It’s not long until September, the 9th celebration of World Kid Lit Month. What will you read and where will your reading take you? Find out what World Kid Lit Month is all about and how to get involved …

by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp

What is World Kid Lit Month and how do we get involved?

Every September is World Kid Lit Month: the time to discover and celebrate international literature for children and young adults.

What will you read this September? It could be a translation from another language, or a book by an author or illustrator from another country. ‘World literature’ means different things to different people; here’s how we define it at World Kid Lit. What does it mean to you?

So simply read a book for young people from another country, and consider sharing a photo on social media with the hashtag #WorldKidLitMonth!

How do I find a book from another country?

That’s what we’re here for: ideas! World Kid Lit blog is bursting with reviews of fantastic global reads, as well as interviews with authors, illustrators and translators. We share readers’ recommendations on social media (we’ve recently added Bluesky – join us!), and through the links on our site you’ll find many other websites and organisations recommending diverse, global and translated literature.

You’ll also find curated reading ideas for specific ages in our downloadable PDF Read the World Book Lists, and if you’re interested in exploring the hundreds of children’s books translated English every year, you could start with our 2024 translations list.

And if you’d like a challenge, why not explore the themes in our bingo charts? Download them from the World Kid Lit Month resources page.

Schools and libraries … we recommend a wall display showcasing themed selections of books for each continent. Use the resources here at World Kid Lit to find suitable books already on your shelves, or be inspired to add a few more titles to diversify your collection.

Who is behind World Kid Lit Month?

World Kid Lit relaunched this summer as a new UK-based non-profit community interest company (CIC) to raise awareness of and improve young people’s access to diverse and globally inclusive books for young readers.

Originally founded in 2016 as an informal group of volunteers, World Kid Lit has grown to become a hub of expertise on international children’s and young adult (YA) publishing. Though the organisation is officially based in the UK, our volunteers, contributors and readers are truly international, and in the 8 years we’ve been researching and writing about global kid lit, we’ve had readers reach out from every part of the globe. We love hearing from you!

What will you discover this September?

What really makes World Kid Lit Month is you – the readers! So please, this September, pick up a book that takes you beyond your borders and share a picture or a few words about it. Mostly, enjoy the journey, wherever it takes you.