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]
We are the Dancing Forest
By Raj Shekhar, Devashish Makhija (Translator), Venkat Shyam (Illustrator)
We Are the Dancing Forest. Raj Shekhar. Translated by Devashish Makhija. Illustrated by Venkat Shyam. Tulika Books, 2022. Originally published as Hum Jangal Ke Jagar Magar in Hindi by Tulika Books, in Chennai, in 2022. ISBN 9789390834716. 24 p. (Ages 5 and up). Picture book.
A story inspired by an Adivasi (Indigenous) song from Telangana, India, that pays tribute to forests and nature with beautiful art by a Gond (Indigenous folklore) artist. Would pair well with A Bhil Story by Sher Singh Bhil and Rainbow Crow by Nancy Van Laan. The author was born and brought up in a farming family in Bihar. He is a Hindi film lyricist based in Mumbai. Recognition includes a 2023 Green Literature Festival Children’s Honor book, 2023 Valley of Words Book Awards (shortlisted), 2023 Neev Book Awards - Junior Readers (longlisted), and 2023 Mehlli Gobhai Children’s Book Illustrator Award (shortlisted). Watch this video by the illustrator Venkat Shyam on his Gond art style. [mi]
China & Taiwan
China
The Moose of Ewenki
By Gerelchimeg Blackcrane
The Moose of Ewenki. Gerelchimeg Blackcrane. Translated by Helen Mixter. Illustrated by Jiu Er. Greystone Kids, 2019. Originally published as Ewenke de tuo lu in Chinese, by Jie Li Chu Ban She, Nanning, 2018. ISBN 9781771645386. 68 p. (Ages 5-9). Picture book.
Written by a multi-award-winning, best-selling (and rare) author from Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in China bordering the country of Mongolia. Features a hunter from the reindeer-herding Ewenki people who inadvertently kills a mother moose, leaving an orphan calf. The hunter takes in the calf, but their relationship proves hard to sustain as the moose gets bigger (and a lot hungrier), and the hunter ages. The text is accompanied by richly detailed, painterly illustrations by Jiu Er, the first Chinese illustrator named to the IBBY Honour List. [dj]
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]