Well October sure is the month for national days with no less than 9 countries celebrating! If you missed the blog on the first - these only represent countries where our students are coming from - in case I'm missing out on any countries! Also, for some countries it may not be an #authentic voice … Continue reading #DecDisplays – October Celebrations
I am often asked for my all-time favorite read; now, this is hard. It's like picking your favorite record, film, friend, food, etc and one day to the next, it can change over time. But one that is always near the top, and I think the only book to be reviewed twice on my blog, … Continue reading #TranslationThurs: Stone in a landslide, by Maria Barbal
Well, I'm over to 2012 and the second Shadow independent foreign fiction prize. I have chosen one of my all-time favourite writers, Bernardo Atxaga. I chose this because he has also written some children's literature that has been translated into English. I'd been looking forward to this novel as I had enjoyed his other books … Continue reading #Translationthurs: Seven houses in France, by Bernardo Atxaga
In a Nutshell: Dime Quién Soy or Tell Me Who I am in English, is the story of Amelia Garagoya, the great-grandmother of the narrator. The narrator is a journalist, who lacks any ambition and is asked by his aunt to go and research the life of his great-grandmother and write a book on her life. The book … Continue reading Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
Life can change suddenly and without warning. I know because it happened to me. So begins Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War, a book for upper middle grade and young adult readers based on author Mónica Montañés’ family history. Montañés’ father had resisted Francisco Franco’s forces in Spain when Franco attempted a military coup against … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War
One of my repeated assertions is that picture books are much more than what they seem. They are more than just cute pictures and easy words to read to children before bedtime; they are in fact powerful works of art that can reveal deep truths to people of all ages. Picture books are for everyone. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: That’s Not Normal!
When I moved to the contiguous United States at the age of 7 from Puerto Rico, I did not speak English. I still remember my first day in a second-grade classroom, where I was the only Hispanic student and no one spoke Spanish. I went up to the teacher and told her I had a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Day Saida Arrived
What would you do if you found a baby caiman (a type of alligator)? Would you slip it into your shirt pocket? Unlikely as it seems, that’s what Faoro, a jeweler and watchmaker, did many years ago. The Caiman*, a picture book for ages 5-8, is his story—a real one. Faoro loved animals and let them wander … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Caiman
Terra Nova: An Anthology of Contemporary Spanish Science Fiction, edited by Mariano Villareal co-selected by Mariano Villareal and Luis Pestarini translated from the Spanish by Sue Burke and Lawrence Schimel Sportula June 15, 2013 258 pages Outstanding novella-length stories make up this important collection of contemporary Spanish-language science fiction. Thanks to translators Sue Burke and … Continue reading Speculative Fiction in Translation: Terra Nova
For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, it's currently winter, which is my favorite season. Yes, I may have been born in the Caribbean, but I feel more at ease when it is colder outside. I can wear cozy clothes, avoid the sun, and not contend with the oppressive humidity of the southern … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Winter Train
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 