Thank you for a great month!

by Jackie Friedman Mighdoll

As we get to the end of another World Kid Lit month, Johanna and I (your ongoing editors) want to take a minute to recognize and thank a few people.

First, tremendous thanks to our co-editors. Claire Storey has been an ongoing co-editor for four years now – doing tremendous work to find content and edit the blog. As of October, she’s transitioning away from daily blog responsibilities, and we’ll miss her. (But she’ll be back to tell us about her own translation work next month – so stay tuned!)

We were happy that Charlotte Graver could join us as a special guest editor for WKL Month 2023. She’s about to embark on a new work opportunity in London, and we wish her much luck. The good news is that she’s staying in the international children’s publishing world!

Second, we want to extend huge thanks to our social media team for spreading the word: Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, Charisma Lee, Helen Wang, Marcia Lynx Qualey, Phương Anh Nguyen, Anam Zafar, Sarah Robinson, Paula Holmes, and Gemma Ware.

We are, of course, very grateful for all of our contributors this month (and throughout the year!) Reporting on the latest from Wales to Colombia, from graphic novels to map-themes, they’ve proven again the diversity and strength of global lit for young people.

Finally, a big thanks to our readers for spreading the word about the joys of world kid lit. While our biggest push is in September, we run reviews throughout the year. We also have publisher interviews, translator interviews, and articles on events and organizations making strides in World Kid Lit.

A few years ago, I sent an email to this world kid lit site – to people I’d never met before. That email turned into friendships and connections with creative, kid lit experts around the world. If you’re interested in writing for us or helping on social media or outreach, please send an email to worldkidlitblog@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

To recap, this month on the blog:

World Kid Lit Bingo Card by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp

There is a Map in this Book by Paula Holmes

World Kid Lit Art: A Book-smeller’s Perspective by Georgia Wall

Childhood Through the Eyes of an African Child by Ayo Oyeku

More than Math by Jackie Friedman Mighdoll

Picture Books Teaching Children about Conflict and War by Charlotte Graver

Girl Power! by Catherine Leung

One Girl to Save the World by Ekram Abdelgawad

Publishing Translated Children’s Books in Wales by Megan Farr

Weird and Wonderful New Dutch Kid Lit by Shimanto Reza

The Magic of Grandmas by Kelly Zhang