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2020 Global Books: Picturebooks about Contemporary Experiences

Kathy G. Short, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Freedom Soup cover shows a Haitain grandmother in a head scarf dancing in kitchen with child in braids.A long-term issue in global literature is the lack of books showing contemporary experiences, leading to misconceptions that other cultures are set back in time in comparison to the U.S. The global novels for middle grade and young adult readers identified on the 2020 Global Reading Lists are primarily historical fiction or fantasy with the exception of refugee books, a continuation of that problematic trend. In contrast, picturebooks for younger readers include many contemporary depictions of everyday life in a range of global cultures, including Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, Japan, China, Korea, India, Tibet, Iran, Syria and Indigenous Canada. Continue reading

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MTYT: Sulwe

Mary L. Fahrenbruck and Violet Henderson, New Mexico State University, NM

In their second MTYT installment, Mary Fahrenbruck and Violet Henderson provide their take on Sulwe written by Lupita Nyong’o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison. The picturebook is a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book for 2020.
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