Introduction and Editors’ Note
One of the best parts of working with young children is their creativity and unique solutions to problems. The titles in this issue profile that same creativity in children, teens, adults and even imaginary creatures, telling the stories of the eye-popping, chuckle-inducing ways that characters approach solving serious problems.
Some of the titles involve ingenious ways to cross borders, both literal and societal. In Between Us and Abuela, a young girl figures out how to send a scarf across the wall dividing Mexico and the U.S. In The Dark and the Light, Shaggy and Sparkle devise a way to cross the gutter of the book into each other’s space. In a similar but unique way, Smon Smon uses an imaginary language to welcome those who are “others.” And in The Prince and the Dressmaker, a cross-dressing prince teams up with a young girl to give life to their creative fashion ideas.
Other titles involve solutions to unjust systems like racism, poverty and illiteracy. This Promise of Change tells the story of one student from the Clinton 12 who worked to integrate their high school in 1956. Biblioburro is the ingenious story of Luis Soriano and his two burros who travel all over rural Colombia to teach children to read and explore the world.
Finally, several titles profile children’s creative minds at work. Mirandy uses magic to capture the wind and help her dance and win a prize in Mirandy and Brother Wind. Jette, a young 10 year old girl, presents her creative answers to questions about life and death in Do Fish Sleep? and a third-generation Korean-American creatively explains what makes her house a home in This is Our House.
We invite you to read and savor the creativity in these stories—that of the characters, the authors and the illustrators. As you read, consider submitting a review for our future issues. The editors welcome reviews of any children’s or YA book that highlights intercultural understanding and global perspectives around these themes:
Volume 12, Issue 4 – Visual Narratives (Summer 2020) – submission deadline: May 15, 2020. Reviews of books with global or intercultural perspectives that are visual narratives, also known as pictorial books, wordless books, or silent books. These are stories where images tell the story with little or no written text.
Volume 13, Issue 1 – Open theme (Fall 2020) – submission deadline: August 15, 2020. Reviews of a children’s or YA book that highlights intercultural understanding and global perspectives.
Co-Editors, Susan Corapi and Prisca Martens