Class and communal differences fade into the background as a shared passion for sport steps into the spotlight in this picture book. Girls on Wheels, in author Srividhya Venkat’s words, is “a work of fiction inspired by the skateboarding revolution in India.” The story is centered around 3 girls—Damini, Sana, and Anila—who are all headed … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Girls on Wheels
Named to the 2024 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Translated Young Adult Book Prize shortlist, The Boy from Clearwater tells the story of Tsai Kun-Lin, "an ordinary boy" born in Qingshui District on the western coast of Taiwan. Tsai Kun-Lin's story, however, is nothing short of extraordinary. It is a story of surviving military occupation, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Boy from Clearwater, Book 1
On a hot day, how wonderful it is to be able to sit outside in the shade of a tree! And how terrible to be deprived of the opportunity by one person’s greed and selfishness. In The Shade Tree, renowned picture book creator Suzy Lee retells a traditional Korean folk tale. As the story goes, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Shade Tree
Relatable characters, conversational storytelling, and the madcap humor that everyday situations may sometimes lead to—these are the core elements of a story that Khyrunnisa tends to pull out from her writer's hat. Baby and Dubdub is no different. It tells the tale of a boy named Rohan, who wants a pet dog more than anything … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLIT WEDNESDAY: Baby and Dubdub
Lyn Miller-Lachmann is a multiply published author whose books include Torch, Moonwalking, Gringolandia, and Rogue, among many. She also is the translator (primarily from Portuguese and also Spanish into English) of a number of books for young readers, including Three Balls of Wool, Lines, Squiggles, Letters, Words, and Pardalita, a 2024 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: An Interview with Author and Translator Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Coming of age stories are a often visited theme in young adult and even middle grades literature. It is not a common theme in picture books, however. Forthcoming from Catalyst Press, Wankijũ, Child of Mine is a picture book bildungsroman of a Kenyan girlhood. Like other titles from Catalyst Press, it gives pride of place … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wankijũ, Child of Mine
Dulari Devi didn’t know how to read the printed word, but she always had a rich visual lexicon built into her consciousness, a legacy that stemmed from being part of a rural community in Bihar that created stunning wall murals in the Mithila art style, also known as Madhubani painting. Her story is one of … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLITWEEKEND: Following My Paint Brush
One of the styles of prose I love most is patchwork fiction, which sits on the line between fiction and nonfiction, using vignettes to link a theme or story together. This book from Korea links tale vignettes around death and how death is celebrated/remembered around the world. I have often found solace in books like … Continue reading #translationthurs: The White Book, by Han Kang
For all the hand wringing about young people not liking to read or even reading proficiently, there sure is a lot of gatekeeping by adults around what is and what is not appropriate for young people to read. Bracketing and suspending for a moment current book banning efforts in the United States, there are adults … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Movements and Moments
Eva Apelqvist is the author of the Swedish-language skateboard mystery Mörker över skateparken (2022 Swedish Mystery Academy Award for best mystery for children and young adults), Swede Dreams, LGBTQ FAMILIES: The Ultimate Teen Guide, and Getting Ready to Drive: A How To Guide in English, and the translator from Swedish into English of 2024 Michael L. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: An Interview with Writer and Translator Eva Apelqvist
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 