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
Geometry, perspective, astronomy, and a healthy dose of curiosity all come together in this book. It tells the story of Usha, who's learning to perform cartwheels, as she has a conversation with her big sister Aarti about a constellation they see in the sky. Aarti explains, from their vantage point lying flat on the ground, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Usha and the Big Digger
Mika is back! She stars in the award-laden Moonwind Mysteries, a gripping upper MG/YA historical series set in 1880s Sweden. The first two books in the series, The Night Raven and The Queen of Thieves, were filled with suspense, gritty details, fast pacing, and vivid characters, including the city of Stockholm, which becomes a tangible … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Lost Ones
In 1934 the American occupiers have left Haiti, but things are no better for the people ruled by corrupt and brutal section chiefs. When one of them kidnaps 16-year-old Lucille’s best friend and cuts down their favorite mapou tree, Lucille goes down to the police station to inquire. That puts her own family in danger, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: When the Mapou Sings
Arranged and forced marriages are the reality for many young teenage girls around the world. But does it really have to be this way? This middle grade illustrated novel is based on the true story of Adi, as told to renowned Cameroonian author and poet Alain Serge Dzotap. Adidjatou, or Adi for short, is a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon
Depicted in shades of the Earth such as ochre, cyan, and sienna, Mina vs the Monsoon tells the story of a young Muslim girl in North India wanting to play football but the rains play spoilsport. Her mother suggests that Mina stay indoors so as to not catch a cold from getting wet in the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Mina Vs the Monsoon
What happens when a flightless bird tries to learn to fly? In Teaching Eddie to Fly, a funny, whimsical picture book for ages 3-7, a little bear named Arthur decides to teach his best friend Eddie to fly. Eddie is a bird, so this seems as if it should be a slam dunk. Not so … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Teaching Eddie to Fly
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 