Prestigious international children’s literature list for 2024 includes two Ukrainian titles for first time

USBBY (United States Board on Books for Young People) has recently released the Outstanding International Books List for the year 2024, featuring a selection of 41 books from nearly 30 different countries. 

The inclusion of two Ukrainian books marks the first time that Ukrainian literature has made a double entry in the list, with ‘Yellow Butterfly’ by Oleksandr Shatokhin (Red Comet Press) and ‘Who Will Make the Snow?’ by Taras and Marjana Prokhasko (Elsewhere Editions), recently featured in the New York Times. 

According to organizers, the selected books are broadening perspectives, allowing children in the U.S. to see the world from diverse points of view. Additionally, the chosen books address topics or provide perspectives that might be absent from mainstream children’s literature in the U.S. 

Grades PreK-2 

1. Aguilera, Claudio. ‘9 Kilometers’ Tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Illus. by Gabriela Lyon. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Chile) 
2. Álvarez, David & David Bowles. ‘Ancient Night’. Illus. by David Álvarez. Levine Querido (Mexico) 
3. Dalvand, Reza. ‘I Have the Right: An Affirmation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’. Tr. from French by Scribble. Illus. by author. Scribble. (France) 
4. Fadeeva, Olga. ‘Wind: Discovering Air in Motion’. Tr. from Russian by Lena Traer. Illus. by author. Eerdmans (Russia) 
5. Fontenaille, Elise. ‘At the Drop of a Cat’. Tr. from French by Karin Snelson and Emile Robert Wong. Illus. by Violeta Lópiz. Enchanted Lion Books. (France) 
6. Gombač, Žiga X. ‘Adam and His Tuba’. Tr. from Slovenian by Olivia Hellewell. Illus. by Maja Kastelic. North South Books (Slovenia/Switzerland)
7. Herreros, Ana Cristina. ‘The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouse Pérez’. Tr. from Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson. Illus. by Violeta Lópiz. Enchanted Lion Books. (Spain)
8. Lee, Suzy. ‘The Shade Tree’. Tr. from Korean by Helen Mixter. Illus. by author. Greystone Books. (South Korea
9. Maijala, Marika. ‘Rosie Runs’. Tr. from Finnish by Mia Spangenberg. Illus. by author. Elsewhere Editions (Finland) 
10. Narayanan, Priya. ‘Friend of Numbers: The Life of Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’. Illus by Satwik Gade. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (India) 
11. Rodari, Gianni.’ A Daydreamy Child Takes a Walk’. Tr. from Italian by Antony Shugaar. Illus. by Beatrice Alemagna. Enchanted Lion Books. (Italy) 
12. Rodriguez, Nelson and Leonardo Agustin Montes. ‘Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras’. Tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Illus. by Rosana Faría and Carla Tabora. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Honduras/Spain) 
13. Schneider, Noemi. ‘Ludwig and the Rhinoceros: A Philosophical Bedtime Story’. Tr. from German by Marshall Yarbrough. Illus. by Golden Cosmos. North South Books (Switzerland) 
14. Shatokhin, Oleksandr. ‘Yellow Butterfly: A Story from Ukraine’. Illus. by author. Red Comet Press. (Ukraine) 
15. Vasco, Irene. ‘The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent’. Tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Illus. by Juan Palomino, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (Colombia/Spain) 
16. Yomoto, Kazumi. ‘The Bear and the Wildcat’. Tr. from Japanese by Cathy Hirano. Illus. by Komako Sakai. Gecko Press. (Japan) 

Grades 3-5 

1. Anisimova, Anna.’ The Invisible Elephant’. Tr. from Russian by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp. Illus. by Yulia Sidneva. Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers. (Russia)
2. Chang-hoon, Jung. ‘The Moon Tonight: Our Moon’s Journey Around Earth’. Tr. from Korean by Paige Morris. Illus. by Jang Ho. Blue Dot Kids Press. (South Korea) 
3. Colfer, Eoin. ‘Three Tasks for a Dragon’. Illus. by P .J. Lynch. Candlewick Press. (Ireland)
4. Desnitskaya, Anna. ‘On the Edge of the World’. Tr. from Russian by Lena Traer. Illus. by author. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Russia) 
5. Franck, Ed. ‘The Moon is a Ball: Stories of Panda & Squirrel’. Tr. from Dutch by David Colmer. Illus. by Thé Tjong-Khing Gecko Press (Belgium) 
6. Friedland, Aaron and Ndileka Mandela. ‘The Walkng School Bus’. Illus. by Andrew Jackson Obol. Greystone Kids (South Africa/Canada) 
7. Hillstrom, Ylva. ’The Art and Life of Hilma af Klint’. Tr. from Swedish by B. J. Epstein. Illus. by Karin Eklund. Thames & Hudson (Sweden) 
8. Kashiwaba, Sachiko. ‘The House of the Lost on the Cape’. Tr. from Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa. Illus. by Yukiko Fontini. Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers. (Japan) 
9. Marcinkevičius, Marius. ‘The Pebble: An Allegory of the Holocaust’. Tr. from Lithuanian by Júra Avižienis. Illus, by Inga Dagile. Thames & Hudson (Lithuania)
10. Nguyen, Trang and Jeet Zdung. ‘Saving H’non: Chang and the Elephant’. Tr. from Vietnamese by authors. Illus. by Jeet Zdung. Dial Books (Vietnam)
11. Prokhasko, Taras and Marjana Prokhasko. ‘Who WIll Make the Snow?’ Tr. from Ukrainian by Boris Dralyuk and Jennifer Croft. Illus. by Marjana Prokhasko. Elsewhere Editions. (Ukraine)
12. Vasco, Irene. ‘Letters in Charcoal’. Tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Illus. by Juan Palomino. Lantana Publishing. (Colombia)
13. Zarif, Marya. ‘Dounia and the Magic Seeds’. Tr. from French by Yvette Ghione. Illus. by author. OwlKids Books. (Syria/Canada) 
14. Zo-O. ‘Corner’. Tr. from Korean by Ellen Jang, Illus. by author. Owlkids Books. (South Korea) 

Grades 6-8 

1. Bushby, Aisha. ‘Pocketful of Stars’. Carolrhoda Books. (Kuwait/United Kingdom) 
2. John-Kehewin, Wanda. ‘Hopeless in Hope’. Highwater Press. (Cree/Canada) 
3. Mitchell, Jane. ‘Run for Your Life’. Little Island. (Ireland) 
4. Pham, Tho and Sandra McTavish. ‘The Cricket War’. Kids Can Press. (Vietnam/Canada) 
5. Rundberg, Johan. ’The Night Raven’. Tr. from Swedish by A. A Prime. Amazon Crossing Kids. (Sweden) 
6. Saleh, Haya. ‘Wild Poppies’. Tr. from Arabic by Marcia Lynx Qualey. Levine Querido. (Jordan)

Grades 9-12 

1. Estrela, Joana. ‘Pardalita’. Tr. from Portuguese by Lyn-Miller Lachmann. Illus. by author. Levine Querido. (Portugal) 
2. Higa, Susumu. ‘Okinawa’. Tr. from Japanese by Jocelyne Allen. Illus. by author. Fantagraphics. (Japan) 
3. Kumagai, Clara. ‘Catfish Rolling’. Penguin Random House. (Japan/Canada.) 
4. Sullivan, Deirdre. ‘Savage Her Reply’. Little Island. (Ireland) 
5. Wein, Elizabeth. ‘Stateless’. Tundra/Penguin Random House. (United Kingdom/Canada)

The map – USBBY presentation

Notably, the number of represented cultures and countries on the USBBY list continues to grow annually, while the number of translated titles in the US remains low, a situation known among publishing professionals as the “three percent problem.” 

The USBBY Outstanding Books list is an honor list of international books for young people published annually since 2006. The selection criteria include choosing books that represent the finest in children’s literature from various countries, aiming to introduce exceptional authors and illustrators from around the world. For the purposes of this honor list, the term “international book” is used to describe a book published or distributed in the United States that originated or was first published in a country other than the U.S.