“High above the forest lives the wolf. An icy cry. Crazy eyes. We know to move our butts when the wolf comes down to eat.” What a start for a children’s book! And this one is excellent, a sly, societal commentary cleverly disguised as a book for children. In this hybrid picture book/graphic novel for … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: The Wolf in Underpants
Make way for a wonderful fairy tale for readers ages 6-10! Written by beloved Hungarian children’s author Ervin Lázár, Arnica, the Duck Princess features sumptuously colored, folk art illustrations by Jacqueline Molnár that make it both a satisfying read-aloud and read-alone book, bridging the gap between picture book and middle grade chapter book. Anna Bentley’s … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Arnica, the Duck Princess
Did you have a pen pal when you were little? Maybe someone from halfway around the world, whom you’d never seen, from a land you knew nothing about? That’s the premise of Yours Sincerely, Giraffe, a sweet, zany chapter book for ages 6-10, with charming illustrations by award-winning artist Jun Takabatake (Bologna Children’s Book Fair Graphics … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Yours Sincerely, Giraffe
Who is Mister Orange? And why is this quiet, moving book named after him? Written by award-winning Dutch author and editor, Truus Matti, and beautifully translated by another award-winner, Laura Watkinson, Mister Orange won the Netherlands' 2012 Silver Slate Pencil Award and the American Library Associations's 2014 Mildred L. Batchelder Award. The story begins in … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Mister Orange
If you’ve ever had long-awaited plans cancelled at the last minute, you’ll know Lucy’s frustration. She’s been looking forward to going to California with her mother for their summer vacation, but then her mother decides to go on a cruise with her boyfriend instead. Unable to join her father or her best friend on their … Continue reading Review: The Greenest Wind by Gesine Schulz
Cici dreams of being a novelist. Her favorite subject: people, especially adults. She’s been watching them and taking notes. Everybody has one special secret, Cici figures, and if you want to write about people, you need to understand what’s hiding inside them. But now she’s discovered something truly strange: an old man who disappears into … Continue reading World KidLit Title Pick: Cici’s Journal (France) by Joris Chamblain and Aurelie Neyret
For children’s translated literature, I attempted targeting Arabic as an original language, which significantly limited the pool of children’s writers. This was disheartening for me. In my previous post, I discussed the Royal Diaries series, a historic fiction depiction of diaries from the point of views of real-life princesses. My love for Princess Nzingha of … Continue reading Memories of a GLLI Intern: Must-Read Children’s & YA Books from the Middle East and North Africa (Part 3) – by Nneka Mogbo
This is the first post in a new series of title picks for libraries building world languages collections. We will provide links to the foreign rights pages to publishers around the world. The descriptions for these non-translations will be in English and will include, when possible, sample translations, which will give you a flavor of … Continue reading World Languages Title Pick: Flaetscher – Die Sache Stinkt! by Antje Szillat (Germany)
Award-winning author Gerelchimeg Blackcrane has written a compelling novel, set in Tibet, Mongolia and China, about the adventures of a fiercely powerful yet lovable Tibetan mastiff that is sure to join the ranks of other much-read classic dog stories. Kelsang, a Tibetan mastiff, is just a tiny puppy when his mother dies after a vicious … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Black Flame by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane
A run-down hotel on a bare plain: the only hiding place for a girl in the rain. Once inside, a fox offers her a chair. A suspicious rat acts like he has met her before. But she can't remember anything. Not even her own name.... At the hotel she finds more questions than answers. She … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Departure Time by Truus Matti
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 