​Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
 
In this column, we review some of our favorite international picture books that were originally published in a language other than English. These books are good choices for reading aloud or independently to introduce young people of all ages to authors and illustrators from around the world and to encourage discussions about universal themes as well different cultures and languages.

​ A Better Best Friend. Olivier Tallec. Trans. by Antony Shugaar. (2024). Gecko.
On a summer morning walk, a squirrel (the unnamed narrator) comes across a mushroom. Convinced he has finally found the best friend he has always wanted, the squirrel takes, Pock, the shy, nontalkative mushroom, to his favorite places in the forest to do the kinds of things best friends do together throughout the year. However, when an insect named Moo arrives in the spring and involves them in his favorite activities, the squirrel is confused. Could Moo be a better best friend than Pock? “I want ONE best friend. Not two! ONE!” The next morning, a mouse named Gunther joins them. The final page reveals “The (Better) End” to Olivier Tallec’s story that, with perhaps a bit of discussion, will lead readers to conclude that having best friends is better than having just one best friend. Translated from French. (PreK-Gr 2)
—CA

​Can I Sit in the Middle? Susanne Strasser. Trans. by Melody Shaw. (2024). Gecko.
Sitting alone in the living room, a child calls out, “Come on, let’s read a book,” and Hamster squeals, “I’ll get the others.” One by one, each animal delays story time with a chaotic interruption. Zebra says to wait for Stork, Cat needs a special cushion, Lion accuses Stork of sitting on his tail, Stork has trouble finding room for his long legs, Hamster needs Fish, and Fish (in a fish bowl) wants to sit in the middle until they all are crowded together on the couch. When Rhino pops in to locate his missing slippers under the couch, he upends it, and after creating a blanket tent, everyone snuggles up on the floor finally ready to read together. “NOW they can start!” Susan Strasser’s colorful artwork perfectly complements this hilarious read-aloud board book about sharing a good book with friends. Translated from German. (PreS Up)
—NB

Champ. Payam Ebrahimi. Trans. by Caroline Croskery. Illus. by Reza Dalvand. (2024). Aldana Libros.  
Abtin Moleski was born into a family of sports champions but is not good at, or interested in sports. Instead, Abtin is a reader, an artist, a dreamer, which disgusts his father. “I hope my ancestors forgive me for having a child like you.” Using his artistic talent, Abtin comes up with a creative plan to make all the Moleskis “happy.” He paints bright red smiles on their scowling faces in the family portrait gallery. But are his father and family pleased and proud of him like he hoped? Perhaps not. Reading this dynamic picture book with its droll text and artwork can lead to some interesting discussions dealing with family expectations and pressure and being true to oneself. Translated from Farsi. (Gr 3 Up)
—CA

Grandma’s Roof Garden. Tang Wei. Trans. by Kelly Zhang. (2024). Levine Querido.  
An old grandma collects wilted vegetables and damaged fruit discarded by sellers at the market that she feeds to the birds or composts to fertilize her lush vegetable garden on the rooftop of the tall apartment building in southwest China where she lives. She keeps busy all day digging, watering, and weeding as she tends each of her “gorgeous, chubby veggie children.” At harvest time, she cooks tasty meals for her family and friends and shares the bountiful harvest with others in her apartment complex and neighborhood. With a playful rhythmic text and lively drawings created with colored pencil, Tang Wei tells this warm and whimsical tale of Granny, which she explains in an author’s note was inspired by her own childhood memories of a relative. Translated from Chinese. (PreK Up)
—CA

Here & There. Thea Lu. Trans. by Thea Lu. (2024). Eerdmans.
Dan is the owner of a café in a small coastal town that he never leaves. Aki is a sailor living on a boat sailing from place to place. Each likes his life. Dan loves welcoming guests from faraway places and listening to their stories. Aki enjoys occasionally meeting people in distant ports and telling them stories about the sea. At times, both feel lonely. Thea Lu ends this beautifully crafted picture book about two people leading very different lives whose worlds are connected, at least for a time, with a dramatic double gatefold picturing a very special day on which Dan’s Café is filled with people from different lands—and a man from the sea—sharing a meal and stories. “In moments like these, they both feel so close to the world.” Translated from Chinese. (PreK Up)
—CA

Home (Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers). Isabelle Simler. Trans. by Vineet Lal. (2024). Eerdmans.
Isabelle Simler takes readers on a world-wide tour of the homes of a diverse group of 27 native animal species including the foam-nest tree frog, cross orbweaver spider, elf owl, weaver ant, and Sumatran orangutan. Each double spread features a stunning, richly colored digital image of the animal and its unique dwelling and a lyrical,  information-packed poem about the home told from the point of view of its inhabitant with a playful title and identification of the animal by its common and scientific name. For example, the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), who relates “I live in a pretty chamber lined with stones” in the poem “Stony Villa” is shown lounging with “my arms spread out on a bed of deep blue.” Back matter will engage readers with more details about each of these fascinating animals, a glossary, and recommended resources. Translated from French. (PreK Up)
—NB

​I Do Not Like Water. Eva Lindström. Trans. by Annie Prime. (2024). Astra.
“Down with rain, lakes, rivers, seas, puddles, pools, oceans, streams, marshes, ponds, brooks, and creeks! And down with swimming pools!” With her distinctive, quirky artwork, rendered in watercolor and gouache, and a candid first-person narration, Eva Lindström tells the story of Alf, a young boy who definitely knows that he does not like water. Alf tells about several unpleasant contacts with water including a disastrous trip to a river in which he and a friend’s canoe capsized right away and they got soaked. Things are better in winter when everything is frozen over and he can join his friends for sledding. And when summer comes again, resourceful Alf comes up with a clever plan to enjoy spending time with his friends who love swimming without having to be in the water. Translated from Swedish. (PreK-Gr 2)

​If I Were a Fungus. Gaia Stella. Trans. by Nanette McGuinness. (2024). Millbrook.
“If I were a fungus, I could be everywhere—and I’d be great at playing hide-an-seek.” The narrator, a young boy named Leo, considers what it would be like to be an organism that is neither a plant nor an animal but a member of the Fungi Kingdom. With a series of simple “If I were a fungus . . .” statements and vibrant graphic artwork created using markers and digital media, Gaia Stella provides an introduction to the fantastic world of fungi that will leave curious young readers asking for more books about fungi. Back matter includes a double spread of labelled charts comparing the body structure of a mushroom and Leo, “A Few Things We know About Fungi” section, a glossary, a selected bibliography, and further reading. Originally published in Italian. (PreK-Gr 2)

Kai’s Ocean of Curiosities. Joséphine Topolanski. Trans. by Johanna McCalmont. (2024). Blue Dot.  
Joséphine Topolanski tells the narrative story of Kai, a curious girl who has explored all seven seas in her yellow submarine, Nessy, in lyrical words and intricate, detailed dark blue and white line-cut illustrations of the ocean. She ventures into the unknown in her red diving suit to find answers to her questions about various deep-sea ecosystems (kelp forests, underwater caves, coral reefs, and more) and their inhabitants (such as shoals of fish, schools of squids, and blooms of jelly fish) until it is time to leave. “Her walk beneath the waves has come to an end; / but Kai will soon be diving again.” Back matter consists of a double-page spread of 49 identified marine plants and animals sketched in white against a dark background. (PreK Up) Translated from French.
—NB

No. 5 Bubblegum Street. Mikolaj Pa. Trans. by Scotia Gilroy. Illus. by Gosia Herba. (2024). Aldana Libros.
The animal residents of No. 5 Bubblegum Street are an interesting lot of creatures, including Mouse in Apartment One on the ground floor; Owl in Apartment Three; Panther in Apartment 5; Hippo in Apartment Seven, and Bug (the narrator) in Apartment Eleven on the top floor. As Mikolaj Pa introduces each character by its location in the building, Gosia Herba’s vibrant colored-pencil illustrations add engaging details to pore over about the inhabitants and items in their homes. By the time all the residents meet on the rooftop for their weekly party, each contributing something unique such as the monkeys’ Speckled Orange Orangutan Cake, the Spider Orchestra’s music, and Bat’s new dance routine, young readers will be ready to celebrate with them. “How nice it is to spend time with good friends!” Translated from Polish. (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB

Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us. Olga Fadeeva. Trans. by Lena Traer. (2024). Eerdmans.
“How much water is there on earth?” “What are lakes?” “What is life without water?” In this exploration of the science, history, and other topics related to water, more than 25 questions are pursued with fact-filled responses overlaid on illustrations created with acrylic paint dripped and diluted with water. For example, the answer to the question “How are rainbows and water related?” includes detailed information about rainbows, waterfalls (with the largest, widest, and highest listed), and geysers (and their most active locations) set against a picture connecting all of these features. The man and a young girl in a motor boat on the cover make occasional appearances on the stunning double-spread pages. The book concludes with the thought-provoking question “How can we protect our planet’s water?” that encourages readers to think about active steps to safeguard this most precious resource. Front and back endpapers contain additional factoids. Translated from Russian. (Gr 3 Up)
—NB

You Are a Little Seed. Choi Sook-Hee. Trans. by Jieun Kiaer. (2024). Charlesbridge.
With a simple, lyrical text and colorful realistic illustrations featuring seven different seeds, their blossoms, and a different child for each, Choi Sook-Hee presents an engaging story about growth that is accessible to young children. For example, “A seed, a seed blowing / in the wind . . . // . . . took root in / the wild and bloomed / as a dandelion.” With a turn of the page, a young girl clutching the fluffy parachute-like stem of a wind-blown seed is now pictured among a patch of yellow dandelions. The grand finale with the seven girls and boys on a double spread flying through the sky above a field of all of the flowers is a perfect place for readers to identify the blooms presented. “Yes, you are a seed, too— / with a flower in your heart. / What kind of flowers / would you like to bloom?” (PreS Up)
—NB

​Nicole Maxwell
Read alouds are ideal for cultivating a love of books and reading in children. They are also perfect for engaging their interest in learning about a new topic. When you are looking for high-quality read alouds, either to share with young readers as a good story or to introduce a new subject, consider one of the recently-published books reviewed here. 

​The Boy Who Said Wow. Todd Boss. Illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh. (2024). Beach Lane.
Ronan is a nonverbal child; he rarely speaks even a word. One night his grandfather takes him to a concert, and he is moved by the music. When the music ends, Ronan breaks his silence with one loud “Wow!” that is heard and appreciated by the audience around him. In an author’s note, Todd Boss shares the true story of nine-year-old Ronan Mattin’s experience at Boston’s Symphony Hall on May 5, 2019, providing an account of what happened that night and how it was captured on a radio recording “heard around the world.” The combination of Boss’s engaging text with expressive sound effects (“Zimmity, Zimmity, Zum”) and Rashin Kheiriyeh’s whimsical illustrations, rendered in watercolor, ink, acrylic, chalk, and collages, create a powerful read aloud highlighting the impact of music. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​The Den That Octopus Built (Animal Habitats #3). Randi Sonenshine. Illus. by Anne Hunter. (2024). Candlewick.
 “This is the ledge of sandstone and lime, / layered with shells cemented by time, / that shelters the den that Octopus built.” In her latest book in the Animal Habitats series, Randi Sonenshine tells the story of an octopus using various objects in the ocean to build a den in which she protects herself from predators, captures crabs to eat, and lays her eggs. Readers get a glimpse into the beginning of a new life cycle as the mother uses her final breath to blow her babies away from the den and into the ocean and a surviving hatchling begins to construct a den. Using ink, watercolor, and colored pencil, Anne Hunter’s warm illustrations beautifully detail the life of an octopus in its reef habitat. Back matter provides an extensive “Arm Yourself with Octo-Knowledge” section of interesting facts about octopuses, a glossary, and an author’s note. (PreK Up) 

​Keep Up, Duck! (2024). Ivan Bates & Rachel Bates. Illus. by Ivan Bates. Candlewick.
Mamma Duck and her seven yellow ducklings are swimming to the lily pond, but little Puck “with downy wings and tiny feet” keeps straggling behind. As she continues leading her ducklings, Mamma Duck urges Puck along by quacking, “Keep up, Duck!” He must figure out how to stay with the rest of his family. Soft watercolor-and-colored pencil artwork complements the spare, rhythmic text with onomatopoetic words (“Hop! Hop! Hop! Plop!”) and the repeated phrase “Keep up, Duck” to relate the story of determined duckling Puck’s solutions to catching up with his family until he finally gets ahead of them in this delightful read aloud that young children will enjoy listening to again and again. (PreK Up) 

Oh, Are You Awake? Bob Shea. Illus. by Jarvis. (2024). Candlewick.
While standing on the head of Lion, who is wide awake and wants to hear a story, a very tired Penguin is ready to sleep. Despite Penguin’s pleas to hold off on the story until after they have slept, Lion finds noisy ways to rouse Penguin followed by innocently saying, “Oh, are you awake?” Each time Penguin expresses his frustration about being awakened from a pleasant dream, Lion asks him for a story about the dream. When Lion finally promises to let him go to sleep after he tells a story, Penguin is ready with one about a very sleepy penguin and a not-so-sleepy lion. Jarvis’s colorful, expressive digital illustrations of the two characters and the whimsical dream sequences pair well with Bob Shea’s amusing text told completely in dialogue in this picture book just right for any time you want an enjoyable read aloud, as well as for bedtime reading when kids want just one more story. (PreK-Gr 2) 

Olivetti. Allie Millington. (2024). Feiwel & Friends.
Allie Millington weaves a profound and emotional tale told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of Olivetti, the Brindle family’s manual typewriter that has been replaced by a computer, and 12-year-old Ernest Brindle, a loner and lover of words. While Olivetti is not used now, Tapestries, memories composed by Beatrice (Mom) live on in him. When Beatrice disappears one day, Olivetti realizes that her memories are vital to helping find her and decides to break the typewriter code as a “protector of memories” and communicate with Ernest by typing out Beatrice’s stored words. Ernest and his family must face what they have avoided, “the Everything That Happened,” to find a solution. The power of love, family, friends, and memories are themes throughout this intriguing story that will likely promote discussions about typewriters and their history inside and outside of the classroom. (Gr 3 Up) 

The One and Only Family (One and Only #4). Katherine Applegate. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. (2024). Harper.
In the final book of The One and Only series about Ivan, the gorilla first introduced in Katherine Applegate’s Newbery Award winning The One and Only Ivan (2012), who lives at Wildwood Zoological Park & Sanctuary, is excited but nervous when his mate, Kinyani, gives birth to their twins. His feelings of gratefulness for all that he has are complicated by his memories of living in the wild and being taken from it. As Ivan struggles with the significance of his role as protector of his family while not being able to be the silverback he would be in the wild he has Kinyani’s consistent support, as well as that of old friends Ruby the elephant in the enclosure next door and Bob the dog, who frequently visits the sanctuary. Applegate, once again, demonstrates the importance of family and friendship while also underscoring the realities of endangered species. (Gr 3 Up) 

The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow (Milkweed Meadow #2). Elaine Dimopoulos. Illus. by Doug Salati. (2024). Charlesbridge.  
In the sequel to The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow (2023), the meadow creatures have bonded and Butternut is still enchanting them with her stories. That is until a traveling troupe of turkeys arrives and persuades the creatures to participate in their grand theatrical performance. Butternut’s failed audition leaves her as the only rabbit not in the show, creating doubts about her storytelling talent and place within the community. Turning to Thalia, her human friend who understands the language of the meadow dwellers, to regain her confidence, leads to the distrust of her best friend, Piper, and members of the community. When Butternut learns of the true intent behind the turkeys’ summer show, she must figure out how to convince them to believe her when she tells them they are in danger. Doug Salati’s black-and-white illustrations highlight key moments throughout the text, helping bring the characters to life. (Gr 3 Up) 

The Quiet Forest. Charlotte Offsay. Illus. by Abi Cushman. (2024). Paula Wiseman.  
The chain of humorous events that change a “quiet, nothing-to-do forest” into an “oh-dear-this-is-loud forest” and then a community of forest animals “which isn’t too loud or too quiet at all” starts with a mischievous mouse swinging into and stealing a rabbit’s stack of pancakes. The thumping of the “rattled rabbit” in pursuit disturbs a beaver in a pond. “Thump! Splash!” Eventually, with a rattled rabbit, bothered beaver, drenched deer, and miserable moose chasing the mischievous mouse, the forest is so noisy that a sleeping bear is aroused from her den. The growling of the “bellowing bear” awakens her cub, and it is up to the bear cub and the wind to turn things around. Abi Cushman’s illustrations drawn in pencil and colored digitally complement Charlotte Offsay’s use of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and repetition in this lively tale that children are certain to want to read over and over again. (PreK-Gr 2) 

She Sells Seashells: Mary Anning, an Unlikely Paleontologist. Heidi E. Y. Stemple. Illus. by Emily Paik. (2024). Charlesbridge.
Heidi E. Y. Stemple shares the story of Mary Anning, who started collecting shells and other curiosities to sell in her parents’ shop as a young girl. Growing up in England in the 1800s in a time when girls were not typically allowed an education, particularly ones like Mary, whose family was not rich, she educated herself and became more knowledgeable about the fossilized shells and bones she discovered. Male scientists bought her findings, learned about life on earth in the past from them, and established the science of paleontology. Mary was not included in their studies, but she was recognized as the first paleontologist two hundred years later. Emily Paik’s colorful, digital artwork provides eye-catching images of Mary’s life and the discoveries she made on the Jurassic Coast of England. Back matter includes more about Mary, her discoveries, and where they were located as well as a societal context for this picture book biography of Mary Anning (1799-1847).  (PreK Up) 

Tree. Table. Book. Lois Lowry. (2024). Clarion.
Eleven-year-old Sophia (Sophie) Winslow’s best friend is 88-year-old Sophie Gershowitz, who lives next door. Young Sophie, who narrates this story, describes their relationship as a “true and lasting friendship, a friendship of the heart.” The friends share strong opinions about almost everything, drink tea together, and play games. Recently, the elder Sophie has been forgetting things, and her son is coming to take her to see a doctor. This has the younger Sophie worried that she may lose her best friend soon. As young Sophie attempts to protect Sophie Gershowitz by prepping her for upcoming psychological testing, she discovers more about her through the powerful stories she tells of her childhood in Poland during WWII. Lois Lowry conveys a touching story of an intergenerational friendship with tender moments and humor that demonstrates the significance of creating and imparting memories. (Gr 3 Up) 

​Two Together. Brendan Wenzel. (2024). Chronicle.
In this companion book to They All Saw a Cat (2016) and Inside Cat (2021), a dog and a cat, Bone and Bell, are headed home together. Along the way, they encounter various sights, smells, and sounds, which they experience in different ways. For example, Bone seems content to paddle across a stream, while Bell is clearly not comfortable with the wet plunge. Even as their perspectives differ, the repetitive refrain of “Two together. . .” demonstrates their partnership on this journey home. Brendan Wenzel’s engaging, multi-media illustrations that exhibit the opposing perceptions of the two friends pairs well with the sparse, rhythmic text as the style of the artwork changes to represent the similarities and the differences in Bone’s and Bell’s experiences. (PreK-Gr 2)