Coming of age stories are a often visited theme in young adult and even middle grades literature. It is not a common theme in picture books, however. Forthcoming from Catalyst Press, Wankijũ, Child of Mine is a picture book bildungsroman of a Kenyan girlhood. Like other titles from Catalyst Press, it gives pride of place … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wankijũ, Child of Mine
Mayowa wants to stay in the city and play computer games rather than visit his grandmother in another town. But he doesn’t stay in a bad mood for long! Especially when his new friend Denuyi takes him on a tour of the neighborhood. In Mayowa and the Masquerades, the two boys share in simple wonders: … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Mayowa and the Masquerades
Dulari Devi didn’t know how to read the printed word, but she always had a rich visual lexicon built into her consciousness, a legacy that stemmed from being part of a rural community in Bihar that created stunning wall murals in the Mithila art style, also known as Madhubani painting. Her story is one of … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLITWEEKEND: Following My Paint Brush
This article first appeared on the ALSC Blog on April 16, 2024. Reposted with permission. Not long ago, I asked a group of grade six English learners to do a “source language scavenger hunt,” finding middle grade and YA novels in the school library and recording the language in which each was written. I also … Continue reading It’s #WorldKidLit Weekend: Naming Source Languages and Translators Serves Young Readers
For all the hand wringing about young people not liking to read or even reading proficiently, there sure is a lot of gatekeeping by adults around what is and what is not appropriate for young people to read. Bracketing and suspending for a moment current book banning efforts in the United States, there are adults … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Movements and Moments
Fire from the Sky is the beautifully evocative story of Ánte, a young Sámi reindeer herder. Ánte loves his land and herding reindeer; he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. But as the book begins, he has just realized he is attracted to his long-time good friend, Erik, who has a girlfriend but also … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Fire from the Sky
What would it be like to have a little sister, or even tons of little sisters? As the eldest of four girls, I feel I may already have some of the answers, here! All the same, I no doubt could have benefitted from a copy of Little Sisters when I was a youngster. This gorgeous … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Little Sisters
Stunningly illustrated in Bhajju Shyam's trademark Gond Art style, this book narrates the story of Musa, a young tribal boy, who leaves home for the forest one morning, little knowing that this will be the day when he's pushed to face his fears. When his mother falls sick, Musa offers to collect the firewood for … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLITWEDNESDAY: Alone in the Forest
Noor and Abdulla Al Owais here. Today, we decided to do a joint post about an Emirati personality, the famous cartographer Shihab El Din Ahmed Ibn Majid who was born in 1432 AD in Julfar. Ibn Majid Author: Fatima Sharafeddine Illustrator: Hassan Amekan Published by: Kalimat (2020) ISBN: 9789948245629. Book borrowed from House of Wisdom Library. … Continue reading #UAEReads – #WorldKidLit Wednesday with Emirati Kid Reviewers: Meet Famous Emirati Cartographer, Ibn Majid
Abdulla Al Owais here. Today, I will share two books with you. The first one is about Kana Kana, a man who lives with his wife in a small house, and one day a colorful bird visits them. Kana Kana Author: AbdulAziz Al Musallam (Emirati) Illustrator: Nasim Abaein (Iranian) Published by: Kalimat (2013) ISBN: 978-9948-20-220-2 They thought … Continue reading #UAEReads – #WorldKidLit Wednesday with Emirati Kid Reviewers: Proverbs, Sayings, and The Value Of Honesty – A 2-in-1 Special
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 