Looking to dip your toe into the ocean of new graphic novels (in translation) for children and young adults? Reading the Eisners is the perfect approach. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are the comic kingdom’s equivalent of the Oscars, with the winners announced annually at San Diego Comic Con. Children’s graphic novels in translation appear in the obvious … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The 2023 Eisner Nominees
In keeping with our theme of contemporary fiction, I would like to introduce you to Tafadzwa Taruvinga and his upcoming novel, "Gone with the Blue Zodiac." This book is to be released in November 2023 and the author's synopsis succinctly describes the story as a moving and humorous story that strongly resonates with traditional and … Continue reading #ZimbabweLitMonth: Gone with the Blue Zodiac (2023)
I finished this book whilst spending Christmas last year on Koh Rong Island, Cambodia. In a Nutshell: This memoir recounts Bibish’s childhood in Uzbekistan, getting married and time spent living in Russia with her husband and children. Themes: Love, loss, family, identity and the many hardships women worldwide have to endure. Warning: there is mention … Continue reading Uzbekistan 🇺🇿: The Dancer from Khiva by Bibish, tr. Andrew Bromfield
My copy was a Christmas present from my dad and step-mum, staunch supporters of this project! I remember reading this when my now toddler was 7-8 moths old, I used to take him to the rooftop, whilst he napped, I read this book, with a nice breeze and a sip of my coffee. What a … Continue reading Poland 🇵🇱: Ellis Island: a people’s history by Malgorzata Szejnert, tr. Sean Gasper Bye
In a Nutshell: This book was published in 1986 and it was translated into English and published a couple of years ago. It tells the story of the children, now adults, who survived the Nazi invasion on the eastern front of WW2. This book documents the memories of children who survived. Over 100 testimonies, which … Continue reading Belarus 🇧🇾: Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky
In a Nutshell: This book is Belli’s account of the Nicaraguan revolution, of meetings with Fidel Castro and Gabriel García Marquez and exile in Costa Rica and of her own political and romantic awakenings. A brilliant book, I was gripped from the very first page. I have now thought to myself of all the people … Continue reading Nicaragua 🇳🇮: The Country Under My Skin: a memoir of love and war by Gioconda Belli, tr. by Kristina Cordero
Meet Epi Dermis! Who is Epi Dermis, you might ask? Your skin, of course! Forthcoming July 2023 from South Africa based Catalyst Press, It's Just Skin, Silly! is a friendly and accessible introduction to the evolution of skin color. Anthropologist Nina Jablonski and historian Holly McGee draw upon their more than 40 years of combined … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: It’s Just Skin, Silly!
About Ian Ian Broinowski, PhD, MEd, BA(Soc Wk), BEc, Dip Teach, worked as an advanced skills teacher in children’s services at the Institute of TAFE Tasmania in Hobart, Australia for many years. Ian has a background in Economics, Social Work and Education. He has taught in a wide range of subjects in aged care, disability … Continue reading #TasmanianLitMonth – Featured Writer Ian Broinowski
Written by guest curator, Bec Taylor I would like to pay my respects to the traditional custodians of the land, the Palawa people of Tasmania, and to their Elders, past, present, and emerging. I acknowledge their deep spiritual connection to the land and their ongoing contributions to the culture of this nation. Australian animals are … Continue reading #TasmanianLitMonth – #WorldKidlit featuring Tasmanian Animals
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 