A multi-layered picture book story about peace that can be appreciated by readers of all ages is today's very welcome offering. What if one opponent in a duel simply keeps walking away? And in walking, step after step in a straight line, without turning around, begins to forget about the origin of the conflict as … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Duel: a story about peace
Written by Frances Sims-Williams a.k.a. an excuse to talk about some of my favourite translated books, a.k.a. self-indulgence in its most extreme form. But seriously, I love translated fiction: there’s nothing quite like it for broadening horizons & creating windows into other cultures. & it’s definitely had a boom in popularity in the last few … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Overly-Specific Book Recommendations: YA in Translation Edition
Written by Frances Sims-Williams London on My Mind -- by Clara Alves Originally published in 2022 as Romance Real; translated from Brazilian Portuguese to English by Nina Perotta in 2024. After her mother’s sudden death, sixteen-year-old Dayana leaves Rio de Janeiro for London, a place she’s always longed to go to… but not like this! … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: London on My Mind
Dreams can be filled with vibrant adventure and fraught with fear. But often they dissipate when we wake, without leaving a trace. In his picture book João by a Thread, renowned author/illustrator Roger Mello captures the world of nightmares and dreams and commits it to memory in written and illustrated form. The book opens with … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: João by a Thread
War is stealthy and secretive, slithering snake-like through the countryside. War is monstrous: an army of giant insects marching towards their target. This picture book, aimed at readers ages 9-12, packs a powerful punch from the opening pages. Striking illustrations in somber tones and sparse text help guide the reader’s exploration of this complex subject. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: War
As someone who grew up during the 80s and 90s, I have several memories of the earlier years of the AIDS epidemic. I still remember the news reports of gay men dying in large numbers, and learning about how HIV is spread—and how it is not. I also remember the death of Freddie Mercury (right … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Where We Go From Here
And Other Stories is a small publishing house, publishing indie books translated into English. I decided to become a subscriber in 2019 and I also ordered a women-in-translation bundle. The women-in-translation bundle consisted of three books, one of them is Now and At the Hour of Our Death. This is a wonderful, life-affirming book. In … Continue reading Day 3: 🇵🇹 Now and at the Hour of Our Death
Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World, edited by Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro translated from the Portuguese by Fábio Fernandes World Weaver Press August 7, 2018 286 pages Contents: “Soylent Green is People!” by Carlos Orsi“When Kingdoms Collide” by Telmo Marçal“Breaking News!” by Romeu Martins“Once Upon a Time in a World” by Antonio Luiz M. … Continue reading Speculative Fiction in Translation: Solarpunk
In this review, I’m revisiting a family favorite. Follow the Firefly/Run Rabbit Run! is a wordless picture book aimed at readers ages 2 and up that can be read in both directions. First, the reader follows a firefly’s search for a flashing light, reading from left to right towards the back cover. Then, a rabbit runs … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Follow the Firefly/Run Rabbit Run
Sure. Walking down Presidente Vargas Avenue, the city’s main shopping street, taking a left into Ô de Almeida and then a right onto the First of May, as the author does in the first chapter of BelHell does not seem a very attractive opening, now does it? Damn, you don’t know anything about this city, … Continue reading To Be Translated: BelHell by Edyr Augusto Proença (Brazil)
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 