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
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
In this story of community, set in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, everybody in Keshav’s neighbourhood turns benefactor by adding to his kolam (a pattern drawn in front of a house, typically with rice flour) and creating a wondrous design at the end of it. The book begins with a boy named … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Keshav’s Kolam
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
When Annick, an older teenager living in Amsterdam, learns that the grandmother who has raised her ever since her parents’ death in an accident, needs a bone marrow transplant, it leads her on a journey that will take her across oceans and continents, and almost 70 years into the past. Searching for a perfect match, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Song of a Blackbird
It’s nighttime and baby Elisa can’t stop crying. What starts as a whimper becomes as noisy as a fire truck. Her parents try to comfort her, but to no avail. One by one, residents from Elisa’s apartment block stop by to offer support: a book, a bouquet of flowers . . . a choir of … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Sleepless Night
Readers are transported to a zany primary school classroom in India, with The Homework telling a story of a class assignment that makes its way to an unforeseen conclusion. With each frame set against the blue-lined paper of the ubiquitous school notebook, the book hits a cheeky note from the get-go, with its opening lines: … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Homework
Filled with imaginative illustrations, Thread by Thread is a delightful picture book for readers age 4-7 that is based on a single, wonderfully extended metaphor--knitting. It's also a moving story about a family of refugee mice. When the story begins, the family lives in a lovely, tidy, red knit house: "Toasty warm in my home, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Thread By Thread
A new year brings a fresh start for the Tanaka family. In All in a Year, a picture book aimed at readers ages 3+, the Tanakas move out of their apartment into a cozy new home. With each new page, readers accompany the family through their daily lives and the changing seasons of the year. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: All in a Year
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 