Back in 2o19, I was living in Tanzania. The week before Christmas, my husband and I were visiting family and friends in the UK. On one of the final days of our trips, I went Christmas shopping, the final stop was in Daunt Books in Marylebone, London, I was just about to pay for my … Continue reading Italy 🇮🇹: The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg, tr. Dick Davis
Observations: The Eighth Life (for Brilka) is the 2020 winner of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. For more about the prize, read here. I read this wonderful book whilst away on holiday with my husband, I was 3-4 months pregnant, we were on a road trip around Cambodia: visiting Chhlong/Kratie, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri. This … Continue reading Georgia 🇬🇪: The Eighth Life (for Brilka) by Nino Haratischvili, tr. by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin
As everyone knows, a nose is a very useful appendage. But just how useful? In Genius Noses,* a non-fiction picture book aimed at readers ages 6-12, you’ll discover the multiple uses and benefits of the probosces, snouts and beaks of no fewer than 100 different animals! The contents page is split into neat sections like … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Genius Noses: A Curious Animal Compendium
Catherine's War There’s certainly no shortage of WWII stories available for younger readers, especially stories focusing on the devastating impact and consequences of the Holocaust. And at first blush, Catherine’s War seems like just another entry to the cannon of middle grade Holocaust fiction. But the graphic novel, adapted by Claire Fauvel from Julia Billet’s … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth: Catherine’s War
Posted on 5/2/23 by Suzi Tonini The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival written by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan is a riveting memoir of a young girl who survives genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now a university professor living in the United States, Amra shares her experiences … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth: The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
My library colleagues and I are big proponents of wordless picture books. They are accessible to readers no matter their age, literacy level, or primary language. They impart vital narrative skills, and are ideal for practicing dialogic reading with young children. Wordless books are not less than for their lack of text; they are important … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Yellow Butterfly
Dagfrid is not your stereotypical Viking girl. She’d rather wear her hair in two long braids than rolled into buns on either side of her head. She chooses to dress in pants instead of the super long dress that other girls wear. And she’s absolutely not into fish. In Dagfrid, Viking Girl: No More Ear … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Dagfrid, Viking Girl
Frog and Toad meet Encylopedia Brown with a dash of The Wind in the Willows in the award-winning Detective Gordon series, a charming, whimsical set of five chapter books for ages 6-10. The final book in the series, A Case with a Bang starts off with young mouse Detective Buffy investigating a case of “night … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Case with a Bang:
From the Beatles’ “Roll Over Beethoven” to Schroeder in “Peanuts,” Ludwig van Beethoven has become a cultural icon. Beethoven cuts an appealing figure for teens. He was a talented musician who lost his hearing at the height of his fame; a romantic guy who loved a mysterious, unnamed woman but never married her; and a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Beethoven: A Stand for Freedom
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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 