, cultivate their social and emotional intelligence, grow their problem-solving and other thinking … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: We Would Pretend
There are parents and caregivers who look upon bedtime with dread. It can be a fraught time, what with perhaps recalcitrant young children who don't always realize how nice it is to go to sleep, and adults who want nothing more than to do the same. In dreamy Norwegian import Bedtime for Bo, however, a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Bedtime for Bo
I've said it before, and I will say it again: picture books are for everyone. Through relatively simple premises, picture books can shed light on deep truths, or serve as the starting point for nuanced conversations on complex topics. My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow/Mañana viene mi tío is a very simple book that addresses the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow/Mañana viene mi tío
While most of the Amazon rainforest is found within the borders of Brazil, other South American countries such as Peru and Colombia lay claim to portions of its acreage. The Amazon itself is home to hundreds of indigenous people groups, who find themselves increasingly displaced from their ancestral homes, or even killed, because of mining, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Amazona
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
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
Children ask a lot of questions, sometimes to their parents' chagrin. When parents ask me how to deal with their child's seemingly endless questions, I always suggest that they turn it back around on their child: "what do you think?" This buys a parent a few extra moments to gather their thoughts, while also encouraging … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Book of Questions
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 