Japan
My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, a Poem, and a Dream
By Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen (Translator), Tracy Gallup (Illustrator)
My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, a Poem, and a Dream; Classic Poems by Japanese Haiku Masters. Translated by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen. Illustrated by Tracy Gallup. Tuttle Publishing, 2019. ISBN 9784805315156. 48 p. (Ages 5-9). Picture book.
An introduction to haiku with 20 bilingual haiku, in Japanese text, romaji, and English. An illustration accompanies each, along with commentary, inviting the reader to contemplate each poem more deeply. Winner of 2020 Northern Lights Book Award for Poetry and chosen for 2020 NCTE Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels List. [all]
Africa South of the Sahara
Ghana
The Kaya Girl
By Mamle Wolo, Sasha Illingworth (Illustrator)
The Kaya Girl. Mamle Wolo. Illustrated by Sasha Illingworth. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022. Originally published by Techmate Publishers Ltd., in Ghana, in 2012 and then by Nsona Books in 2018. ISBN 9780316703932. 336 p. (Ages 9 and up). Fiction.
A rags-to-riches tale about Faiza, a Muslim migrant girl from northern Ghana, and Abena, a wealthy doctor’s daughter from the south. The two meet by chance in Accra, where Faiza works as a porter or kaya girl and develop a deep friendship that transcends social barriers. A 2022 Kirkus Best Children's Book, a 2023 Children's Africana Book Award Honor, and a Bank St. College Best Books selection. [gd]