Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
International picture books with English translations are good choices for sharing with students at all grade levels. Here are some of our favorites with 2023 U.S. publication dates that introduce young people to writers and artists from around the world and encourage discussion about other languages and cultures—as well as universal themes.
Afterward, Everything Was Different: A Tale of the Pleistocene. Jairo Buitrago. Trans. by Elisa Amado. Illus. by Rafael Yockteng. (2023). Aldana Libros.
Wordless, panoramic double-page spreads tell a story of a Pleistocene clan as they hunt for bison, face attacks from predators, and find a cave in which to shelter when winter comes. Left alone while everyone else goes hunting, a young girl takes a charred stick and draws pictures on the cave walls depicting events in their journey, and upon the clan’s return, she has a story to tell. A final page of text about the girl’s cave art begins with “The cave was different afterward.” It ends with “The marks she made were never erased. As time went by, she became the leader of the clan.” Jairo Buitrago’s words will have readers going back to Rafael Yockteng’s black-and-white drawings in graphite and white ink. Each rereading reveals more details of this engaging “tale of the Pleistocene.” Back matter provides information on cave art. Jairo Buitrago lives in Mexico; Rafael Yockteng lives in Colombia. (Gr 3 Up)
The Bear and the Wildcat. Kazumi Yumoto. Trans. by Cathy Hirano. Illus. by Komako Sakai. (2023). Gecko.
When his best friend, a little bird, dies, Bear makes a beautiful box for him and carries it everywhere. Upon seeing the contents of the box, the other forest animals all say, “It may be hard, but you have to forget about him.” Bear retreats to his home and mourns alone until, on a walk one sunny day, he meets a wildcat with an odd-shaped box. The wildcat agrees to show him its contents if he can see what is in Bear’s box. Upon viewing the dead bird, the wildcat comments that he must have been a very special friend who is missed. After helping to bury the little bird, the wildcat takes a violin from his box and says, “Let me play a song for you and your little friend.” Komako Sakai adds touches of pink to the somber black-and-white drawings as Bear recalls memories of his little friend and begins to heal. Kazumi Yumoto lives in Japan; Komako Sakai lives in Japan. (PreK-Gr 2)
Bear Is Never Alone. Marc Veerkamp. Trans. by Laura Watkinson. Illus. by Jeska Verstegen. (2023). Eerdmans.
The music of piano virtuoso Bear is so beautiful that all the forest animals, even the birds, are silent during his concert. Each time Bear stops playing, he hears, “More, more, Piano Bear!” Bear runs away seeking a break but is pursued by his audience and their continual cries for more songs. Finally, he’s had enough. His “BIG ROOOOAAAAR” frightens his audience away, and Bear finds himself alone—except for a lone zebra. Zebra wants to do something nice of him in appreciation for his beautiful music, but Bear rejects her offer to read him a story, saying he just wants to be alone. As Zebra departs, Bear realizes that listening to a good story might be nice and suggests, “Let’s be alone together.” Jeska Verstegen’s black-and-white illustrations featuring the huge black Bear and his grand piano include just a few touches of red such as Zebra’s book. Marc Veerkamp lives in the Netherlands; Jeska Verstegen lives in the Netherlands. (PreK Up)
The Cat, the Owl and the Fresh Fish. Nadine Robert. Trans. by Nick Frost & Catherine Ostium. Illus. by Sang Miao. (2023). Milky Way Picture Books.
On his daily trip to his favorite fishing spot, Gray Cat discovers a rowboat with a basket of fresh fish anchored in the center of the small pond. A nearby owl, whose claw is trapped under a log, says he knows who owns the boat and can help Cat (who does not want to get wet) get the fresh fish before the boat’s owner returns. Cat uses Owl’s suggestions of a rock, red bucket, and stepping stones to approach the boat before, in an unexpected twist, after he grabs the log, the freed owl stretches his wings (shown in a magnificent double gatefold) and seizes the basket of fresh fish. This clever fable featuring anthropomorphic Cat and Owl in Sang Miao’s charming illustrations rendered in gouache, watercolor, and pencil gently hints that brains and patience can outsmart greed. Nadine Robert lives in Quebec, Canada; Sang Miao lives in China. (PreK-Gr 2)
Fish and Crab. Marianna Coppo. Trans. by Debbie Bibo. (2023). Chronicle.
All is quiet in the aquarium where best friends Fish and Crab live together. It is bedtime. Crab falls asleep immediately while Fish’s fears of strange noises, interlopers, and illness grow to include terror of alien abduction and lots of other unlikely what-if scenarios that keep him unable to fall asleep and continually waking up Crab. Finally, Crab encourages him to share ALL of these anxieties at once over a cup of herbal tea so they can both go to sleep. Now unburdened, Fish nods off leaving Crab wide awake in the dark. Spare dialogue is strategically placed on pages with the colorful characters in their beds against a white background for lights-on scenes and in a grayscale palette for lights-off scenes presents a reassuring—and humorous—story perfect for bedtime or story time sharing. Marianna Coppo lives in Italy. (PreK-Gr 2)
How Are You?: A Book About Feelings. Édouard Manceau. Trans. by Wendeline A. Hardenberg. (2023). Twirl.
“How are you?” The child narrator in this board book responds with “Oh, it depends on the day.” Matte black pages feature text descriptors in white print on subsequent verso pages: “Sometimes I’m very well” and “Other times, not so much” (followed by 11 different words expressing emotions throughout the remainder of the book including sad, annoyed, angry, feeling empty, and sleepy.) On each opposing page is a face drawn with expressive facial features such as teary eyes, furrowed brows, a smiley mouth, and flushed cheeks. After working through a cycle of emotions including feeling empty inside after a crying jag and awakening from a little nap feeling better, the child answers the “How are you?” question with “I’m very well”--and follows up with “How are YOU?” This gentle story encourages young children to identify and express their emotions through words. The message? It is okay to feel strongly, and everything will be okay. Édouard Manceau lives in France. (PreS Up)
The Moon Tonight: Our Moon’s Journey Around Earth. Jung Chang-hoon. Trans. by Paige Morris. Illus. by Jang Ho. (2023). Blue Dot.
Observing Earth’s closest celestial neighbor is a common experience for cultures around the world. In this astronomy-detailed story, a father and daughter learn about the waxing and waning of the moon, its four phases (crescent, quarter, full, and new) during its 29-and-a-half-day lunar cycle, and its effect on ebb and flow tides. Astronomer Jung Chang-hoon’s lyrical and informational narrative is complemented by Jang Ho’s exquisite sepia- and gray-toned paintings on single- and double-page spreads, some with insets of illustrations and scientific descriptions in smaller print. This book is a good choice for reading in STEM classrooms as well as for curious sky-gazing families to share. Back matter includes “Things to Know About the Moon” with photos and a Korean proverb: “You’ve been waiting since the early evening to see the dawn Moon.” Jung Chang-hoon lives in South Korea; Jang Ho lives in South Korea. (PreK Up)
Some Do, Some Don’t. Dipacho. Trans. by Octavia Saenz. (2023). mineditionUS.
With a spare text and beautiful watercolor illustrations of the jabiru, the largest member of the stork family with its majestic white body and black neck with a red throat pouch, author-illustrator Dipacho explores the characteristics of families and individuals with contrasting statements such as “Some of us enjoy a crowd, and others like being alone.” The thought-provoking ending of this picture book—“Some of us fly off and follow our own paths. Actually, we all do.”—encourages conversation about the diversity of family relationships of the featured bird, the jabiru, that also applies to how humans live with each other. The informative end note about jabirus may also inspire readers to find out more about this “great stork of the New World.” Dipacho lives in Colombia. (PreK Up)
Tap! Tap! Tap!: Dance! Dance! Dance! Hervé Tullet. Trans. by Christopher Franceschelli. (2023). Chronicle.
In his latest innovative picture book, Hervé Tullet, the creator of Press Here! (2011) and Mix It Up! (2014) and other playful interactive picture books, directs the young reader to place their hand on the blue handprint on the first page, wiggle their fingers gently to warm them up, and then explore color, form, and movement as they follow the narrator’s directions to use their hand to dance across the pages of this oversize book. After tap, tap, tapping on circles; “whooshing” in a circle around the edge of a double-page spread; making “loop the loops,” circles, and spirals by following and jumping around the bold forms in primary colors, the reader is invited to start all over again! Hervé Tullet lives in France. (PreS Up)
We Are Lions! Jens Mattsson. Trans. by B. J. Woodstein. Illus. by Jenny Lucander. (2023). Groundwood.
The child narrator tells how he and his older brother play at being lions as they hunt, stalk, and laze in a lion heap in the make-believe savannah outside their home. One day, big brother has a stomach ache, and Dad takes him to the doctor. When he returns home, young brother tries to entertain him by growling, roaring, clawing, and pouncing, but soon big brother is admitted to the hospital where his medicine makes him lose his “lion’s mane.” Young brother knows his brother does not want to be trapped by wires and tubes, so he sneaks him into a wheelchair for a hunting adventure through the hospital “savannah” until his IV gets caught on a door handle. Big brother is returned to his bed and comforted by little brother’s “Soon we’ll go hunting again.” Expressive illustrations, created with line drawings, watercolors, and digital collage, capture the touching story of a brother using imagination and love to negotiate his way through his sibling’s life-threatening illness. Jens Mattsson lives in Sweden; Jenny Lucander lives in Finland. (PreK Up)
Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English from Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.
April is Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Month, an annual celebration encouraging teachers and students in classrooms and families at home to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading for pleasure throughout the month. Consider continuing to celebrate D.E.A.R. throughout the year by reading new books, like the ones reviewed in this column, or your old favorites each day.
Cinderella—with Dogs! Linda Bailey. Illus. by Freya Hartas. (2023). Nancy Paulsen.
When Cinderella is left behind sweeping ashes from the fireplace while everyone else is attending a ball at the palace, she wishes for a fairy godmother to get her to the party. Instead of a fairy godmother, her fairy dogmother shows up dressed in a pink tutu. Once Cinderella clarifies that the ball she is interested in is a dance and not something to play with, her fairy dogmother uses her wand to dress Cinderella in a gown made from an old dog blanket and gives her a poodle hairstyle. The doggish twists continue as Cinderella goes to the ball (although not in the classic manner of traveling in a carriage) where she enjoys dancing with the prince and frolicking with the hoard of royal dogs in attendance. With playful cartoonlike illustrations, Freya Hartas, portrays a joyful account of the silly events in Linda Bailey’s comical retelling of this traditional fairy tale. (PreK-Gr 2)
Don’t Touch That Flower! (Squirrel & Bird #2). Alice Hemming. Illus. by Nicola Slater. (2023). Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Squirrel wakes up one morning to the sounds of a bird calling and bees buzzing, and not knowing what is happening, shouts to his friend Bird to inquire about what he has observed. Thus begins their conversation about signs of spring. When Squirrel notices a “small and yellow and perfect” flower growing on the ground between his tree and Bird’s, he claims it as his own and decides to protect it. However, Squirrel’s ideas for protecting the flower, such as holding an umbrella over it to keep it from getting wet, go against what flowers really need to flourish. Bird patiently helps Squirrel understand what flowers need and that, like everything in nature, they are for everyone. Nicola Slater’s vibrant digital illustrations featuring these best friends and their surroundings bring the excitement of discovering early signs of spring to life! The “Our Flowers” endnote includes flower facts that encourage discussion. (PreK-Gr 2)
Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones (Board Book Edition). Susan Lendroth. Illus. by Bob Kolar. (2023). Charlesbridge.
Young children can read along—or sing along to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”—as they join four young paleontologists who go digging for dinosaur bones “on a warm and sunny morning” in this lyrical patterned text that shares the steps from setting out for a fossil dig to assembling a museum exhibit of a T. rex. skeleton. Sidebars in smaller print presenting related facts about fossils, paleontologists, and dinosaurs are integrated on the double-page spreads. Additionally, written instructions with accompanying illustrations of hand motions for acting out the story while singing along are included at the back of the book. Bob Kolar’s brightly colored cartoon illustrations featuring both male and female children of different skin tones are perfect for engaging young readers and sharing the message that anyone can study dinosaurs. (PreK-Gr 2)
Home Away from Home. Cynthia Lord. (2023). Scholastic.
For as long as she can remember, 11-year-old Mia and her mother have visited her grandmother every summer. This summer, however, Mia’s mom is staying in Ohio to get their house ready to sell while Mia visits her grandmother in Stone Harbor, Maine, alone. Although her mom sees the move as a new start after her divorce, Mia views it as another unwanted change in her life. She is grateful to spend time at her grandmother’s, where she expects everything will be the same. However, she finds that her grandmother has befriended a new boy in town named Cayman, who acts as if he belongs at her house. When Cayman and Mia observe the eaglets in a nest on his property, they see a strange bird attacking the eagles’ nest. Mia is determined to figure out what kind of bird it is before Cayman can. Her posting of a photo she takes of it on a birder website results in its identification, but also has some serious consequences. How Mia deals with the unwelcomed effects on the birds, the town, and her relationships makes this coming-of-age story an engaging middle-grade novel. (Gr 3 Up)
Once Upon a Book. Grace Lin & Kate Messner. Illus. by Grace Lin. (2023). Little, Brown.
Alice longs to go to a place that is not “frozen and gray” so she does not have to stay inside without anything to do. Suddenly, she notices the pages of a book fluttering on the floor nearby. As she starts reading about a girl who went to a place “alive with colors” and warm, birds in the illustration on the page invite Alice into their lush tropical habitat. Once the rain starts in the rainforest, she wishes to be somewhere less “steamy and drippy,” and camels invite her to turn the page and come into their dry desert. Each time Alice wishes to travel to a new setting, a turn of the page transfers her there until she finds herself in outer space and wishing to be someplace that wasn’t so lonely. For the reader, Grace Lin’s vibrant, full-color illustrations match the poetic and expressive language of her and Kate Messner’s prose to create a feeling of being with Alice in the various locations. Lin’s depiction of Alice in a dress with words from a book printed on it before she begins to read the book and the fact that the color of her dress blends into the varying environments visited effectively suggests the idea of getting lost in a book. (PreK-Gr 2)
Snoopy Soars to Space (Peanuts Graphic Novels). Charles M. Schulz. (2023). Simon Spotlight.
This collection of eight original stories includes the previously published Peanuts graphic novel The Beagle Has Landed, Charlie Brown! (2014) and short stories of Snoopy and the Peanuts gang’s “out of-this-world” adventures, as well as a new story, “Kickoff to the Moon,” about Snoopy’s feathered friend Woodstock’s trip to the moon. The book also features some of Charles M. Schulz’s classic comic strips. At the end of the book, fans can see behind-the-scenes sketches from the creation of The Beagle Has Landed, Charlie Brown! Readers who love these stories will also enjoy the next book in the Peanuts Graphic Novel series, Adventures with Linus and Friends! (2023). (Gr 3 Up)
The Spooky Story (Paige Proves It #2). Amy Marie Stadelmann. (2023). Aladdin.
In this second mystery in Amy Marie Stadelmann’s graphic novel chapter book series, Paige investigates the Evergreen Street Music School to determine if it is haunted like her best friend, Penn, claims. As a self-described “fact collector,” Paige begins by creating a list of facts from her friend Karla related to the supposed hauntings. Using this list as a guide in her investigation, she begins to examine the evidence with her friends by her side. Pencil drawings that are digitally colored accompany the words depicting the story of Paige’s investigation, including her diary entries of facts she discovers along the way. Readers will enjoy joining Paige as she sticks to the facts to prove whether Evergreen Street Music School is haunted or not. (Gr 3-5)
Stanley’s Secret. John Sullivan. Illus. by Zach Manbeck. (2023). Paula Wiseman.
Stanley is a young, brown-skinned boy who is shy and quiet. Stanley has a secret. He loves tap dancing! He dreams of performing on a big stage one day. He is too afraid to tell anyone so only performs for his pet mice, Squeakers and Nibbles. However, sometimes he helps the school janitor and dances in his tap shoes while he cleans, which is how his talent is discovered by the principal. Principal Reynolds insists that he audition for the upcoming talent show, because “talent should be shared.” After accidentally “auditioning” while cleaning the stage, Stanley begins to move toward overcoming his fear of dancing before an audience. Zach Manbeck’s colored pencil-and-gouache illustrations change in saturated tones from predominantly blue to yellow in which Stanley shines while doing what he loves. (PreK-Gr 2)
Sunny and Oswaldo. Nicole Melleby. Illus. by Alexandra Colombo. (2023). Algonquin.
Sunny Swaroo is not fond of cats, and she hates the cat her dad adopts named Oswaldo. She refers to Oswaldo as “old and dirty and cranky,” and does not know why her Dad likes him. He is mean and hisses at her. However, her dad and Oswaldo have a special relationship. They understand and love each other. When Oswaldo, who frequently disappears all day, fails to return one night, Sunny is delighted and sleeps well, while her dad is upset and unable to sleep. Since Sunny wants her dad to be happy again, she decides to help him look for Oswaldo. Is there any chance they will find Oswaldo and that Sunny and Oswaldo can learn to like each other? Alexandra Colombo’s expressive cartoon illustrations complement the story as they clearly communicate the feelings of the characters, both human and feline. Together, the words and illustrations convey a message about the significance of family, friendship, and empathy. (PreK-Gr 2)
Whose Egg Is That? (Whose Is That? #3). Darrin Lunde. Illus. by Kelsey Oseid. (2023). Charlesbridge.
This latest book in the Whose Is That? nonfiction picture book series by Darrin Lunde invites readers to guess whose egg is painted in its actual size against a white background on the first of a series of double-spread pages. The pages that follow include the answer and a couple of facts about the egg. Kelsey Oseid’s realistic illustrations on these pages show the animal’s nest as well as the adult and its habitat. The eggs are those of birds (robin, ostrich, penguin, killdeer), a reptile (leatherback sea turtle), a mammal (platypus)—and even a fossilized egg of a dinosaur. Readers interested in learning additional facts about eggs can check out the “Eggcellent Egg Facts” at the end of the book. (PreK-Gr 2)
Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends (Ready-to-Read Graphics). Kaz Windness. (2023). Simon Spotlight.
In this Level 1 Ready-to-Read Graphics book, young readers are introduced to the format of a graphic novel by having Worm and Caterpillar explain how to read their story with its panels and speech bubbles in a “How to Read This Book” section. Through simple dialogue between Worm and Caterpillar, readers learn that they are best friends. Worm believes they are best friends because they are the same, but Caterpillar points out that they are not the same for various reasons. Caterpillar also knows change is coming and worries about what will happen to their friendship when he is no longer a caterpillar. Kaz Windness’s expressive cartoon illustrations accompany the easy give-and-take of the dialogue between the animated characters to create an engaging tale of a friendship that endures despite differences and change. (PreK-Gr 2)
Nicole Maxwell is an associate professor specializing in literacy instruction in the Elementary and Special Education Program at the University of North Georgia.
These reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG).