Japan
Kiki's Delivery Service
By Eiko Kadono, Emily Balistrieri (Translator), Yuta Onoda (Illustrator)
Kiki’s Delivery Service. Eiko Kadono. Translated by Emily Balistrieri. Illustrations by Yuta Onoda. Delacorte Press, 2020. Originally published as 魔女の宅急便 (Majyo no Takkyubin) in Japanese by Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers, Inc., in Tokyo, in 1985. Kiki’s Delivery Service was originally published in English in 2003; this is a new translation. ISBN 9781984896667. 208 p. (Ages 8-12). Fiction.
From the publisher: “Thirteen-year-old half-witch Kiki travels to the town of Koriko, where she makes new friends, overcomes challenges, and shares her magic with her community to make the world a brighter place.” The book inspired the Hayao Miyazaki film by the same name. A Junior Library Guild selection. The author Eiko Kadono won the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2018. [all]
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
By Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano (Translator), Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator)
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. Nahoko Uehashi. Translated by Cathy Hirano. Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008. Originally published as 精霊の守り人 (Seirei no moribito) in Japanese by Kaisei-Sha Publishing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, in 1996. ISBN 9780545005425. 272 p. (Ages 10-14). Fiction.
From the publisher: “Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy on his quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea.” Winner of 2009 Batchelder Award and selected for the 2009 ALSC Notable Children’s Book List. The sequel, Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness won a 2010 Batchelder Honor. Author won the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2014. [all]
Night on the Milky Way Train (and nine other stories)
By Kenji Miyazawa, Roger Pulvers (Translator)
Night on the Milky Way Train (and nine other stories). Kenji Miyazawa. Translated by Roger Pulvers. Balestier Press, 2020. Originally published as 銀河鉄道の夜, in Japanese. Night on the Milky Way Train was first published in 1934. ISBN 9781911221852. 186 p. (Ages 10 and up). Fiction.
From the publisher: “This amazing story of two boys who find themselves on a miraculous train running through the heavens, has entranced Japanese readers for many years. What happens to the boys is a tale of both immense sorrow and equally immense hope.” “Night on the Milky Way Train” is widely considered a Japanese children’s classic, and the author has been compared to Lewis Carroll, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm. Translator is the recipient of the 2008 Miyazawa Kenji Prize. [all]
Shuna's Journey
By Hayao Miyazaki, Alex Dudok de Wit (Translator), Hidao Miyazaki (Illustrator)
Shuna’s Journey. Hayao Miyazaki. Translated by Alex Dudok de Wit. Illustrated by Hidao Miyazaki. First Second, 2022. Originally published as シュナの旅 (Shuna no tabi) in Japanese by Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, in 1983. ISBN 9781250846525. 160 p. (Ages 12 and up). Graphic Novel.
From the publisher: “Shuna, the prince of a poor land, watches in despair as his people work themselves to death harvesting the little grain that grows there. And so, when a traveler presents him with a sample of seeds from a mysterious western land, he sets out to find the source of the golden grain, dreaming of a better life for his subjects.” Winner of the 2023 Eisner Award and a Junior Library Guild selection. Author co-founded animation company Studio Ghibli. Award-winning movies include Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and The Wind Also Rises. This was an early work for Miyazaki, appearing in English for the first time since it was published more than 40 years ago. It is an early indication of Miyazaki’s artwork style, and foreshadows many themes later explored in his films. For programming suggestions, see Teaching Books page from USBBY.[all]
Temple Alley Summer
By Sachiko Kashiwaba, Avery Fischer Udagawa (Translator), Miho Satake (Illustrator)
Temple Alley Summer. Sachiko Kashiwaba. Translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa. Illustrations by Miho Satake. Yonder: Restless Books, 2021. Originally published as 帰命寺横丁の夏 (Kimyōji Yokochō no Natsu) in Japanese by Kodansha, Ltd., in Tokyo, in 2011. ISBN 9781632063038. 240 p. (Ages 8-13). Novel.
From the publisher: “From renowned Japanese children’s author Sachiko Kashiwaba, Temple Alley Summer is a fantastical and mysterious adventure featuring the living dead, a magical pearl, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko.” Winner of the 2022 Batchelder Award, 2022 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and a Junior Library Guild Selection. Author’s other work includes the book The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist, which was the inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s film Spirited Away, one of the most awarded animations of all time. A new translation will be available from late 2023. [all]
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe
By Megumi Iwasa, Cathy Hirano (Translator), Jun Takabatake (Illustrator)
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe. Megumi Iwasa. Translated by Cathy Hirano. Illustrated by Jun Takabatake. Gecko Press USA, 2017. Originally published as ぼくはアフリカにすむキリンといいます (Boku wa Africa ni Sumu Kirin to Iimasu) in Japanese by Kaisei-sha Publishing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, in 2001. ISBN 9781927271889. 104 p. (Ages 7-10). Fiction.
A bored giraffe decides to write a letter and see who answers. Penguin becomes his pen pal and a charming friendship develops as they get to know each other. Winner of 2018 German Children's Literature Award and a 2017 NYPL Top 10 book. [all]
India
Maithili and the Minotaur: Web of Woe
By C.G. Salamander, Rajiv Eipe (Illustrator)
Maithili and the Minotaur: Web of Woe. C. G. Salamander. Illustrated by Rajiv Eipe. Puffin Books, 2021. ISBN 9780143455189. 64 p. (Ages 10 and up). Graphic Novel.
Maithili, an outcast in the human world, befriends monsters and goes on a journey of outlandish adventures with her friends. This book is one in the Outlandish Graphic Novel Series and is perfect for readers who love stories about monsters and adventures. Would pair with Natsume’s Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa and the Hilda series by Luke Pearson. The author is based in Chennai, India, and is a writer and comic journalist. Salamander loves to write in horror, humor, and fantasy genres. Here is an interview with the author. [mi]
China & Taiwan
China
Monkey King: Journey to the West
By Wu Cheng'en, Julia Lovell (Translator)
Monkey King: Journey to the West. Wu Cheng’en. Translated by Julia Lovell. Forward by Gene Luen Yang. Penguin Books, 2021. ISBN 9780143107187. 339 p. (Ages 12 and up). Epic.
A new translation of a Chinese classic – “one of those books that if you grow up in China, you know the story,” says China scholar Jeffrey Wasserstrom. Abridged and rendered in colloquial English by University of London professor Julia Lovell, it traces the rollicking adventures of a shape-shifting monkey superhero with a penchant for mischief. Naturally pairs with Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, American Born Chinese, which employs scenes from the Monkey King. [dj]
White Fox
By Chen Jiatong, Jennifer Feeley (Translator), Viola Wong (Illustrator)
White Fox. Chen Jiatong. Translated by Jennifer Feeley. Illustrated by Viola Wong. Chicken House, 2019. First published by People’s Literature Publishing House, in China, in 2014. ISBN 9781912626083. 288 p. (Ages 8-12.) Fiction.
This is the first of two volumes to be translated of the best-selling Chinese middle-grade White Fox fantasy series to appear in English. It is the story of an orphaned arctic white fox who wants to become human, and searches for a magical moonstone that will give him that power. Translator Jennifer Feeley is winner of the 2017 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize and a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts translation fellowship. [dj]
The Middle East & North Africa
Palestine
Thunderbird: Book One
By Sonia Nimir, M. Lynx Qualey (Translator)
Thunderbird: Book One. Sonia Nimir. Translated by M. Lynx Qualey. University of Texas Press, 2022. Originally published as طائر الرع in Arabic by Tamer Institute, in Jerusalem, in 2016. ISBN 1477325816. 128 p. (Ages 10-13). Fiction.
Destiny has called for Noor, a 13-year-old Palestinian orphan, to fulfill a prophecy and keep the human and djinn worlds from colliding. Sent to collect four magical feathers, her quest takes her across time and to encounters with a feline djinn and powerful doppelganger versions of herself. Bringing together Ottoman, Mamluk and Ayyubid-era Palestine, this fast-paced fantasy is the first of a three-part trilogy. [ea]
Iran
In the Meadow of Fantasies
By Mohammad Hadi Mohammadi, Sara Khalili (Translator), Nooshin Safakhoo (Illustrator)
In the Meadow of Fantasies. Mohammad Hadi Mohammadi. Translated by Sara Khalili. Illustrated by Nooshin Safakhoo. Elsewhere Editions, 2021. Originally published as Haft Asb Haft Rang in Farsi by the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature, Tehran, in 2017. ISBN 9781939810908. 42 p. (Ages 3-7). Picture book.
Seven horses, six colorful and one mysteriously colorless, transport a young disabled girl from her bed to a dreamy world where she learns of the power of compassion and imagination. Winner of the 2022 Batchelder Award. [ea]