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
Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte As an early childhood literacy specialist, I read a lot of picture books. It is part of my job to know what kinds of books are out there for early readers, and how parents can share these books with their children. I am, of course, particularly interested in diverse … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Month 2020: Across the Bay
If you will indulge me, let me begin this first blog post of Puerto Rican Kid Lit Month with an anecdote about Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. Apparently, the Nobel Prize winner and master expositor of magical realism—where the fantastical meets the everyday—was once asked why he had never written about Puerto Rico. "If I … Continue reading #WorldKitLit Month September 2020: Spotlight Puerto Rico
How about traveling somewhere exciting and new from the comfort and safety of your home? Picture books are a wonderful way for readers of all ages to experience different places, cultures, people and stories. And Along the Tapajós certainly fits the bill. Written and illustrated by Fernando Vilela and translated from the Portuguese by Daniel … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Along the Tapajós
Sometimes it’s the little observations that spark the imagination and inspire readers to look anew at the world around them. Written by well-known Spanish poet Karmelo C. Iribarren and translated by Lawrence Schimel, this slim book of illustrated children’s poems is a source of wonder and enjoyment for children ages 6 and up. Iribarren invites … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Poems the Wind Blew in
Rosemary is a fairy who doesn’t want to be neat and sweet all the time. No way! She’d rather be a witch living in a treehouse in the witches’ wood, roller-skating and getting nice and dirty. Her mom rejects her wayward daughter’s choices, while the witches encourage Rosemary to take risks and challenge herself. But … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Witchfairy
What price do we pay for progress? Moletown, a largely wordless book by German author/illustrator Torben Kuhlmann, encourages readers to ponder this question in some depth in a story set in a subterranean world of moles and machines. The machines are not there at the start, just one mole that lives under a ‘lush green … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Moletown
We’re at the end of World Kid Lit Month. But what a wonderful month it has been: A real celebration of children’s literature from around the world! I have published a total of 21 posts on the GLLI blog over the course of the month, including this one. It has been a treat to revisit … Continue reading Thank You!
At first glance, Wilbert is a short, easy read. Everything about the book is simply laid out, from the one-word title to the uncomplicated text on each page. The illustrations appear straightforward too, with their minimal backdrops and small cast of characters. Not much can beat a good game of hide-and-seek and it’s fun accompanying Rat … Continue reading Wilbert
Lila Prap’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, I discovered when I started to research Slovenian picture books. I have chosen to review perhaps her most successful title Why? in this post. Why? is a non-fiction picture book where each double spread is devoted to a different animal. Hyenas, whales, camels and … Continue reading Why?
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 