By Jackie Friedman Mighdoll
Every year we read so many amazing world kid lit books that it’s hard to pick favorites. But that’s the tough job of the Award Committees! In late January, the American Library Association awards the Mildred L. Batchelder to books published in the US deemed to be “the most outstanding of those books originating in a country other than the United States and in a language other than English.” We’ve compiled this year’s award winners below along with links to reviews and interviews with their creators and translators.
For more lists of great 2025 books, check out USBBY’s Outstanding International Books and Betsy Bird’s Best Translated Books. And send us a note and let us know if there are others you think were missed!
The 2026 Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Croco
Written and illustrated by Azul López
Translated from Spanish by Kit Maude
Published by Tapioca Stories, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org US
Kirkus starred review
An interview with Coco creator Azul López about her inspiration and techniques
World Kid Lit contributor Brigita Orel reviews new books from Latin America
Azul López’s Instagram
Four 2026 Batchelder Honor Books
The Adventures of Cipollino
Written by Gianni Rodari
Illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova
Translated from Italian by Antony Shugaar
Published by Enchanted Lion Books, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK
New York Times Book Review (gift link)
From Memen to Mori
Written and illustrated by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Translated from Japanese by Ajani Oloye
Published by Yen Press, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org US
Review on STORYVOR
Famous body-building/cos-play instagrammer hosts storytime at NY ComicCon.
Picking Tea with Baba
Written by Xu Bin
Illustrated by Yu Yin
Translated from Chinese by Shan Chen
Published by Charlesbridge, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org US
Kirkus starred review
World Kid Lit contributor Wang Li describes the incredible journey this book took to get to shelves.
Pilgrim Codex
Written by Vivian Mansour
Illustrated by Emmanuel Valtierra
Translated from Spanish by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez
Published by Em Querido, an imprint of Levine Querido, 2025
Buy from Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK
NPR includes it as a Best Book of 2025
World Kid Lit contributor Mar Ruiz reviews great 2025 LatAm books
Betsy Bird interviews author Vivian Mansour and translator Carlos Rodríguez Cortez
About Jackie Friedman Mighdoll
Jackie is a co-editor of this blog. She loves to see kids explore the world through books. She writes picture books and middle grade, and translates from Japanese to English. She likes meeting great people, books, and food all over the world.
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