On a hot day, how wonderful it is to be able to sit outside in the shade of a tree! And how terrible to be deprived of the opportunity by one person’s greed and selfishness. In The Shade Tree, renowned picture book creator Suzy Lee retells a traditional Korean folk tale. As the story goes, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Shade Tree
One of the styles of prose I love most is patchwork fiction, which sits on the line between fiction and nonfiction, using vignettes to link a theme or story together. This book from Korea links tale vignettes around death and how death is celebrated/remembered around the world. I have often found solace in books like … Continue reading #translationthurs: The White Book, by Han Kang
Many of us adults now look back on our decidedly low-tech childhood pastimes with fondness. I remember playing hopscotch, for example, and partaking in neighborhood baseball games. In my family literacy work, I often encourage parents and caregivers to share their "old-school" games with their children. After all, play is a child's work— and adults … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Let’s Play Gonggi
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
A long, long time ago, planet Earth was born.Planet Earth was very, very hot.Lava gushed out of the ground—Here, there, and everywhere—creating vapor.Since lava is heavy, It flowed down, down, down.And since vapor is light,It floated up, up, up,Turning into clouds in the sky So starts The Three Water Drop Brothers, a charming, surprisingly complete … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Three Water Drop Brothers
