We are starting a new project called “Kids Read the World.” At the beginning stages and throughout, we are looking for favorite, original children’s books (translated) from every country in the world. We’ve started a google doc that is open sourced, so that we can get submissions from around the world. At this time, we are not including books written by American authors (except for the book representing the US). Rather, we’d like books that are written by authors from all of the countries around the world. We are hoping to pick classic books that are enjoyed by children around the world: picture books, traditional stories, folktales, silly and serious, long and short.
We are inviting our readers, and their friends, family, and teachers to suggest books that they love from a particular country. This is an editable, live document from which we will choose our ultimate list of children’s books from around the world. We will leave it open as a reference guide for anyone interested in reading quality, children’s literature from around the world!
Click here to participate and add your favorite book to our list of children’s book from every country.
To participate, add the book information to the spreadsheet below. You can view the embedded document below, and you can also use this link. Please do not alter the list of countries. However, if we are missing a territory that you’d like to be included, add it to the bottom of the list. 🙂 To add another book below a country, scroll to the right. Leave the cell blank if info is unknown.
Please help us fill in this list of children’s books from around the world! Let us know the titles of your favorite children’s books from another country, and follow along as we read the world. Also please share with your friends from different countries so we can get as many responses as possible.
I think you’ll find http://outsideinworld.org.uk/ tremendously helpful for this great project. You don’t mention any age restrictions – are you after picture books? Teen novels? If you let me know (eg on Twitter @playbythebook) I’ll be glad to make some personal recommendations (kids’ books translated into English is one of my particular interests)
I am working on a similar project, at least one children’s book from each country in the world, in my own personal reading. The problem I am finding is that there are many, many good books in translation from German or French or Spanish, but not so many from other languages, even European languages such as Slovak or Hungarian. And finding books from the former Soviet republics or from the Pacific Island countries or African countries whose primary language is not English is very difficult. I hope you have better luck than I have so far. I’ll be checking back to see what you’ve come up with.
I don’t know if I was able to write the book in the link right. So maybe I share it here:
Kusikiy A Child from Taquile, Peru
Peru written and illustrated by Peruvian
Mercedes Cecilia http://www.Kusikiy.com and in Amazon, and also Ebook for all devices
Haa, you already have to many suggestion for France. Keep in mind that “Astérix” (a comic) is from France and Belgium.
Have fun
Hi Becky,
Do you only want one book from each country or can we add another? For instance, The Little Prince is listed for France but there are many more French books.
I love this idea!
Oops! I just went back a reread your instructions. Now I know to scroll to the right.
Please add Beneath the Baobab Tree by Fiona Khan from South Africa published by Vivlia Publishers.it’s a collection of African folk tales and fables for children. I am the founder and Director of Global Forum 4 Literacy and would love to partner with you on this project with book and knowledge sharing. We send books from our collection and publication to other countries and request they send books to us. We deliver books to libraries and schools and build mobile libraries especially in rural areas. Email :globalforum4literacy@gmail.com
Or : info@gf4l.org.za