By Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
The U.S. children’s literature market remains one of the most conservative in embracing international titles, especially when compared to other countries. Many Asian nations publish significantly more translated books from Western countries than the U.S. does in reverse. Short (2018) highlights that while organizations such as the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) promote global literature through initiatives like the annual Outstanding International Books (OIB) list, translated works still make up only 3 to 4 percent of U.S. children’s book publications. Although this marks an improvement from earlier estimates of 1 to 2 percent, it remains a stark contrast to the 30 to 40 percent typical in many European nations. Even among the international books available in the U.S., English-language titles from countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia continue to dominate (Short, 2018). Continue reading








As I looked into Palestinian experiences in children’s literature, I discovered many significant examples. These examples speak to broader issues of displacement, refugees and oppression. These topics/issues are prevalent in the global sociopolitical atmosphere presently, more so now with the two ongoing wars: Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/Israel. If we research and go into depth on both these conflicts and wars, we come away with multiple ways of understanding the conflicts and realize that there is no one easy explanation that pigeonholes the conflicts.
News reports of global conflicts raise many questions and confusion for children who do not understand the history or broader context of these conflicts. Children’s books can provide children with perspectives on global conflicts, such as the current conflict between Israel and Palestine. This post highlights books that reflect Palestinian perspectives as part of a larger conversation in the field of the many perspectives, including Israeli voices, related to this conflict.