New York Times/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award Honors 5 Books in Translation

By Gelsey Phaneuf

On November 7^th, The New York Times and New York Public Library released their list of the ten best illustrated children’s books of 2025. World Kid Lit connoisseurs will immediately recognize the value of the judges’–Peter Sís, Tracey Baptiste, and Amber Moller–selections, which highlight five books in translation as well as many international illustrators born, living, and working across the globe. The winners’ backgrounds are as diverse as the stories in the books, from a Nigerian artist living in Berlin to a Taiwanese artist living in Maine.

You can check out the entire list via the New York Times, but here I would like to highlight the five titles in translation, their artists and translators, and share why I think these international books will speak to children in the US and beyond.

Dragon Flower

Written and illustrated by Chen Jiang Hong; translated from Chinese by Alyson Waters

Chen Jiang Hong is an illustrator born in Tianjin, China. After studying art and receiving his postgraduate education at China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, he moved to Paris, France. According to his bio, “His work has been exhibited around the world, notably at the library gallery at the Louvre, at the Centre Pompidou, and at Versailles.” Dragon Flower was translated from French by Alyson Waters, who is currently an adjunct associate professor at the Columbia University School of the Arts, after teaching literary translation in the French department of Yale University for three decades. This edition is the first English translation.

The art is distinctly inspired by Chinese folk art and calligraphy, and the fairytale-like story of a young girl using her wits and bravery to help both her mother–and the dragon that stands in her way–will inspire all children to face issues head on and use curiosity and cleverness to solve life’s toughest challenges. This is a companion book to The Tiger Prince, also by Chen Jiang Hong.

Pencil

Written and illustrated by Hye-Eun Kim

Pencil was originally published in South Korea as 연필. Debut author/illustrator Hye-Eun Kim was born in South Korea and currently splits her time between South Korea and Leipzig, Germany.

As a wordless book, Pencil is the most versatile book on the list. The little girl could be any child and the pencil serves as the great unifying art medium for all children. Best of all, the illustrations themselves are rendered in colored pencil, demonstrating to young readers the true power of the pen–or in this case, pencil. The story itself is wordless, however the last page of the book provides a guide to reading “silent” books, a thoughtful inclusion in this US edition.

The Three-Year Tumble: Based on a Korean Folktale

Written and illustrated by Dayeon Auh; translated from German by Tim Mohr (Buy from Bookshop.org UK)

A second debut artist has roots in South Korea and currently lives in Leipzig, Germany; Dayeon Auh, author/illustrator of The Three-Year Tumble. The book, originally published in German as Ein Berg, ein Sturz, ein langes Leben, was translated into English by the late translator Tim Mohr.

Similar to Dragon Flower, the hero of The Three-Year Tumble is not the educated doctor or the wise old grandfather–it’s the young granddaughter who has an optimistic viewpoint on life. The youthful art fits perfectly with the message that a child’s perspective can change everything. As Dayeon Auh writes in an interview with NorthSouth Books, “What really touched me was [the folktale’s] message: optimism, questioning what we’re told is “right,” and imagining that things could be different–and that this message came from a younger generation. It felt like a story that deserved to travel widely.”

Sunday

Written and illustrated by Marcelo Tolentino; translated from Portuguese by Rahul Bery

Inspired by his time during the pandemic, Marcelo Tolentino–who lives in São Paulo, Brazil– created Sunday, his first picture book. The book was originally published in Portuguese as Domingo and was translated by Rahul Bery, a Portuguese and Spanish to English translator based in Cardiff, Wales.

The art of Sunday is as magical as the imaginary places that main character Martin and his trusty dog Maize visit. From the very first endpaper, readers are invited to step into the world Tolentino has created, and then are easily carried along with Martin, who literally sits atop Maize, a wistful pooch whose expressions tell readers all they need to know about this family’s dynamics. As Marcelo Tolentino notes in an interview with Blue Dot Kids Press, “I hope that through this book, children come to view boredom and idleness as essential elements for creativity. Additionally, I wish for them to recognize the magic in ordinary aspects of daily life.”

The Lighthouse Keeper

Written by Eugenio Fernández Vázquez and illustrated by Mariana Villanueva Segovia; translated by Kit Maude

The Lighthouse Keeper was originally written by Mexican author Eugenio Fernández Vázquez and was translated from Spanish into English by Kit Maude. Mariana Villaneuva Segovia is a Mexican artist whose artwork, according to her bio, “has been exhibited in Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Italy, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.” Kit Maude is a translator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In The Lighthouse Keeper, a stoic, bespectacled man with a beard made out of little fish rescues trepid swimmers from the ever-changing tides of his seabound home. But it is the moon, that fickle friend who can change the flow of the tides as easily as she changes her shape, which the lighthouse keeper longs to help but sadly cannot reach from his perch. The striking digital illustrations elicit both fear and joy as sailors’ arms burst from under foaming waves on one page, then embrace the lighthouse keeper on the next. Mariana Villaneuva Segovia says in an interview with Let’s Talk Picture Books, “Realizing that the second character was the moon was both the hardest and the most rewarding part. It completely shifted the feeling of the story, and once it clicked, everything else fell into place.”

I encourage readers to check out the full list of winning titles here, and to support these authors, illustrators, and translators by acquiring the books at your library, sharing them with your students, or purchasing them for yourself or a fellow art lover.

Happy reading!

About Gelsey Phaneuf

Gelsey Phaneuf is currently the associate publicist at NorthSouth Books. She is a member of USBBY and a champion of children’s books in translation. She holds a B.A. in English from Vassar College and is an alumna of the Columbia Publishing Course. She also works with children as a dance instructor. Gelsey lives near Providence, Rhode Island.