International Children's Literature

In my quest to find and read award-winning books, I would be remiss in not including international books on the list. Authors around the world produce high-quality children's picture books and luckily, many have been translated and distributed in the United States.

One award given for children's books published in other countries is the Pura Belpre Medal. Awarded annually by the Association of Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association, this award recognizes Latino and Latina authors and illustrators whose work best portrays the Latino cultural in children's works. A second award, also given by the Association of Library Services to Children, given for children's books published in other countries is the Mildred L. Batchelder Award. This award is a citation given to an American publisher for a children's book that is outstanding in a language other than English and then later translated into English for publication in the United States.

While discovering more about international children's literature, I had a fun time delving into some books. The first book was entitled Big Wolf & Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme. In this delightful tale about the first steps in establishing a friendship, Big Wolf at first feels threatened by the new wolf, Little Wolf, who has come and started copying him. In time, he learns to care for Little Wolf, and when Little Wolf disappears for a long time, learns how much his friendship meant. The illustrations of this book, done in rich colors and obvious brushstrokes, lends a whimsical feel to the book. Both the illustrations and text will help young readers understand that though new friendships are at first intimidating, they can also enrich your life. When reading, it's clear to see why this book was chosen as a 2010 Batchelder Honor book. I'm looking for the the sequel, Big Wolf & Little Wolf: The Little Leaf That Wouldn't Fall.

The second book into my new foray into international children's literature was called Garmann's Summer by Stian Hole, a 2009 Honor Book for the Batchelder Award. This look at young Garmann's thoughts as he anxiously awaits the first day of school is full of stories of how he spends his last day, which includes visiting with his great-aunts, hiding in the hedge, listening to his father practice violin, and trying to conquer his fears. Much to Garmann's delight, throughout the day, he learns that even adults have things of which they are scared. The theme of this story, courage, will teach young children that it is okay to be scared of something and that it is the way you approach it that means more than being scared. Despite this, the book is somewhat choppy and jumps from one small story to the next without flowing. I wonder if the lack of flowing narration is a result of the translation. The illustrations are intriguing since they are completed in a mixed-media collage. They will engage young readers and keep them interested in the story.

To round out my evening of international children's literature, I read a book that was cute, even though it is not an award winner like the aforementioned books. This small board book was designed for the young. The book, It's Useful to Have a Duck/It's Useful to Have a Boy, was written by Isol. The cleverly designed book is complete in an accordion fold, which allows the author to tell two stories. Read the first way, the author tells of a young boy and all the things he does with his rubber duck, including sticking it in the bathtub drain. In the flip side of the accordion book, the author shows the duck's perspective of the same situations. The duck saw the adventure into the drain as his nest. The line drawings are simple, but age-appropriate for the intended audience. The book is a delight and I look forward to using it in the preschool class that visits my library.

These books were all enjoyable reads and I look forward to investigating more international children's literature in the near future.