Japan
How Do You Live?
By Genzaburō Yoshino, Bruno Navasky (Translator)
How Do You Live? Genzaburō Yoshino. Translated by Bruno Navasky. Foreword by Neil Gaiman. Algonquin Young Readers, 2021. This version originally published as 君たちはどう生きるか (Kimitachi wa dō ikiru ka) in Japanese by Iwanami Shoten Publishers, in Tokyo, in 1982; first published in Japan in 1937. ISBN 9781616209773. 288 p. (Ages 10 and up). Fiction.
A story about the complexities of life, history, and humanity, narrated in two voices: 15-year-old Copper describes his daily experiences at school and home, while his loving uncle offers wisdom and advice in the form of a journal. A 2021 Freeman Book Awards Young Adult/Middle School Literature Book of Note. Hayao Miyazaki (of Studio Ghibli) called this a childhood favorite and used it as inspiration for his final Studio Ghibli film. Tips for teaching this book: Middle School Teaching Aid from asianstudies.org. [all]
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
By Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano (Translator), Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator)
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. Nahoko Uehashi. Translated by Cathy Hirano. Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008. Originally published as 精霊の守り人 (Seirei no moribito) in Japanese by Kaisei-Sha Publishing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, in 1996. ISBN 9780545005425. 272 p. (Ages 10-14). Fiction.
From the publisher: “Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy on his quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea.” Winner of 2009 Batchelder Award and selected for the 2009 ALSC Notable Children’s Book List. The sequel, Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness won a 2010 Batchelder Honor. Author won the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2014. [all]
Shuna's Journey
By Hayao Miyazaki, Alex Dudok de Wit (Translator), Hidao Miyazaki (Illustrator)
Shuna’s Journey. Hayao Miyazaki. Translated by Alex Dudok de Wit. Illustrated by Hidao Miyazaki. First Second, 2022. Originally published as シュナの旅 (Shuna no tabi) in Japanese by Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, in 1983. ISBN 9781250846525. 160 p. (Ages 12 and up). Graphic Novel.
From the publisher: “Shuna, the prince of a poor land, watches in despair as his people work themselves to death harvesting the little grain that grows there. And so, when a traveler presents him with a sample of seeds from a mysterious western land, he sets out to find the source of the golden grain, dreaming of a better life for his subjects.” Winner of the 2023 Eisner Award and a Junior Library Guild selection. Author co-founded animation company Studio Ghibli. Award-winning movies include Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and The Wind Also Rises. This was an early work for Miyazaki, appearing in English for the first time since it was published more than 40 years ago. It is an early indication of Miyazaki’s artwork style, and foreshadows many themes later explored in his films. For programming suggestions, see Teaching Books page from USBBY.[all]
China & Taiwan
China
Monkey King: Journey to the West
By Wu Cheng'en, Julia Lovell (Translator)
Monkey King: Journey to the West. Wu Cheng’en. Translated by Julia Lovell. Forward by Gene Luen Yang. Penguin Books, 2021. ISBN 9780143107187. 339 p. (Ages 12 and up). Epic.
A new translation of a Chinese classic – “one of those books that if you grow up in China, you know the story,” says China scholar Jeffrey Wasserstrom. Abridged and rendered in colloquial English by University of London professor Julia Lovell, it traces the rollicking adventures of a shape-shifting monkey superhero with a penchant for mischief. Naturally pairs with Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, American Born Chinese, which employs scenes from the Monkey King. [dj]
The Middle East & North Africa
Israel
From Foe to Friend & Other Stories
By S.Y. Agnon, Shay Charka (Illustrator)
From Foe to Friend & Other Stories. S.Y. Agnon. A graphic novel by Shay Charka. Translated and adapted by Jeffrey Saks. The Toby Press, 2014. Originally published as Shay veAgnon: Sheloshah Sippurim in Hebrew by Schocken Publishing House Ltd., in Tel Aviv, in 2012. ISBN 9781592643950. 48 p. (Ages 12 and up). Graphic novel.
Well-known Israeli cartoonist Shay Charka has brought three of Nobel Prize winner Agnon’s stories – two of them regularly taught to Israeli children though they were also published for adults -- to a new audience. The artwork is engaging, accessible, and studded with little touches referencing Jewish history. “The Fable of the Goat” is particularly poignant. [ayg]
Palestine
The Blue Pool of Questions
By Māyā Abū al-Ḥayyāt, Hanan Awad (Translator), Hassan Manasrah (Illustrator)
The Blue Pool of Questions. Māyā Abū al-Ḥayyāt. Translated by Hanan Awad. Illustrated by Hassan Manasrah. Penny Candy Books, 2017. Originally published in Arabic by Birzeit: Palestine Writing Workshop, in Palestine, in 2016. ISBN 9780997221985. 32 p. (Ages 4 and up). Picture book.
A man asks one question, and another, until his questions begin to fill the busy city that has no time for him. Taking a dive into the pool, he teaches a lesson about curiosity and courage. Educators have paired this poetic book with events on asking obvious or difficult questions, and questions from around the world can be found at #bluepoolofquestions on X (formerly Twitter). Event prompts, directions, prompts and a sample poster can be found at Curious City. Winner of a 2016 Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, illustration category. [ea]
Lebanon
Ghady & Rawan
By Fatimma Sharafeddine and Samar Mahfouz Barraj, Sawad Hussain and M. Lynx Qualey (Translators)
Ghady & Rawan. Fatima Sharafeddine and Samar Mahfouz Barraj. Translated by Sawad Hussain and M. Lynx Qualey. University of Texas Press, 2019. Originally published as غدي وروان in Arabic by دار الساقي in Beirut, in 2013. ISBN 1477318526. 134 p. (Ages 12-14). Fiction.
Two Lebanese eighth graders, Ghady and Rawan exchange emails to maintain their friendship during the school year when Ghady lives in Belgium. Ghady writes about his homesickness and social struggles and Rawan writes about her sometimes-difficult relationship with her family. They lean on each other to shoulder the burdens of life in both societies and celebrate one another’s successes. Bridges middle grade and YA, as subject matter leans older than writing style, including discussion of racism, xenophobia, bullying and cannabis. [ea]
Syria
Wild Poppies
By Haya Saleh
Wild Poppies. Haya Saleh. Translated by M. Lynx Qualey. Levine Querido, 2023. Originally published as شقائق النعمان in Arabic by Dar al-Yasmine in Amman. ISBN 9781646142019. 178 p. (Ages 10-14). Fiction.
Oscar works to keep his family intact after their displacement during the Syrian war and the death of his father. He faces a new challenge when his younger brother becomes a child soldier. Heavy themes are delivered in a way appropriate for a mature young audience. The Arabic version was the 2020 Winner of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature in the YA category and was featured in an appeal by ArabLit Quarterly to translate the book into English. [ea]
Latin America
Chile
Book of Questions
By Pablo Neruda, Sara Lissa Paulson (Translator), Paloma Valdivia (Illustrator)
Book of Questions: Selections/Libro de las preguntas: Selecciones. Pablo Neruda. Translated by Sara Lissa Paulson. Illustrated by Paloma Valdivia. Enchanted Lion Books, 2022. Originally published as Libro de las preguntas in Spanish by Editorial Losada, Buenos Aires, in 1974. ISBN 9781592703227. 80 p. (Ages 6 and up). Poetry.
A lavish, large-format bilingual abridged and illustrated version of Chilean Nobel Prize winner Neruda’s Book of Questions. Newly translated. Sweeping bold, stylized illustrations by Chilean illustrator Valdivia dramatize but do not answer rhetorical questions about the natural world, leaving plenty of room for exploration and wonder. Valdivia has been shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration. [ayg]
Brazil
My Sweet Orange Tree
By José Mauro de Vasconcelos, Alison Entrekin (Translator)
My Sweet Orange Tree. José Mauro de Vasconcelos. Translated by Alison Entrekin. Candlewick, 2019. Originally published as O Meu Pé de Laranja Lima in Portuguese by Editora Melhoramentos, in Brazil, in 1968. ISBN 9781536203288. 272 p. (Ages 12 and up). Fiction.
A Brazilian classic that has never been out of print, My Sweet Orange Tree features a precocious but naughty five year old whose hard-scrabble family beats him severely when he gets into trouble. Through his mischief-making he finally meets someone who shows him what it means to truly care for somebody. Though this book is commonly taught at the elementary school level in Brazil, it has been categorized as young adult in the United States because of its dark themes including poverty, violence, and death. A 2012 film adaptation won the 2014 Cinema Brazil Grand Prize in the children’s film category. [dj]