By Seemi Aziz, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
While teaching a graduate course on the art of picturebooks this past semester, I realized that there has been an influx of children’s books on challenging topics. This piqued my curiosity, and I began digging into the stacks at the Worlds of Words and online. While I found many recent titles about anxiety, depression, death, and grandparents who are growing older, I also thought of books that would pair nicely and help ease the acceptance of these hard topics. Needless to say, picturebooks have never been simple and mono-dimensional and it is there power to speak to the youngest of our audiences, giving them strength.
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The Tunnel by Sarah Howden & Erika Rodriguez Medina (il.), 9781771474276, Owlkids, 2022.
A young boy is going through a hardship and digs a tunnel to the outside, but when he sees his mom through a window he decides to return home.
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It’s so Difficult by Raul Nieto Guridi & Laurence Schimel (trans.), 9780802855848, Eerdmans, 2022.
A child goes out of his home but is assailed with uncertainty and is rendered voiceless.
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Dark Cloud by Anna Lazowski and Penny Neville-Lee (il.), 9781525306570, Kids Can Press, 2023.
A dark cloud follows a little girl everywhere and as she learns to control her feelings the cloud shrinks in size.
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The Summer of Diving by Sara Stridsberg & Sara Lundberg (il.), B. J. Woodstein (trans.), 9781644211342, Triangle Square, 2022.
When her father is in the hospital, Zoe finds solace in the company of a friend who invites her to swim around the world in their imagination.
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Small Things by Mel Tregonning, 9781772781328, Pajama Press, 2021.
This graphic text visually tells the story of a child’s inner fears such as anxiety over grades, peer or parental pressure.
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Last Week by Bill Richardson & Emilie Leduc (il.), 9781773065670, Groundwood Books, 2022.
This sensitively written story speaks to a child’s actions, reactions and acceptance of a grandmothers’ assisted death also known as medical assistance in dying MAiD during her last week of life.
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Circles in the Sky by Karl James Mountford, 9781536224986, Candlewick Studio, 2022.
This story is about a fox who finds a dead bird and with the help of a moth, learns the meaning of death.
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With a Butterfly’s Wings by Pilar Lopez Avila & Zuzanna Celej (il.), Jon Brokenbrow (trans.), 9788418302596, Cuento de Luz, 2022.
A warm and thoughtful story about a girl who learns to remember her grandmother through her memories and actions.
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Telling Stories Wrong by Gianni Rodari & Beatrice Alemagna (il.), 9781592703609, Enchanted Lion Books, 2022.
Grandpa alters known stories and makes them different and more enticing even though his granddaughter wants him to tell them correctly.
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At the Drop of a Cat by Élise Fontenaille & Violeta Lópiz (il.), Karin Snelson & Emilie Robert Wong (trans.), 9781592703821, Enchanted Lion Books, 2023.
A young boy learns from his grandfather about birds, gardening, cooking and art, even though he is a war refugee and has never gone to school.
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My Grandma’s Photos by Özge Bahar Sunar & Senta Urgan (il.), Amy Marie Spangler (trans.), 9781542031158, Amazon Crossing Kids, 2022.
Ali’s grandma seems to be forgetting so he helps her remember by showing her old pictures of her life.
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Maia & What Matters by Tine Mortier & Kaatje Vermeire (il.), David Colmer (trans.), 9780987669667, Book Island, 2013.
When grandma suffers a stroke her granddaughter helps the grown-ups understand her mixed up speech.
WOW Dozen features a list of 12 global books for children and adolescents around a theme, topic, issue or personal favorites. Each Dozen consists of ten newly-published titles with two older “must have” books. Please share or recommend additional books that fit the theme in the comments section or on social media using #WOWDozen. Use the printer icon in the upper left corner of this post to print or save this list as a PDF.
- Themes: Amy Marie Spangler, Anna Lazowski, At the Drop of a Cat, Beatrice Alemagna, Bill Richardson, Circles in the Sky, Dark Cloud, David Colmer, Elise Fontenaille, Emilie Leduc, Emilie Robert Wong, Erika Rodriguez Medina, Gianni Rodari, It's So Difficult, Kaatje Vermeire, Karin Snelson, Karl James Mountford, Last Week, Laurence Schimel, Maria and What Matters, Mel Tregonning, My Grandma's Photos, Ozge Bahar Sunar, Penny Neville-Lee, Pilar Lopez Avila, Raúl Nieto Guridi, Sara Lundberg, Sara Stridsberg, Sarah Howden, Seemi Aziz, Senta Urgan, Small Things, Summer of Diving, Telling Stories Wrong, Tine Mortier, Tunnel, Violeta Lopiz, With a Butterfly's Wings, Zuzanna Celej
- Descriptors: WOW Dozen