by Jack Zipes I never expected to meet Gianni Rodari, and unfortunately I never did meet him. Nevertheless, he is a real force in my life, a life force, as are many other people whom I have encountered and who have compelled me to rethink the purpose of my life and work and to alter … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.40: Jack Zipes: Encounters with Gianni Rodari and His Grammar of Fantasy
by Wendell Ricketts In 2009, the mononymous Italian singer-songwriter known as Povia came within a hair’s breadth of winning that year’s Sanremo contest, the annual “festival of Italian song,” a much-celebrated competition named for the coastal town in Liguria where it takes place. Sanremo is sort of a cross between The Lawrence Welk Show and … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.25: The Two Lucas
One Pizza, One Penny is one of the first books that hooked me on picture books and sparked my interest in them. It is a collaborative work by Taiwanese writer K.T. Hao and Italian illustrator Giuliano Ferri. It unfolds a charming narrative set in the culinary world of Ben Bear and Chris Croc. Originally published … Continue reading #TaiwanKidLitMonth: One Pizza, One Penny by K.T. Hao – A Heartwarming Culinary Tale of Friendship and Cooperation
Children ask a lot of questions, sometimes to their parents' chagrin. When parents ask me how to deal with their child's seemingly endless questions, I always suggest that they turn it back around on their child: "what do you think?" This buys a parent a few extra moments to gather their thoughts, while also encouraging … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Book of Questions
The Vision of Kholoud Kholoud Abu SharidaFighting darkness with an inclusive vision: Stories of Education City’s blind students It was spring semester when I first met Kholoud Abu Sharida at the Translation and Interpretation Institute library, a young pretty Qatari lady with visual impairment. She was working on her master’s degree thesis at that time when she approached me to assist and guide her for references and online resources needs. We … Continue reading #QATARILITMONTH: Inclusion and Empowerment
Set in Gugulethu and signalling to the persisting inequalities that define both this Apartheid-era established township and South Africa as a whole, The Best Meal Ever! by Sindiwe Magona is a heart-warming story of hope amidst trying times. Written for children ages 7-9, this picture book features beautiful watercolor illustrations by Paddy Bouma. The story … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Best Meal Ever!
Book Dash is a South African social impact, non-profit publisher of new African children’s books. Our vision is that all children should own one hundred books by the age of five.It sounds like a lot of books, but research indicates that owning many books can radically improve the chances of academic success for children living … Continue reading South African Womxn Writers – Day 5: More Books, to More Children, In More Languages – Dorette Louw of Book Dash.
Welcome to the #WorldKidLitWednesday reviewer team, Klem-Marí Cajigas! Klem-Marí Cajigas is no stranger to the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative blog. As guest editor for World Kid Lit Month this September, she shared her passion for books by Puerto Ricans both from the island and from the diaspora. You can read no fewer than 26 … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Meet Reviewer Klem-Marí Cajigas
Today, I present children's books written by Ananta Wagle. Ananta Wagle is one of the veteran children's fiction writers from Nepal. With more than fifty children's books written and over a hundred books edited, he has extensive experience in writing for early grade readers. The Hat Seller - a folk story from Nepal On a … Continue reading Featuring children’s books written by Nepal’s Ananta Wagle
This is a beautiful large-scale nonfiction board book for young children. Each double spread depicts a glorious scene set in a particular season, with individual words picked out on the page. Spring, for example, has a title reading "Im Frühling wird es draussen grün" (In Spring, outside everything turns green) and picks out words like … Continue reading World Languages Review: Alle vier Jahreszeiten by Katrin Wiehle (Germany)
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 