by Jordan Kutzik The Clever Little Tailor by Solomon SimonTranslator: David FormanIllustrator: Yehuda BlumPublisher: Kinder-Loshn PublicationsBilingual English/Yiddish editionISBN: 1949217019Publication year: 2021Purchase: From the publisher, here, or from Amazon.com, here. Jordan Kutzik, publisher – Kinder-Loshn Publications In a small Jewish town in Poland, at a time when giants still roam the earth, yet people are just the … Continue reading #Yiddishlitmonth: The Clever Little Tailor
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Night Raven
A book is a promise. Its pages can offer adventure, an escape into a world from another time or place. The first book in The Moonwind Mysteries, The Night Raven, and its sequel, The Queen of Thieves, are gripping upper MG novels that fulfill this promise—and then some. Set in a gritty, Dickensian version of … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Night Raven
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Brothers Zzli
This month it is my privilege to once again review a forthcoming translated title from Eerdman's Books for Young Readers. Originally published in France, The Brothers Zzli is at first glance a story about a small girl and three bears—a sort of riff on the classic English fairy tale. But it's actually an allegory about … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Brothers Zzli
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War
In 1994, an estimated two million people fled the genocide by the Hutus of the minority Tutsi population in Rwanda. They sought refuge in neighboring Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), but the bloodshed continued. Around 800,000 civilians died, both Hutus and Tutsis. Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: When Dad’s Hair Took Off
Absurd hilarity can be a wonderful change of pace from the humdrum of everyday life. Featuring comic-style illustrations and buckets of hair flying left, right and sideways, When Dad’s Hair Took Off fits that bill—and then some, The premise? One day, Dad’s hair decides to take a hike with nary a “Hairsta la vista, baby!” … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: When Dad’s Hair Took Off
WorldKidLit Wednesday: Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras
Forthcoming later this month from Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras is a vibrant and uplifting picture book based on the real-life work of Asociación Compartir, a nonprofit dedicated to education and community development. Supported by JustWorld International, Asociación Compartir in particular provides bookmobile service (hence the book's … Continue reading WorldKidLit Wednesday: Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wounded Falcons
The person we present to the world and who we truly are can often be very different from one another. Sometimes, it takes a special catalyst for one’s authentic nature to be revealed. Wounded Falcons, by renowned picture book creators Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng, explores this idea through the character of Adrián. A young … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wounded Falcons
#WorldKidLitWednesday: Amma’s Sari
With its pages encased in generous swirls of gentle blue and pink, this is a book that tells Shreya—a second-generation migrant's story. At home, she delights in her mother's touch, and sees her sari fan out like a "magic carpet" around her mother. Shreya comes across as confident, safe, and snug in contentment, within the … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Amma’s Sari
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Cat Who Saved Books
A quiet hero’s journey for YA readers, The Cat Who Saved Books tells the story of high-schooler Rintaro Natsuki, a shy hikikomori (shut-in). When the story begins, Rintaro’s beloved grandfather and guardian has just died, leaving him the owner of his grandfather’s secondhand bookstore. The description of Rintaro’s feelings about his grandfather’s death are poignant, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Cat Who Saved Books
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Let’s Play Gonggi
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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 