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
Up, down, over, under, open, close: learning opposites is an important piece of early childhood development. Learning opposites helps children learn not only vocabulary, but also develop observational skills, critical thinking, and a more concrete understanding of the world around them. Forthcoming this September from Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise: Poems … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Fast, Cheetah, Slow Tortoise: Poems of Animal Opposites
If your daily walks are becoming a bit same-ish, then perhaps you ought to consider doing things the cat way. The Cat Way is a 66-page picture book neatly divided into two parts. It opens with a child of about 9 years of age taking their unnamed pet cat for a walk. Unfortunately, things don’t … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Cat Way
A talented performer can certainly play to a crowd, but they may want to lead a quiet life once the show is over. Bear is a performer. He captivates the animals of the forest with his magnificent piano recital. So much so that, when he finishes his final piece, they want MORE—and they’re very vocal … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Bear Is Never Alone
Described as a "poetic riddle" emphasizing the importance that language holds in our lives today, and the fragile position that it increasingly occupies, What Makes Us Human is a book filled with gentle surprises. Beginning with a time when the idea of a language was still new, to the breathtakingly beautiful spread that shows how … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLITWEDNESDAY: What Makes Us Human
I'm a big fan of nonfiction picture books. And a translated book is bound to get my attention. Home, forthcoming from Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, combines both to make a standout text. Written and illustrated by French born artist Isabelle Simler, Home is a survey of over 25 different animals from around the world … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Home
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
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
“What was that box doing there in the middle of the forest? It was a mystery.” It’s not every day that a strange box, large enough for someone to hide in, arrives in the woods. And it has the local animals wondering from the moment they wake. They are full of questions, and then anticipation, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Box
In the creative cosmos of beloved Dutch poet Annie M.G. Schmidt, anything is possible — and the more whimsical, the better. Her rollicking poems transform ordinary events and places into extraordinary adventures full of imagination.- Eerdlings: the official blog of Eerdman's Books for Young Readers The Man Who Writes Fairy Tales has run out of ink. Luckily for … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – A Pond Full of Ink: Annie M.G. Schmidt’s most beautiful children’s poems by Annie M.G. Schmidt
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 