#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

a cluster of five girls of different ethnicities against a reddish-orange backgraound with green, purple, and orange leaves around them and white lettering for the title and subtitle in the upper left corner

Equal parts Our Bodies, Ourselves, Margaret Mead, and biology/history explainer, Born a Girl: It Takes Courage is an approachable feminist manifesto for today's teens that embraces difficult topics. Organized around the fictionalized stories of five teenage girls---one each from Nepal, France, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Mexico---this nonfiction YA illustrated book lays out a frank, sympathetic description … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

#INTYALITMONTH: Graphic Novels of Displacement 

Written by Angela Erickson Those of us who work or live in a world of books know that perhaps the richest terrain for graphic novelists is memoir and biography. As I type this, I can picture the covers of Maus, Persepolis, and Dragon Hoops -- some of the graphic memoirs that I regularly press into … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Graphic Novels of Displacement 

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: You Can’t Kill Snow White

At the risk of repeating myself yet again, picture books are for everyone. They are most certainly appropriate for young adults, especially when they are bold, daring, and splashed with a bit of danger. Published by Enchanted Lion Books' new picture book imprint Unruly, You Can't Kill Snow White is both a new interpretation and … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: You Can’t Kill Snow White

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Home

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

#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: The Penguin Who Was Cold

Sometimes you are searching your library catalog for books for a winter-themed storytime, and you come across the perfect book not only for storytime, but also for your next GLLI book review! The Penguin Who Was Cold is an absolutely charming picture book about a penguin who does not fit the mold. Written and illustrated … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Penguin Who Was Cold

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War

Life can change suddenly and without warning. I know because it happened to me. So begins Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War, a book for upper middle grade and young adult readers based on author Mónica Montañés’ family history. Montañés’ father had resisted Francisco Franco’s forces in Spain when Franco attempted a military coup against … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Women Discoverers: Top Women in Science

“While countless women throughout history have made enormous contributions to the fields of science and technology, many of them, unfortunately, are not synonymous with the words “discovery” and “invention” in the minds of the general public.”Marie-Sophie Pawlak (President of "Elles bougent," the French society for the promotion of women in science) So reads the foreword … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Women Discoverers: Top Women in Science

Day 5: 🇫🇷 Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, (tr.Jessica Moore)

Observations: There are two English translations of the novel, one for UK audiences (Mend the Living) and one for U.S. audiences (The Heart), which was published in the U.S. in 2017. The Wellcome Book prize rewards exceptional works of literature that illuminate the many ways that health, medicine and illness touch our lives. Mend the … Continue reading Day 5: 🇫🇷 Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, (tr.Jessica Moore)

The Booktrekker: France

READ The book I read for France, The Heart, by Maylis de Kerangal and translated by Sam Taylor, left me emotionally drained. It chronicles the twenty-four hours following an automobile accident that leaves a young man brain dead, as doctors race through the steps required to remove his organs and transplant them into the bodies of people … Continue reading The Booktrekker: France