#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Elephant Island

Elephants are not generally considered to be seafaring animals although they do come with built-in snorkels. When Arnold the elephant’s boat sinks, his snorkel proves very useful. He ends up on a tiny island, which, hilariously, is no larger than one of his legs. Some might despair at this situation; not so Arnold! His snorkel … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Elephant Island

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Stone Giant

Many of us are familiar with the tropes of Western fairy tales; somewhere in a far off place, there is a damsel in distress, a brave hero, and maybe a fantastical creature to boot. Something untoward then occurs, necessitating a rescue of some sort. There is maybe even some magic, or at least a supernatural … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Stone Giant

#DutchKidLit – Where Is the Cake? by Thé Tjong-Khing

Post by guest author Sabrina Rossi from the International School of Amsterdam.Last August, during my staycation in the Netherlands, I decided to visit the Kranenburgh museum in Bergen with the intention of exploring the exhibition on Thé Tjong-Khing and his children’s book illustrations for the last twenty years, Thé Tjong-Khing: In the Master Illustrator's Studio, … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – Where Is the Cake? by Thé Tjong-Khing

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Do Animals Fall in Love?

Did you know that male pufferfish carve intricate designs into the sand to attract a female? Or that swifts mate in midair? Or that brown hares can have two pregnancies at the same time? You’ll find these fascinating facts—and plenty more—between the covers of Do Animals Fall in Love? A 142-page illustrated nonfiction book aimed at … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Do Animals Fall in Love?

Silent books

Any children's librarian will tell you that as children are read picturebooks they are not usually silent participants. So this category of the picturebook is a little puzzling until you realise that the books are silent because there are no words on the page. The story is carried by the illustrations and the reader who … Continue reading Silent books

#WorldKidLitWednesday: The Visitor

Elise is scared of everything, even trees, so she never ventures out. Her house is spotless and totally devoid of color until the day a pale blue paper airplane flies through an open window, bringing with it a shaft of light from the outside world. Then Emil, a young boy dressed in bright red and … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: The Visitor

#WorldKidLitWednesday: Picture Books for Infants and Preschoolers

A couple of weeks ago, a request popped up in my Twitter feed from none other than Ann Morgan, who read her way around the world: https://twitter.com/A_B_Morgan/status/1277171693463756800 It prompted a flurry of responses from #worldkidlit enthusiasts and inspired me to think about picture books in translation for the very young. While I believe that many … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Picture Books for Infants and Preschoolers