Happy new year!

2026 is National Year of Reading, and if you’d like to diversify your (and your children’s) reading and explore books from around the world … we’ve got you covered!

At World Kid Lit, we’re here to connect you with the best of contemporary world literature for young people. To kickstart your year of global reading, here’s our list of this year’s translations into English: fiction and non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels, for ages 0 to 18. So far it covers books from 23 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, El Salvador, Finland, France, Guatemala, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK and USA.

This list will be growing in coming weeks so subscribe to our blog and follow us on social media to get updates, reviews and creator interviews! If you know of any titles we’re missing, please send us the details via this Google form. Thank you!

Board books

Josephine by Chloé Alméras, translated from French (France) by Daniel Hahn. Gecko Press

Picture books – stories

And Then We Saw the Bag by Emma Adbåge, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by Melissa Bowers. Arctis

Arthur’s Cat by Johan Leynaud, translated from French (France) by Sarah Ardizzone. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Aya Has Never Seen a Bear by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane, illustrated by Jiu’er, translated from Chinese (China) by Paul Qiao & Helen Mixter. Aldana Libros

The Bug Hotel by Manu Montaya, translated from Spanish (Spain) by Tim Smith-Laing. Pushkin Children’s Books

Bum Fish written by Pauline Pinson, illustrated by Magali Le Huche, translated from French (France) by Sofia and Tim Smith-Laing. Pushkin Children’s Books

The Children of the Sun: An Inca Legend written by Micaela Chirif, illustrated by Juan Palomino, translated from Spanish (Spain) by Lawrence Schimel. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Dive written by Volnei Canônica, illustrated by Mariana Massarani, translated from Portuguese (Brazil) by Bruna Dantas Lobato. Tapioca Stories

Everything is Music by Miran Park, translated from Korean (South Korea) by Paige Aniyah Morris. Blue Dot Kids Press

The Green Otter by Eduardo Halfon, illustrated by María José de Tellería. Available in both Spanish (Guatemala) and English editions from Tapioca Stories. English translator not named.

Kiki and Me by Leo Timmers, translated from Dutch (Netherlands) by David Colmer. Gecko

Little Monk Writes Rain by Hsu-Kung Liu, translated from Chinese (Taiwan) by Rachel Wang Yung-Hsin. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

The Most Wonderful Book in the World by Mireia Olivé Obradors, illustrated by Anastasia Wessex, translated from Catalan and Spanish (Spain) by Angus Yuen-Killick. Red Comet Press

The Most Wonderful Gift in the World written by Mireia Olivé Obradors, illustrated by Olivé Obradors, translated from Catalan and Spanish (Spain) by Angus Yuen-Killick. Red Comet Press

My Friend the Paintbrush: The Colorful World of Marcus Pfister by Marcus Pfister, translated from German (Switzerland) by David Henry Wilson. NorthSouth

No, No, No by Noemi Vola, translated from Italian (Italy) by Debbie Bibo. Tra Publishing

Odds and Ends by Maija Hurme, translated from Finnish (Finland) by Mia Spangenberg. Enchanted Lion Books

One Person written by Wee Hae-June, illustrated by Yael Frankel, translated from Korean (South Korea) by Paige Aniyah Morris. Blue Dot Kids Press

Selma–The Story of a Stellar Spider by Tini Malina, translated from German (Switzerland) by Tammi Reichel. NorthSouth

Shushuya: My Special Dragon Friend written by Bassam Altaji, illustrated by Charlotte Shama, translated from Arabic (Jordan) by Elisabeth Jaquette. Crocodile Books/Interlink

There’s a Crocodile on This Train! by Amit Trainin, translated from Hebrew (Israel) by Ilana Kurshan. Kalaniot Books

Time to Split written by Daniel Fehr, illustrated by Raphael Kölly, translated from German (Switzerland) by Marshall Yarbrough. NorthSouth

The Visit written by Núria Figueras, illustrated by Anna Font, translated from Catalan (Spain) by Lawrence Schimel. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

What a Small Cat Needs by Natalia Shaloshvili, translated from Russian (Russia) by Lena Traer. Enchanted Lion Books

Poetry

My First Words in Nahuat‌ – poems by Jorge Argueta, illustrated by El Aleph Sánchez, translated by Juan Valentín, Ramírez García and Elizabeth Bell. Groundwood Books, Canada. This is a trilingual book in Nahuat, Spanish and English about life in El Salvador

Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More written by Bette Westera, illustrated by Henriette Boerendans, translated from Dutch (Netherlands) by David Colmer. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Time for Haiku: Four Seasons of Poems written by Josep Santaeulàlia, illustrated by Luciano Lozano, translated from Catalan (Spain) by Lawrence Schimel. Red Comet Press

Illustrated non-fiction

Borders: Understanding the Lines that Unite and Separate Us written by Karim Ressouni-Demigneux, illustrated by Karine Maincent, translated from French (France) by Johanna McCalmont. Blue Dot Kids Press

Communication written by Eduard Altarriba and Meli, illustrated by Eduard Altarriba, translated from Catalan (Spain) by Andrew McDougall. Button Books

Down in the Blue Ocean written by Gianumberto Accinelli, illustrated by Giulia Zaffaroni, translated from Italian (Italy) by Nanette McGuinness. Orca Book Publishers

Fabulous Creatures: Legendary Animals from Around the World written by Cornelia Funke Ruby Warnecke, translated from German (Switzerland) by Ana Schmitt Funke. NorthSouth Books

The Mystery of Death: What We Know and Don’t Know written by Soledad Romero Mariño, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa, translated from Catalan (Spain) by Lawrence Schimel

The Superpowers of Insects written by Soledad Romero, illustrated by Sonia Pulido, translated from Catalan (Spain) by Andrew McDougall. Prestel Children’s Books

Who Hid the Stars? How Light Pollution Changes Our World written by Danio Miserocchi and Maciej Michno, illustrated by Valentina Gottardi, translated from Italian (Italy) by Sylvia Notini. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Chapter books

The Boy, The Father and The Bear by Per Gustavsson, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by Eva Apelqvist. Greystone Books

A Party for Mousse by Claire Lebourg, translated from French (France) by Sophie Lewis. Transit Children’s Editions

Middle grade graphic novels

Captain Danger and The Time Ghost by Victor Engbers, translated from Dutch (Netherlands) by David Colmer. Pushkin Children’s Books

Elfie’s Spellbook (Books 1 and 2 compiled) by Audrey Alwett and Christophe Arleston, illustrated by Mini Ludvin, translated from French (France) by Anam Zafar. Penguin Random House Children’s

Elfie’s Spellbook (Book 3) by Audrey Alwett and Christophe Arleston, illustrated by Mini Ludvin, translated from French (France) by Anam Zafar. Penguin Random House Children’s

Middle grade fiction

Detective Nosegoode Investigates by Marian Orlon, illustrated by Jerzy Flisak, translated from Polish (Poland) by Eliza Marciniak. Pushkin Children’s Books

Do Not Go Out At Night written by François Gravel and Martine Latulippe, translated from French (Canada) by David Warriner. Orca Book Publishers

The Lady of Shadows (Moonwind Mysteries Book 4) by Johan Rundberg, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by A. A. Prime. Amazon Crossing Kids

My Life, The Total Disaster: A Novel by Matt by Francesco Muzzopappa, translated from Italian (Italy) by Jamie Richards. Amazon Crossing Kids

Monsters written by Stéphane Servant, illustrated by Nicolas Zouliamis, translated from French (France) by Sarah Adrizzone. Pushkin Children’s Books

Planting Sunshine by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Enzo, translated from French (Canada) by Andrée Poulin. Groundwood Books

The Secrets Below and Beneath the Mists (Books 1 and 2 of The Whispering Sea Mysteries) by Camilla Sten and Viveca Sten, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by A. A. Prime. Amazon Crossing Kids

YA / teen fiction

Asad’s Secret by Najlaa Attaallah, translated from Arabic (Palestine) by Sawad Hussain. Levine Querido

Velvet Box Letters by Hooda Shawa, translated from Arabic (Palestine) by Nour Jaljuli and Sawad Hussain. Restless Books

YA / teen non-fiction

Janusz Korczak: No to Denying the Rights of Children by Isabelle Collombat, translated from French (France) by Rosie Eyre and Sarah Ardizzone. Seven Stories/Triangle Square

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