Picturebooks Around The World

Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
​Here are some of our favorite international picture books originally published in a language other than English. Good choices for reading aloud or independently, these books introduce young people to authors and illustrators from around the world and encourage discussions about universal themes as well as different cultures and languages.

Again!: A Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog Adventure (Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog #4). Britta Teckentrup. Trans. by Nicola Stuart. (2025). Prestel.
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Having slept through winter, Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog are happy to see the big, wide world once again upon awakening in spring. They enjoy favorite activities such as soaring higher and higher on the swing in their garden and curling up into a ball to roll down the hill as Little Hedgehog shouts, “Again!” Throughout the day, they say hello again and again to old friends, including squirrels, owls, turtles, frogs, and ladybugs, until it begins to get dark. Big Hedgehog carries tired Little Hedgehog and sings a song—and they reach home with Little Hedgehog falling asleep before saying again one more time. Young children will be asking to have this delightful picture book adventure read to them again and again. The Birthday, the fifth book in the series, will be published in March 2026.  (translated from German) (PreK-Gr 2)
—CA

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And There Was Music. Marta Pantaleo. Trans. by Debbie Bibo. (2025). Eerdmans. 
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Marta Pantaleo’s introductory “Music is everywhere” is set against a vibrant mixed-media double spread showing people playing instruments, listening to music and the sounds of their city, and getting ready to sing karaoke in this child-friendly celebration of music. Page turns reveal a variety of musicians, genres, and cultural traditions from places such as Ireland, India, and Indonesia—and even on the International Space Station where a Chinese astronaut plays the zither. Illustrations of people of different ages playing such instruments as the harmonica, conch shell trumpet, and didgeridoo provide wisdom about reliving memories and emotions, remembering one’s heritage, and connecting with others around the world. On the final page, filled with floating colorful music notes, Pantaleo suggests, “Follow its rhythm. / Can you hear it?” Back matter provides further information on the culture, instrument, or musical element on each of the 26 double-spread pages. (translated from Italian) (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB 

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Clara and the Man with Books in His Window. María Teresa Andruetto. Trans. by Elisa Amado. Illus. by Martina Trach. (2025). Aldana Libros.
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María Teresa Andruetto, winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, introduces this beautifully-crafted picture book set in rural Argentina in 1920 with “This is the story of my mother and her friend Juan, about how she discovered books and he, the light of day.”  One day, when Clara is making a regular delivery of a basket of laundry to the big house of a man who leaves the payment under the doormat, she peeks through a window and sees him and a room full of books. A routine of leaving a book under the mat for Clara to read leads to her learning why the man never goes out. Martina Trach’s stunning illustrations rendered in mixed media (watercolor, pencils, monoprint, and digital collage) enhance this story with a gentle message on the meaning of courage as well as the power of books to make connections with others. (translated from Spanish) (PreK Up)
—CA 

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Giant Steps. Anaïs Lambert. Trans. by Johanna McCalmont. (2025). Blue Dot Kids. 
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A young boy in bright green boots spends a day in nature paying close attention to the tiny activities occurring around him. His many mini-adventures include observation of a ferocious fight between two beetles and a slimy race between a slug and a snail under some leaves, redirection of a colony of ants carrying foodstuff, catching helicopters (tree seeds and dragonflies) in the air, and crossing “rivers and entire forests.” Finally resting in the grass, he observes animal-shaped clouds floating in the sky before closing his eyes and listening to a butterfly pass by. In a twist of perspective, he hears thudding footsteps approaching, leaps up, and runs for his life until two huge hands reach out, swooping him up onto the shoulders of a giant (his father) for a galloping ride home and a snuggle on the couch. Anaïs Lambert’s colorful, close-up artwork, beautifully detailing the boy’s exploration, augments the reading experience. (translated from French) (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB 

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How Do You Eat Color? Mabi David. Trans. by Karen Llagas. Illus. by Yas Doctor. (2025). Eerdmans. 
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“Feast on color when you eat fruits and vegetables!” Mabi David invites the reader to join the young boy and girl shown receiving a basket of produce in a vivid double-spread illustration, created by Yas Doctor in oil paints. Throughout the day, the children—and a chameleon—explore a rainbow of colors paired with edibles such as moringa, red beans, hibiscus, mango, melon, yams, and plums until the day darkens into the “black of sleep.” Awakening to a “bright world, painted with the colors of fruits and vegetables,” they share a wholesome breakfast. Back matter includes “A Rainbow of Colors” and “Why Should We Eat a Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables?” as well as “How Families Can Eat More Colors Together” tips (translated from Filipino) (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB 

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It Could Even Be Worse. Einat Tsarfati. Trans. by Annette Appel. (2025). Candlewick. 
After surviving being shipwrecked sailors afloat on the ocean in It Could Be Worse (2021), the odd couple with decidedly different viewpoints on life has taken to the skies. As optimist George and pessimistic Albertini, who is cradling a large egg he has just found, are flying over a lush rainforest, their hot air balloon demolishes and they land in the canopy. “I can’t believe it! Things are going badly again!” cries Albertini. “It could be worse,” said George. And, of course, it does as it begins to rain—and they plummet down into one bad thing after another. And then with a startling ”SCREEEEE,” the egg hatches. “Perhaps things weren’t so bad after all.” Or were things going to be even worse for George and Albertini? Einat Tsarfati’s colorful cartoon artwork complements the droll humor of this decidedly silly tale of misadventure. (translated from Hebrew) (PreK Up)
—CA 

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Late Today. Jungyoon Huh. Trans. by Aerin Park. Illus. by Myungae Lee. (2025). Eerdmans. 
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On a rainy morning, a tiny kitten darts back and forth trying to make her way across a bridge in Seoul that is congested with traffic. Commuters mutter to themselves as they realize that the kitten is in danger, but no one has the courage to rescue her. Raindrops pelt the road, cars screech and honk, and the kitten mews. Finally, a driver who can no longer see the kitten darting among the vehicles pulls over and hurries out into the heavy downpour. Hearing a mewing coming from under a car, she finds the quivering kitten. “We all were late. But it’s okay. Today was a good day to be late.” Jungyoon Huh’s double-spread illustrations, created with colored pencil and oil pastel, beautifully set the scene for this story of one person’s compassionate response in coming to the aid of an animal. (translated from Korean) (PreK Up) 
—CA  

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No One Is Home. Mikolaj Pa. Trans. by Scotia Gilroy. Illus. by Gosia Herba. (2025). Greystone Kids.
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Leo (a lion) and Kimbo (a butterfly) are best friends. Today is a special day. It’s Kimbo’s birthday! Setting out across the busy city to surprise his friend with a special gift, Leo stops at the bakery, but he can’t buy Kimbo’s favorite cream puff because Ladybug and Beetle at the head of the line can’t decide on their purchase. His next stop is Penguin and Sons Rhyme Shop where he fails to get the rhyme for “oranges” he needs to complete the poem he’s tried to write. Finally, Leo ends up picking a bouquet of flowers outside Kimbo’s house. Ironically, Kimbo had spent the day having a series of delays in crossing the city to Leo’s house. The book ends with a search-and-find challenge to spot frogs (40 in all) hidden in the detailed, Richard Scarry-styled scenes. (translated from Polish) (PreK-Gr 2) 
—CA

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Piet Cools Off. Carina Wohlleben & Peter Wohlleben. Trans. by Jane Billinghurst. Illus. by Rachel Qiuqi. (2025). David Suzuki Institute/Greystone Kids. 
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On this hot summer day, squirrel Piet’s method of using his tail for shade isn’t working. Vibrant nature-toned Illustrations, rendered in gouache and watercolor, depict his journey through the day to see how others are cooling off. Peter, the forester, eats ice cream, but that wouldn’t work for Piet. Wasps spit water into their nest, but he doesn’t have wings. He is too big to sit under a flower, leaf, or log like a bug, a slug, or a salamander. And he can’t splash in a pond like a frog, take a mud bath like a wild pig, or burrow down with the bunnies. Wandering deeper into the forest, Piet discovers the cooling shade of the trees, and after a refreshing afternoon, returns home for a good night’s sleep. Text insets include fun facts (for example, how a squirrel uses its tail and body position to keep cool). (translated from German) (PreK Up)
—NB

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Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective. Guilherme Karsten. Trans. by Guilherme Karsten. (2025). Eerdmans. 
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As Mom screams for help after a broken bowl leaves the yellow fish on the floor gasping for air, the doorbell rings, and the young boy meets a cat in a tuxedo suit, who introduces himself as “Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective at your service.” Promising to find “the cat who attacked the fish,” Ramon talks the boy into letting him take Fish outside to see if it can identify a suspect. Of course, the disguised Dog Detective comes back empty-handed, presenting the gullible boy with a postcard from Fish saying he returned to the ocean and to reward Ramon with the can of sardines he requests. Grateful as the detective saunters away, the tricked child says, “… a dog is truly a boy’s best friend!” Guilherme Karsten’s clever digital illustrations present a much different story that will leave observant readers chuckling. (translated from Portuguese) (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB

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Sunday. Marcelo Tolentino. Trans. by Rahul Bery. (2025). Blue Dot. 
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“Every Sunday was the same.” Spending the day at his grandparents’ house doing the same things each week seemed agreeable to everyone, but on this particular Sunday, bored Martin decides to do something different. He is going to travel the world! Grandpa, Dad, Mom, and Grandma are all too busy with their own activities to join him, so he sets out on his own with his dog, Maize. With a descriptive text and matte colored, scratchboard-like double-spreads, Marcelo Tolentino chronicles Martin’s make-believe adventures from skiing over ice caps in Antarctica, to crossing arid deserts, to confronting pirate ships at sea before the explorers return home. As Martin tells Grandma about the day, she wonders where else he would travel in the future—“even beyond the world into the wild unknown.” Observant young readers will enjoy discovering the various household items pictured in earlier pages that appear in the scenes of Martin’s imaginative adventures. (translated from Portuguese) (PreK-Gr 2)
—CA 

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Thread by Thread. Alice Brière-Haquet. Trans. by Sarah Ardizzone. Illus.by Michela Eccli. (2025). Eerdmans. 
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A small family of contented mice living in a home knitted with red yarn that has two windows above and two below enjoys their view of the world until the bottom rows of the house begin to unravel. After the lower windows disappear, it is time to run. Abandoning what is left of their quickly vanishing home, the family undertakes a perilous journey to safety and, with the help of friendly neighbors, they knit a new cozy multi-colored nest. Young readers will grasp the story of this family of mice rebuilding their lives “little by little, thread by thread” from the odds and ends they forage after losing their home. The sharing of Alice Brière-Haquet’s simple story, augmented by Michela Eccli’s eye-catching illustrations, created with colored pencil drawings and photographs of yarn, a knitting needle, and knitted pieces, may also promote the discussion of the plight of refugees. (translated from French) (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB

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Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.