#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Born a Girl: It Takes Courage

Posted on by Nanette McGuinness
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

#DecDisplays – September Celebrations

Posted on by nadinejuliabailey

For September we have four countries to celebrate. How sad is it that all the books we have about Armenia are about the genocide? For further reading please refer to the GLLI blogs on Brazil, Mexico Armenia and Saudi Arabia. By Nadine Bailey – middle school teacher librarian, currently living and working in Dubai, formerly … Continue reading #DecDisplays – September Celebrations

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wounded Falcons

Posted on by Planet Picture Book

The person we present to the world and who we truly are can often be very different from one another. Sometimes, it takes a special catalyst for one’s authentic nature to be revealed. Wounded Falcons, by renowned picture book creators Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng, explores this idea through the character of Adrián. A young … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wounded Falcons

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

Posted on by Nanette McGuinness

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: ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge

Posted on by Nanette McGuinness

Wolf Little Lobo and his rooster sidekick Kooky Dooky are back! Raúl the Third (Raúl Gonzalez) continues his award-winning bilingual ¡Vamos! series with ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge. As in the first two volumes for readers age 4-7, the third bustles with cross-cultural Tex-Mex action and zany illustrations. All three books have brought Raúl the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Other Side

Posted on by Klem-Marí Cajigas

Much of the rhetoric around immigration from Central America across the southern United States border discusses persons wanting to enter the U.S. in abstract and dehumanizing terms: as caravans, illegal aliens, vectors of disease, even as an invasion. We spend so much time talking about Central American refugees and what they represent, yet we rarely … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Other Side

Hope and Hardship: The Picture Book As Exile Narrative

Posted on by crankylibrarian

Today I am ceding editing rights to my friend and colleague Betsy Bird, an award winning children's author and librarian... Children’s books are written years in advance of their publication dates. A book being written at this very moment may take anywhere between two to five years to reach library and bookstore shelves. As such, … Continue reading Hope and Hardship: The Picture Book As Exile Narrative

Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Like a New Sun: New Indigenous Mexican Poetry

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Like A New Sun showcases the vibrant contemporary poetry being written in indigenous Mexican languages. Featuring poets writing in Huasteca, Nahuatl, Isthmus Zapotec, Mazatec, Tsotsil, Yucatec Maya, and Zoque, this groundbreaking anthology introduces readers to six of the most dynamic indigenous Mexican poets writing today. Co-edited by Isthmus Zapotec poet Víctor Terán and translator David … Continue reading Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Like a New Sun: New Indigenous Mexican Poetry

USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Migrant by Jose Manuel Mateo

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

A Mexican boy tells of his journey to the U.S. with his family. They must face many dangers to cross the border, only to experience the uncertainty felt by all illegal immigrants. The narrative is accompanied by one long, beautifully vivid illustration reminis­cent of pre-Hispanic codices, packaged as an accordion-style foldout frieze. Praise for Migrant … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Migrant by Jose Manuel Mateo

Excerpt: The Wild Book by Juan Villoro

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Uncle Tito introduces Juan to his library, which proves to be an enormous place one can easily get lost in. He uses this opportunity to hint at the existence of The Wild Book, as well as Juan’s true nature as a “Lector Princeps”. Juan receives a postcard from his estranged father; this new adventure therefore … Continue reading Excerpt: The Wild Book by Juan Villoro