USBBY: Outstanding International Books List

BY EVELYN B. FREEMAN

USBBY Logo from https://www.usbby.org/

The Outstanding International Books List (OIB) is a wonderful resource for international children's and young adult books. Sponsored by The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) annually since 2006, the OIB highlights excellence in books originally published outside of the United States and subsequently published in the U.S., as well as books published in another country that are regularly distributed in the U.S. Typically 39-42 books are named on the award list appropriate for grades preK-12.  An article about the list appears in the February issue of School Library Journal.  For information about the lists, a downloadable bookmark for each of the lists, and link to the SLJ articles, visit the OIB webpage.

International books open the world to your students.  During this time when children everywhere are experiencing the global pandemic, sharing and experiencing stories across cultures help guide young readers towards realizing the similarities that unite us while recognizing and valuing our unique differences.

When I served on the 2019 Outstanding International Books Committee, one book on the list was Farmer Falgu Goes to the Market  by Chitra Soundar and illustrated by Kanika Nair (Karadi Tales, 2014; first U.S. printing 2018).  Set in India, this humorous picture book recounts the disastrous trip Farmer Falgu makes to market with his oxen-pulled cart laden with food. Descriptive language introduces children to onomatopoeia.  Farmer Falgu’s resourcefulness in turning his ruined cargo of goods into delicious omelets is a clever take on the moral: how to make lemonade out of lemons.  With bold, vivid illustrations, this positive, upbeat, and funny story would be a joyful book to read aloud online to children.

By Chitra Soundar & Kanika Nair, Publisher: Karadi Tales

Deanna Day-Wiff, a member of the 2020 OIB Committee, who teaches at Washington State University-Vancouver Campus, has shared books with her teacher education students. Deanna describes examples of how she used two of the books from the 2020 list.

Deanna writes:

By Wendy Meddour & Daniel Egnéus, Publisher: Dial Books

Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour and illustrated by Daniel Egnéus (Dial, 2019) is a beautiful picture book for primary and intermediate grades. The first page says, “Lubna’s best friend was a pebble. It was shiny and smooth and gray.” The illustrations depict Lubna’s huge eyes admiring her small pebble. All children will be able to relate to caring for an object—maybe a blanket or stuffed animal. Lubna found her pebble on the beach the night her family arrived at the world of tents. I used this particular book to demonstrate how to make connections and discuss visual literacy because all of the elements of art are easily found in the bright and colorful illustrations from texture, color, lines, perspective, and more.

A Sky Without Lines by Krystia Basil and Illustrated by Laura Borràs (minedition, 2019) is about a family that is separated by a border. Arturo and his mother live on one side and his father and brother live on the other side. The brothers dream about seeing and playing with each other again but the border makes this impossible. I used this picture book to demonstrate how to ask questions while reading, “Why do fences exist between countries?” “How do families who live between countries visit and see each other?” “Are there other types of fences, lines or borders?”

By Krystia Basil & Laura Borràs, Publisher: minedition

USBBY is an organization devoted to building bridges of international understanding through children’s and young adult books.  It serves as the U.S. national section of the International Board on Books for Young People, with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.  The National Council of Teachers of English is a patron organization of USBBY and appoints two NCTE members, who are usually active members of CLA, to the USBBY Board. To learn more about the organizition, visit USBBY's website.

Evelyn B. Freeman is Professor Emerita at The Ohio State University and a former CLA President.