Amplifying Voices, Perspectives, and Experiences with USBBY’s 2021 Outstanding International Books List

BY JENNIFER M. GRAFF AND BETTIE PARSONS BARGER

“The stories you read can transform you. They can help you imagine beyond yourself. When you read a great story you leave home. We leave home to find home.” 

(Rochman & McCampbell, 1997, p. vii)

The COVID-19 Pandemic has significantly shifted global travel to “zooming” from digital screen to digital screen and surfing online streaming services. For those fatigued by such excursions, international children’s books can offer exciting and thought-provoking adventures of the heart, mind, spirit, and global consciousness. Readers can enter fantastic worlds, hear previously unheard voices and perspectives, learn more about scientific worlds and cultural communities, and become immersed in emotional episodes that speak to senses of humanity and belonging in books published on multiple continents. The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)’s annual Outstanding International Books (OIB) list is a great go-to guide for such literary experiences.

As mentioned in Wendy Stephens’ overview of youth literature awards and described by USBBY President, Evie Freeman, the OIB list provides readers of all ages--especially educators and readers in grades PreK-12--a collection of 40-42 books originally published outside of the United States (U.S.) that are now available in the U.S. These books, selected by a committee of teachers, librarians, children’s literature and literacy education teacher educators and scholars, connect us to noteworthy international authors and illustrators who seek to entertain, inform, challenge, delight, stimulate, and unite people through story. ​

OIB Selection Criteria*
*Not every book will meet every criterion equally.*​​

Books that

• represent the best of children’s literature from other countries
  
• introduce readers in the U.S. to outstanding artists and writers from other countries
• help children in the U.S. see the world from other points of view
• provide perspectives or address topics otherwise missing from children’s literature in the U.S.
• exhibit distinct cultural flavor, help counteract stereotypes, bridge cultural gaps, build connections, and engage and prove accessible to young readers in the U.S.

​See the USBBY website for additional content and presentation considerations.

​Engaging with the 2021 OIB List: A Geographical Map and Themed Text Sets

Even with the grade-level band organization of the OIB list, selecting which books to read might feel daunting. Two ways to help facilitate book selections are the Interactive Google Map and thematic text sets. 

Each OIB list has its own interactive Google Map, illustrating the international communities represented by the selected books. Using the color-coded pins on the world map or the left sidebar, select a book to zoom in on its location. Additional uses of the maps include critical analyses and discussions about dominant/absent voices, cultural representations, and equity on a global scale.  

The 2021 OIB books also fit within text sets conducive to interdisciplinary and socioemotional learning as well as differentiated instruction. The table below includes the 35 OIB titles identified for PreK-8 grades organized into five themes. While each book is mentioned once, many could fit into multiple themes. The variety of genres, formats, and cultural origins reminds us that storytelling and humanity have no borders and amplifies the connections and intersections of self and society. Visit the USBBY OIB website or the February issue of the School Library Journal for all of the book annotations.

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Themes

2021 Outstanding International Books (PreK-8)

(Book covers are organized by younger-to-older audience gradation.) ​

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Hearing Additional Voices from Conflicts and War

​As access to information increases, so does access to stories that present  multiple voices. These titles include stories of conflict, longing, loss, love, and perseverance. Sharing the experiences of a war-torn country, conflict, or persecution, these texts inform readers on living in refugee internment camps, changing identities to avoid capture, peacefully resisting becoming a soldier, and leaving families behind - never to see them again. Each book enables readers to develop a greater sense of empathy and understanding of the impact war and conflict have on people.

Countries represented: Canada, France, Mexico, Myanmar, United Kingdom, Vietnam

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Embarking on Explorations with Unexpected Twists ​

​In each of these treasures, readers will be encouraged to explore the story world,  whether drifting along a river, wandering along a vast ocean, traveling through a time of magic, or becoming spellbound by music. In these journeys, readers will delight in the unexpected - a plot twist or character development that makes them pause, evaluate, or wonder. 

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Countries represented: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Russia, United Kingdom

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Highlighting Our Everyday Lives 

This collection of fun-filled, whimsical books reminds us of how quickly everyday moments can become joyful adventures no matter where you live! Catching chickens in West Africa, taking an elevator ride in Argentina, peering out from your window in Brazil, learning to make the perfect cannonball splash in New Zealand, contemplating the future in Japan, enjoying a great traditional tale about courage and forgiveness in India--among other stories about life’s ups and downs--remind us of the beauty of living in the moment, especially when you are with people you love. 

Countries represented: Argentina, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, West Africa

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Developing Empathy, Connection, and Resilience through Loss and Hope

While originating from different circumstances (e.g., divorce, death, birth, long- and short-term separations, dementia, etc.), the partnership of loss and hope in this collection contributes to our ability to empathize, connect, and persevere. These five picturebooks and one novel offer sensitive, realistic, and accessible portraits of love, loss, grief, and everlasting hope, all undergirded by faith.

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Countries represented: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Central African Republic, France, Sweden, South Africa

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Piquing Curiosities with STEAM

These books are fantastic for exploring the interconnectedness of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Readers will learn about animals, the relationships numbers have with the everyday world, the science of sound, or the invasion of plastic in the world’s oceans. All of these books evoke curiosity and leave readers thinking about their everyday interactions with the topics.

Countries represented: Finland, Norway, Portugal, Ukraine

References
Rochman, H., & McCampbell, D. Z. (1997). Leaving home. HarperCollins
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​Children’s Literature References
The OIB 2021 Bookmark has bibliographic information for the aforementioned books.

Jennifer M. Graff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, is a former CLA President and has been a CLA Member for 15+ years.

Bettie Parsons Barger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at Winthrop University and has been a CLA Member for 10+ years.