Today’s post comes to you from David Jacobson: This September marks ten years since the publication of Are You an Echo? The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko edited and translated from the Japanese by David Jacobson, Sally Ito, and Michiko Tsuboi, illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri (Chin Music Press, 2016). At the time of the release, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Ten Years After Are You an Echo?
Today’s post comes to you from Sabrina Rossi: If summer feels already like a distant memory, you may want to dive into the following middle grade books, all set in the hot Japanese summer and offering, like a colourful ice cream, flavours for any taste: from historical fiction to magic realism, from short novella to … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month: Summer Adventures and Goodbyes—Four Japanese Books for Middle Graders
Comparing two translations of a children’s novel is often impossible, as, typically only one has been published. But at least two English-language translations exist of a trim, eight-chapter classic by Sachiko Kashiwaba, Kiri no mukō no fushigi na machi—translated from Japanese to English as The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist (1987) by Christopher Holmes, and … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: Two Translations of Sachiko Kashiwaba’s First Novel
Today’s post comes to you from Ecre Karadag: The scope and impact of the Second World War can seem overwhelmingly large when encountered through dates and casualty figures, but children’s literature can bring that history closer through the ordinary details a child can understand: a school day, a paper lantern or even a glass of … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month: History at a Child’s Scale—Three Japanese Middle-Grade Books on War and Memory
Kiki’s Delivery Service by Hans Christian Andersen Award (“children’s Nobel Prize”) winner Eiko Kadono has been well known in both Japanese and English for years as the book that inspired the Studio Ghibli film of the same name. But did you know it’s the first book in a series? When interviewed about the first book, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month Focus on Japan: A Series for All Ages
Twelve-year-old Tuva has always felt different from her classmates. In the past, they’ve bullied her. Now, “at best, they ignore” her. But until people from Tuva's Stockholm archipelago go missing--even a classmate--she has no idea why she doesn't fit in nor how different she really is. Accompanied by new kid Rasmus, who befriends her, Tuva … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Secrets Below
What do a vampire, a slime mold, a skeleton, a mad scientist and a mummy have in common? They’re all students at Monstrocity School. And they’re also all close friends of young werewolf Olivia Wolf, the protagonist in the zany Olivia Wolf graphic novels for readers age 7-10. In Olivia Wolf and the Trip Through Time, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Olivia Wolf and the Trip Through Time
Budding volcanologists rejoice! Young scientists roll up your sleeves! As for the rest of the world, get ready to rock! Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes is a fascinating nonfiction book about volcanoes for middle grade readers. And perhaps it may even inspire a few young readers to turn an early volcanic passion … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes
In the deep, dark, frigid days of winter, what could be more fun than curling up in a blanket with a shivery ghost story? Set during summer vacation, The Ghosts of Pandora Pickwick is a wonderful combination of two evergreen middle grade tropes: the aforementioned ghost tale and an adoption/origin story. Protagonist Mia Jones has … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Ghosts of Pandora Pickwick
What’s faster than a jet? Or bigger than a whale? And have you ever wondered how many vertebrae are in a giraffe’s neck? These and myriad other fascinating questions are the focus of Faster Than a Jet, Bigger Than a Whale: An Illustrated Guide to Measuring Our World, a wonderful nonfiction book for readers age … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Faster Than a Jet, Bigger Than a Whale: An Illustrated Guide to Measuring Our World
