Japan
Sato the Rabbit
By Yuki Ainoya, Michael Blaskowsky (Translator)
Sato the Rabbit. Yuki Ainoya. Translated by Michael Blaskowsky. Enchanted Lion Books, 2021. Originally published as うさぎのさとうくん (Usagi no Sato-kun) in Japanese by Shogakukan, in 2006. ISBN 9781592703180. 64 p. (Ages 4-7). Picture book.
A sweet and charming series of vignettes about a little boy named Sato who imagines himself a rabbit. Real life chores and activities are the background in the exploration of childhood imagination of catching stars, exploring the ocean and sky, and more. A 2022 Batchelder Honor Award winner, listed on several “best books” lists. [all]
Every Color of Light: A Book about the Sky
By Hiroshi Osada, David Boyd (Translator), Ryōji Arai (Illustrator)
Every Color of Light: A Book about the Sky. Hiroshi Osada. Translated by David Boyd. Illustrated by Ryōji Arai. Enchanted Lion Books, 2020. Originally published as きょうはそらにまるいつき (Kyō wa sora ni marui tsuki) in Japanese by Kodansha Ltd., in Tokyo, in 2011. ISBN 9781592702916. 38 p. (Ages 4-10). Picture book.
Lyrical text and expansive landscapes showcase the beauty of a day in nature, from light rain to storms to the clearing night sky. A 2020 Kirkus Best Book and 2021 Northern Lights Best Illustrator winner. Illustrator Ryōji Arai won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2015.[all]
When the Sakura Bloom
By Narisa Togo, Michael Sedunary (Translator)
When the Sakura Bloom. Narisa Togo. Translated by Michael Sedunary. Berbay Publishing Pty Ltd, 2022. Originally published as さくらがさくと (Sakura Ga Sakuto) in Japanese by Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers, Inc., in Tokyo, in 2020. ISBN 97806489953319. 32 p. (Ages 4-8). Picture book.
In Japan, the hustle and bustle of daily life takes a pause when the cherry blossoms bloom and an annual festival happens. A Freeman Honor Award book and on the 2023 USBBY Outstanding International Books list. For programming ideas, see Teaching Books Page from USBBY. [all]
Africa South of the Sahara
South Africa
A Good Day for Climbing Trees
By Jaco Jacobs, Kobus Geldenhuys (Translator), Jim Tierney (Illustrator)
A Good Day for Climbing Trees. Jaco Jacobs. Translated by Kobus Geldenhuys. Illustrated by Jim Tierney. Rock the Boat, 2018. Originally published as ‘n Goeie dag vir boomklim in Afrikaans by Lapa, in South Africa, in 2015. ISBN 9781786073174. 160 p. (Ages 8-12). Fiction.
Marnus lives in the shadow of his two brothers until he meets a girl with a petition. Joining forces with Leila, the two inspire their town by fighting to save a tree. Nominated for the 2019 CILIP Carnegie Medal and selected one of the Spectator Best Books of the Year. [gd]
Nigeria
Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country
By Atinuke, Mouni Feddag (Illustratror)
Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country. Atinuke. Illustrated by Mouni Feddag. Candlewick Press, 2021. Originally published by its UK sister company Walker Books in 2019. ISBN 9781536205374. 80 p. (Ages 7-10). Nonfiction.
This book profiles all 55 countries on the African continent. The author explores their varied geography, history, traditions, animals, and ecosystems. A 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Books List selection. See what Atinuke, a well-known Nigerian storyteller who lives in West Wales, has to say about her book: Introducing “Africa, Amazing Africa.” It’s my first non-fiction book. And it’s all about Africa! [gd]
India
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]
Savi and the Memory Keeper
By Bijal Vachharajani
Savi and the Memory Keeper. Bijal Vachharajani. Hachette India Children’s Books, 2021. First published in India. Also available in a US edition from Blackstone Publishing, Oregon, 2023. ISBN 9789391028015. 242 p. (Ages 10 and up). Fiction.
Savi has recently lost her father and has to move to a new city because of pollution. She finds an ally in a ficus tree in her school, who tells her stories. A story about personal grief layered with issues about climate change, Savi and the Memory Keeper asks its readers to view the natural world through a different lens. Would pair with A Snake Falls to Earth by Darci Little Badger. The author is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka region of India. She is the senior editor at Pratham Books and has a Masters in Environment Security and Peace from the University of Peace in Costa Rica. Vachharajani is part of the Nalada Abhiyan Library Campaign, a movement to set up community libraries across India. She has written multiple planet friendly books. The book has won the AutHer Award (2023) and the Green Lit Fest-WWF Honor List (2022). Here is a short interview with the author. [mi]
Korea
The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky
By Kim Jihyun
The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky. Kim Jihyun. Floris Books, 2021. First published in South Korea as Last Summer by Woongjin Thinkbig Co. Ltd, Seoul, in 2017. First published in English by Floris Books, Edinburgh in 2021, and in the US in 2022. ISBN 9781782507420. 48 p. (Ages 4-7). Picture book.
The first picture book by illustrator Kim Jihyun, it has been named among the best books of 2022 by The Boston Globe, New York Public Library, The Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. A wordless book, it recounts a city boy’s trip to his grandparents’ home in the countryside. The boy embarks on a walk into the woods alone with his dog, and the illustrations evoke palpable wonder and delight in nature. Inspired by her own trip to a lakeside town, Kim says she wanted to share the “serene feeling” she experienced being immersed in nature. [dj]
When Spring Comes to the DMZ
By Lee Uk-Bae, Chungyon Won and Aileen Won (Translators), Lee Uk-Bae (Illustrator)
When Spring Comes to the DMZ. Lee Uk-Bae. Translated by Chungyon Won and Aileen Won. lllustrated by Lee Uk-Bae. Plough Publishing House, 2019. Originally published in Korean. ISBN 978-0874869729. 40p. (Ages 5-8). Picture book.
A Batchelder honor book, When Spring Comes to the DMZ was a Korean contribution to the Peace Picture Book Project, a cross-national collaboration among picture book writers and illustrators from Japan, China and Korea. Lee’s book invites readers to view the amazing natural beauty that has developed in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the narrow strip of land between North and South Korea where people are still not allowed to go. Landscapes are punctured by rusting tanks and barbed wire, subtly reminding the reader of the war that separated and continues to separate the two Koreas. [dj]