Japan
Once Upon a Time in Japan
By Roger Pulvers and Juliet Winters Carpenter (Translators), Manami Yamada. Tomori Taniguchi. Nao Takabatake and Takumi Nishio (Illustrators)
Once Upon a Time in Japan. NHK World. Translated by Roger Pulvers and Juliet Winters Carpenter. Illustrated by Manami Yamada, Tomonori Taniguchi, Nao Takabatake, and Takumi Nishio. Includes CD of stories read aloud by Yuko Aotani. Published by Tuttle Publishing in cooperation with NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2015. Originally part of a special series produced by Radio Japan, NHK World’s radio service in 18 languages. ISBN 9784805313596. 120 p. (Ages 8-12). Picture book with CD.
Collection of eight Japanese folk and fairy tales gives a good introduction to non-Western storytelling. Stories include animals, everyday people and magical beings who learn a lesson through their actions. A 2015 Gelett Burgess Award for Best Multicultural Children’s Book. [all]
Africa South of the Sahara
South Africa
Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa
By Niki Daly
Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa. Niki Daly. Clarion Books, 2007. Originally published as Pretty Salma by Frances Lincoln, in London, in 2006. ISBN 9780618723454. 32 p. (Ages 4-7). Picture book.
Pretty Salma is the story of Little Red Riding Hood set in contemporary urban Ghana and features West African cultural images such as traditional instruments, Anansi the trickster, a Ka Ka Motobi Bogeyman mask, and more. 2008 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2007 Parent’s Choice Award. [gd]
India
Gobble You Up!
By Gita Wolf, Sunita (Illustrator)
Gobble You Up!. Gita Wolf. Illustrated by Sunita. Tara Books, 2013. Originally published in Chennai, in 2013. ISBN 9788193984154. 40 p. (Ages 3-6). Picture book.
A story written in rhyme about a lazy Jackal adapted from an oral Rajasthani trickster tale with traditional finger painting art from Meena tribe artist Sunita. The art style is popular in Rajasthan and used by women to paint walls and floors of their homes. The book was handmade using silkscreen printed in two colors by hand and craft paper. Would pair with The Magicians by Blexbolex. The author is one of the founders of Tara Books.The book has traveled to several other places and has also been translated into Korean. Here is a video about Gobble You Up! With some background about how the book was created and the inspiration behind it. [mi]
The Middle East & North Africa
Qatar
Hamda and Fisaikra
By Kaltham Al-Ghanim, Andy Smart (Translator), May Al-Mannai (Illustrator)
Hamda and Fisaikra. Kaltham Al-Ghanim. Translated by Andy Smart. Illustrated by May Al-Mannai. Hamid Bin Khalifa University Press, 2011. Originally [or possibly simultaneously] published as حمدة وفسيكرة in Arabic by Hamid Bin Khalifa University Press, in Doha, Qatar, in 2011. ISBN 9992178876. 46 p. (Ages 6-8). Picture book.
Hamda, the daughter of a fisherman, saves a fish and gains a guardian to aid her escape from her difficult and drab life in this richly illustrated Qatari version of a Cinderella story. A variation for children familiar with the Western version and looking for a twist. [ea]
Latin America
Mexico
The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas
By María García Esperón, David Bowles (Translator), Amanda Mijangos (Illustrator)
The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas. María García Esperón. Translated by David Bowles. Illustrated by Amanda Mijangos. Levine Querido, 2021. Originally published as Diccionario de mitos de América by Ediciones El Naranjo, Mexico City, Mexico, in 2018. ISBN 9781646140152. 240 p. (Ages 8-14). Nonfiction.
An anthology of stories from native peoples which includes different cultures and nations from across both North and South America. A 2022 Batchelder Honor Book. [jm]