A deliciously absurd grammatical romp of a picture book, ashimpa: the mysterious word begins when a researcher rediscovered a long-lost word that has resurfaced "by chance in a dusty old dictionary: ASHIMPA. Quickly, the news spread. Everyone wanted to use this exciting discovery—but no one knew exactly how. No one knew what the word meant, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: ashimpa: the mysterious word
A 2025 GLLI Translated Young Adult Book Prize Honor Book and the first fabulous volume in a sci-fi duology, Snowglobe is set in a post-apocalyptic, post-climate-change world. Life for the lower class is cold and brutal. Most labor daily to create electricity via giant human-powered hamster wheels, except for the lucky few who live in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Snowglobe
I recently encountered three fascinating nonfiction books in translation from the Czech Republic: two for middle grade readers and the third for slightly younger readers ages 6-9. These fun volumes are virtually guaranteed entice readers into cracking open the cover and immersing themselves in a world filled with blurbs and facts. There isn't too much, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Three Nonfiction Books in Translation
Written by Angela Erickson Those of us who work or live in a world of books know that perhaps the richest terrain for graphic novelists is memoir and biography. As I type this, I can picture the covers of Maus, Persepolis, and Dragon Hoops -- some of the graphic memoirs that I regularly press into … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Graphic Novels of Displacement
Written by Eleanor Surridge It’s been a pleasure for me to return to my roots and seek out recent YA Canadian Literature. In some ways, the writing that is coming out of Canada is similar to what we’re seeing from the US and the UK but, like Canada itself, the stories are distinct, infused with … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: YA CanLit in English: some award-winners, some publishers, and a resource
In the pampas of Argentina in the mid-twentieth century, a young girl, Clara, helps her mother wash and deliver laundry for the wealthier families of their village. One day, her mother tells her to “Take these clothes to the man in the big house.” The mother warns her not to get distracted, to leave the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Clara and the Man With Books in His Window
Written by Angela Erickson From Skeptic to Enthusiast (Again!) When I wrote recently about my evolving relationship with graphic novels, I focused on the nonfiction science titles in translation that had caught me by surprise. I wrote about those first because they were what I have been reading most recently, but it was not graphic … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Feminism, Storytelling & the Power of the Graphic Novel
Written by Angela Erickson My Early Skepticism I’ve been thinking a lot about graphic novels lately. As a former Head of Middle School English, the teachers in my department and I often struggled to get students to move from graphic novels to traditional novels. And to be fair, there’s research suggesting that graphic novels cultivate … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Seeing Science in Translation
Get ready for a riot of colors and a garden of savory flavors! A nonfiction picture book for ages 4-7, How Do you Eat Color explodes off the page with vivid images of delicious fruits and vegetables that are as delightful to read about as they are enticing to imagine munching on. The book begins, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: How Do You Eat Color
A sweet, otherworldly tale that’s billed as “the fantastic adventure that first inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved film, Spirited Away,” The Village Beyond the Mist is sure to charm. Set in a magical town hidden in a mysterious forest clearing, The Village Beyond the Mist is a delightful, multigenerational fantasy for middle grade readers about service. Is that … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Village Beyond the Mist
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 