Outstanding International Children's Books

Many outstanding books read by children in the United States were originally written in foreign languages by authors of other countries. Recognizing the popularity of these foreign books and the likelihood that they would catch on with children across the world, American book publishers worked to translate the books and make them available to children in the U.S. The following three books have all been translated into English and made available to children in the United States. In addition, the quality of the writing and success of their stories have earned all three the Batchelder Award for outstanding children's books.

A Faraway Island by Annika Thor

(First published in Sweden)

2010 Batchelder Winner

In 1939, Jewish sisters Stephie and Nellie Steiner are sent from their home in Vienna to live with separate host families on a small island of Sweden. The girls' parents sent them away in order to protect them from the Nazis. What was originally meant to be a 6 month stay, grew as the war in Europe intensified. As if the stress of the war and separation from her parents were not enough, Stephie struggles to adapt to her new surroundings, a foreign language, and the harshness of her host mother.  


Stephie's loneliness and struggle to fit in at her new school are challenges to which many adolescent readers will easily relate. It is difficult to be viewed as the child who is "different," and Stephie's story sheds light on bullying from the victim's perspective.


Although, many readers will be able to see a bit of themselves in Stephie, A Faraway Island holds value in the classroom as well. The story contains valuable information about World War II, Nazis, and child refugees. The historical context of the book makes A Faraway Island an excellent supplement to lessons pertaining to World War II.   

Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe

(First published in Japan)

2008 Batchelder Winner

Brave Story is a highly imaginative story about a young boy, Wataru Mitani, and his discovery of a fantasy world. After hearing rumors from kids at school about the Daimatsu building, Wataru wanders into the building one afternoon and soon finds himself in the fantasy world called Vision. His visit is short-lived, as he soon awakes at home in his bed to learn that his visit had only been a dream. As Wataru's memories of Vision begin to fade away, his family begins to fall apart. His father is seeing another woman. Distraught over the affair, Wataru's mother attempts suicide by leaving the gas on in their house. A mysterious new kid at school visits Wataru and warns him of the gas, explaining that he must return to Vision in order to change destiny. Wataru finds his way back to Vision where an old man called Wayfinder guides him on an adventure to change his family's fate.

Reading the 800+ pages of Brave Story may seem like a daunting task for many young readers, but those who attempt the story will surely be captivated by the action and the anticipation of what will happen next. The science-fiction genre has never been a favorite of mine. However, I enjoyed the unique manner in which the story combines fantasy with real world problems, like divorce and the challenge of dealing with strained relationships. Brave Story truly contains something for everyone!

     

The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

(First published in France)

2007 Batchelder Winner

Little Yann Doutreleau is the youngest of seven male children, and the only one without a twin. He lacks the ability to speak, but communicates silently with his brothers. One night Yann overhears his parents fighting and understands that his father plans to kill the children the next day. Yann wakes his brothers and convinces them to flee west, through the French countryside and toward the ocean to safety. Along the way, the boys encounter an assortment of characters, including a helpful truck driver, a suspecting policeman, and a generous baker. Each section of the story is presented as a first-hand account from a different character. The boys' journey is doomed from the start, but the clever ending reveals new facts about the parents' conversation and what little Yann actually heard. 

The Pull of the Ocean is a well-crafted mystery that lets readers draw their own conclusions as the story progresses, not revealing what actually happened until the end. As a collection of first-hand accounts, the style of the story is refreshingly original and stimulates the minds of young readers. This entertaining story about brotherhood and adventure is one that children, of many ages, will thoroughly enjoy.