A Daydreamy Child Takes A Walk

Even though he has promised his mama he will stay focused, Little Giovanni cannot help but continue to daydream and pay attention to the smaller, more wonderous, details of the world around him. Written by the father of modern Italian children’s literature, Gianni Rodari, with a Batchelder Award winning translation by Antony Shugaar, A Daydreamy Child Takes a Walk is beautifully illustrated by New York Public Library Best illustrator, Beatrice Alemagna and is sure to delight young readers with its assertion of the power and value of childlike wonder.

Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope In Honduras (Stories From Latin America)

Monday is Luis’s favorite day of the week, the day the bookmobile comes to his neighborhood in Villa Nueva. You see, in Villa Nueva, sad stories gather like dark clouds, but when the bookmobile arrives, light and color burst through with laughter, stories, and maybe even a puppet show! Inspired by the JustWorld International’s bookmobile program in Tegucigalpa, Colororful Mondays celebrates the ways in which books and learning can bring joy to communities.

Who Will Make The Snow?

Purr and Craw, twin moles born on the first day of spring, learn to dig themselves out of their comfort zones and experience the vast and unpredictable world around them. Indeed, they are curious about everything and ask endless questions. What is swimming? Do animals live in the sea? Why does mother speak French when she makes pancakes? No matter where or how far they go in the forest as they pursue answers, home is always waiting for them.

The Invisible Elephant

In four short stories, The Invisible Elephant tells the story of a young blind heroine who gleefully explores her environment through her senses and imagination. Although she cannot see the world with her eyes, this doesn’t stop her from interacting with her surroundings joyfully. Young readers watch as she learns Braille, with her family and friends cheering her on at every step of the way as she learns to navigate the world in her own unique way. In addition to gorgeous illustrations by Yulia Sidneva and an artful translation by Ruth Ahmedzai, the book includes an illustrated guide that shows readers how to respectfully interact with the visually impaired.

The Amazing And True Story Of Tooth Mouse Pérez

Did you know? In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, instead of a Tooth Fairy, they have a Tooth Mouse! This is his story. Though the world is very different from when his Tooth Mouse descendants worked, a Tooth Mouse named Pérez continues his ancestors’ tradition and brings children their permanent teeth. Thought-provoking and playful The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouth Perez illuminates how, just as Tooth Mice must adapt their customs in the face of culture-shifting forces, so too must the child as they grow up and gain their independence.

The Shade Tree

Villagers like to come to rest and cool down in the shade of a huge, old tree. But when a young traveler decides to join them one day, a rich man on whose land the tree stands demands they leave because he owns the tree and therefore its shade. Thinking fast, the traveler strikes a deal: one that will enable him to outsmart the rich man and ensure that the villagers will always have access to the shade tree’s shade, wherever it may fall.

Translator: Mixter, Helen

This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.

The Young Teacher And The Great Serpent (Stories From Latin America)

When a young teacher sets out to the remote community of Las Delicias in the Amazon rain forest, she is eager to share her knowledge of science, math and geography. While the town’s children love the books she brings, they still keep repeating the legend about a great and dangerous serpent. While in disbelief that her young students could still care about the nonsense of folk tales, the river begins to rise, and suddenly the stories don’t seem to be nonsense after all. Perhaps there are other ways to learn wisdom of past generations besides in books.

Letters In Charcoal

A young narrator recounts learning to read with the help of Señor Velandia, the owner of the village shop, so she can unlock the messages her older sister, Gina, receives from a young doctor each month. In doing so, she will change her life, as well as the lives of every child in the pueblo of Palenque Colombia. Inspired by stories told to the author by Colombian women, Letters in Charcoal celebrates the freedom to read and the joy reading can bring by adding light for a brighter future.

On The Edge Of The World (Stories From Latin America)

Veera and her family live in Russia on what feels like the edge of the world on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Veera spends her time devouring fantasy books, playing fetch with her dog, and longing for a friend she can share her treasures with that she keeps hidden underneath the alder bush. Lucas and his family live on the coast of Chile, which also feels like the edge of the world. Lucas spends his days looking for fossils, playing solo games of soccer, and wishing for a friend to read with him on his favorite tree branch. Written and illustrated by acclaimed author-illustrator Anna Desnitskaya, On the Edge of the World is a playful and perceptive book that illuminates the mirroring lives of two separate children in two separate places, yet share strikingly similar settings and interests.

At The Drop Of a Cat

A 6-year old boy loves spending time with his immigrant grandfather, Luis, who teaches him many things as they spend time in his garden, a place of wonder and illumination. It is the place where the boy practices to read and write, as well as the place where he learns of his grandfather’s experiences. As a war refugee, Luis was unable to go to school and therefore never learned how to read and write. But he instills his wisdom of language to his grandson, as well as his experiences and talents as an artist, a cook and a gardener.

This book is part of the WOW Dozen: Difficult and Challenging Topics in Children’s Literature list.