I’m trying to read one children’s book from every country in the world, preferably a children’s book written by an author who is native to each of the following countries. However, I may have to settle for a children’s book that simply has its setting in some of the nations where there is little tradition of children’s literature, or possibly a book written by an ex-patriate author or an American of —– descent.
At any rate, these are some possibilities. If you have suggestions for any of these countries of children’s books I could read, translated into English when applicable, please leave me a note in the comment section.
Afghanistan: anything by Rukhsana Khan
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. (Canadian author)
In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda.
Albania
Algeria: Kiffe, Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene. (French Algerian author)
Andorra
Angola Good Morning Comrades by Ondjaki.
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina: Manuelita, the turtle by Maria Elena Walsh.
Maria Teresa Andruetto
Poordog the Starved by Graciela Montes.
Armenia: The Contest by Nonny Hogrogian. (Armenian American author)
Australia: Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia by Alison Lester.
Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall.
The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsey, 1918.
Storm Boy by Colin Thiele.
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. (Young adult)
Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner.
The Narjun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson. The only Australian to win the Hans Christian Andersen award for lasting contributions to children’s literature.
Austria: Fly Away Home by Christine Nostlinger.
The Snowman Who Went for a Walk by Mira Lobe.
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh: Yasmin’s Hammer by Ann Malaspina.
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium: Martine by Gilbert Delahaye. (Renamed “Debby” in the American translations)
Henny Penny and the Hawk by Henri Cornelus.
Belize:
Benin: Beautiful Debo by Beatrice Gbado.
It Takes a Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher.
Bhutan
Bolivia: A Toad Who Wanted to Be a Star by Oscar Alfaro.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Flilipovic.
Botswana: Precious and the Monkeys by Alexander McCall Smith. (British author)
Brazil: The Companions by Lygia Bojunga Nunes, 1972, 1989.
Amazon Adventure by Willard Price (Canadian/American author)
The Hound Of The Mound And The Frog Of the Bog by Ana Machado.
The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli. Reviewed at Charlotte’s Library.
Brunei
Bulgaria: Yan Bibiyan by Elin Pelin.
Burkina Faso
Burundi
C
Cabo Verde
Cambodia: The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho. (Chinese American author who grew up in SE Asia)
Children of the River by Linda Crew.
Cameroon: Oh, No, Toto! by Katrin Hyman Tchana and Louise Tchana Pami.
Canada: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.
A Prairie Boy’s Winter by William Kurelek.
Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat.
Central African Republic
Chad: Rain School by James Rumford. (American author)
Chile: The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta.
Who’s Seen the Scissors by Fernando Krahn.
My Name Is Gabriela:The Life of Gabriela Mistral by Monica Brown.
China: Schoolboy Jia Li (aka Boy Student Jia Li) by Qin Wenjun.
The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China by Ed Young.
Lon Po Po by Ed Young.
Tulku by Peter Dickinson. (British author)
Jackal and Wolf by Shen Shixi.
Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan. Reviewed at Delivering Grace.
Colombia: The Poor Old Lady by Rafael Pombo (Morality Tales).
Tales of Uncle Rabbit by Euclides Jaramillo.
Comoros
Congo, Republic of the Full Circle by Frederick Yamusangie.
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Monkey for Sale by Sanna Stanley.
Costa Rica: The Umbrella by Jan Brett. (American author)
Cote d’Ivoire: Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet.
Mamy Wata and the Monster by Veronique Tadjo.
The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan. (American author)
Croatia
Cuba: On the Antilles Sea in a Paper Boat by Nicolas Guile. (poetry)
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy. (Cuban American author)
Cyprus
Czech Republic: All About Doggie and Pussycat by Josef Capek.
Kubula and Kuba Kubikula by Vladislav Vancura.
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis.
Denmark: anything by Hans Christian Andersen.
The Leopard by Cecil Bødker.
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic: How Tia Lola Came to Visit Stay by Julia Alvarez (or other books by this Dominican American author)
Ecuador
Egypt: The Illustrator’s Notebook by Mohieddine Ellabbad.
The Giraffe That Walked to Paris by Nancy Milton.
El Salvador: The Fiesta of the Tortillas by Jorge Argueta. (or others by this author)
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia: Eno Raud
The Wandering Cat by Aino Pervik.
Ethiopia: Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah (British Jamaican author).
The Perfect Orange: A Tale from Ethiopia by Frank Araujo. (American author)
The Storyteller’s Beads by Jane Kurtz.
Only a Pigeon by Jane Kurtz.
Fiji
Finland: Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson, 1968.
This Is Finland by Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen, 2007.
Uppo the Bear by Elina Karjalainen.
Venture at Midsummer by Eva-Lis Wuorio.
France: Arsine Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice LeBlanc.
Asterix the Gaul by Rene Goscinny.
Captain Fracasse by Theophile Gautier, 1863.
The Horse Without a Head/ A Hundred Million Francs by Paul Berna.
Nobody’s Boy by Hector Malot, 1878.
G
Gabon
Gambia: Tano and Binti by Linda DaVolls.
Georgia
Germany: The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels, 1912.
Nesthakchen series by Else Ury.
The Story of the Root Children by Sybille von Olfers.
Tschick by Wolfgang Herndorf
Ghana: One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway. (American author)
Sosu’s Call by Meshack Asare.
Once Upon a Time in Ghana. Traditional Ewe Stories Retold in English by Anna Cottrell and Agbotadua Togbi Kumassah.
Greece Theo by Barbara Harrison.
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury.
Wildcat Under Glass by Aliki Zei.
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana: We Animals Would Like a Word with You by John Agard.
Haiti: Untwine by Edwidge Danticat. (Young adult)
The Unusual Princess by Rose Francois.
Honduras
Hungary: Eclipse of the Crescent Moon by Geza Gardonyi.
Vuk: the Little Fox by Istvan Fekete.
The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnar.
Iceland: The Story of the Blue Planet by Andri Snær Magnason.
India: Coram Boy By Jamila Gavin.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie.
The Little Bird Who Held Up the Sky by Paro Anand.
Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth.
Indonesia: Tari, the Little Balinese Dancer by Pamela Noensie. (American author)
Go To Sleep, Gecko!: A Balinese Folktale by Margaret Read MacDonald. (American author)
Iran: The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi and Pippa Goodhart.
Iraq: Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War: An Epic Tale from Ancient Iraq by Kathy Henderson.
Ireland: The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O’Shea, 1985.
The King of Ireland by Padraic Colum.
Under the Hawthorne Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna.
Israel: The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev.
Hosni the Dreamer: An Arabian Tale by Ehud Ben-Ezer.
Italy: The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino.
The Black Corsair by Emilio Salgari.
The Treehouse by Bianca Pitzorno.
Rose Blanche by Christophe Gallaz & Robert Innocenti.
Jamaica
Japan: Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka (manga).
The Magic Pocket by Michio Mado.
Hiroshima No Pika by Toshi Maruki.
Basho and the Fox by Tim Myers.
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya: Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter.
The Mzungu Boy by Meja Mwangi.
The Matatu by Eric Walters.
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon: A Game for Swallows by Zeina Abirached
Lesotho: Noma’s Sand by Meshack Asare.
Liberia: Why Leopard Has Spots: Dan Stories from Liberia by Margaret Lippert.
Libya: The Shadow of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz.
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) by William Kamkwamba.
The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis.
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali: Yatandou by Gloria Whelan. (American author)
Sundiata: lion king of Mali by David Wisniewski.
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico: My Sweet Orange Tree by Jose Vasconcelos.
What Can You Do with a Rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla. (American author)
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia Mongolian Folktales by Hillary Roe Metternich (The author is not Mongolian, but the illustrator is.)
Montenegro
Morocco: The Butter Man by Elizabeth Letts and Ali Alalou.
Star of Light by Patricia St. John.
Mozambique: A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer. (American author)
Myanmar (Burma) Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins.
N
Namibia: The 3 Little Dassies by Jan Brett. (American author)
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands: Almost Everyone Could Topple by Toon Tellegen.
Crusade in Jeans by Thea Beckman.
Frog in Winter by Max Velthujis.
Jip and Janneke by Annie Schmidt.
The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt.
anything by Meindert De Jong
New Zealand: In Lane Three, Alex Archer by Tessa Duder.
A Lion in the Meadow by Margaret Mahy.
Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd.
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria: anything by Ifeoma Onyefulu.
Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe.
The African Mask by Janet Rupert.
The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo.
North Korea
Norway: The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder.
Don’t Take Teddy by Babbis Friis-Baastad.
Garmann’s Summer by Stian Hole.
Oman
Pakistan: Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slavery by Susan Kuklin.
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn William and Khadra Mohammad.
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai.
Palau
Palestine: Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye.
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat.
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru: Adventurous Tales of Machu Picchu by Ciro Alegria.
The Cholito Series by Oscar Colchado Lucio.
Philippines: Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore. (Filipino American author)
Poland: Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Snow by Uri Shulevitz.
The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz.
Portugal: All the Children of the Earth by Sidonio Muralha.
Qatar: The Donkey Lady and Other Tales from the Arabian Gulf.
Romania: The Cherry Kids by Constantin Chirita.
Russia: Sophie’s Misfortunes by Sophie Rostopochine.
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer.
The Turnip by Jan Brett. (American author)
Stories for Young People by Leo Tolstoy.
An Old Tale Carved Out of Stone by A. Linevskii.
Kashtanka by Anton Chekhov.
Rwanda
S
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia: Ali and the Golden Eagle by Wayne Grover.
*Scotland: Across the Barricades by Joan Lingard.
Martin Farrell by Janni Howker.
Katie Morag Delivers the Mail by Mairi Hedderwick.
Senegal: Bintou’s Braids by Sylvianne Diouf.
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone: The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland.
Singapore: Sasha Visits Singapore by Shamini Flint.
Slovakia: Simple National Slovak Tales by Pavol Dobšinský, 1858.
Tweet Tweet by Ludmilla Podjavorinska.
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia: Tales of Punt by Abdi Abdulkadir Sheik-Abdi.
Wiil Waal: A Somali Folktale by Kathleen Moriarty.
South Africa: Jamela’s Dress by Niki Daly.
Jock of the Bushveld by Percy Fitzpatrick, 1907.
Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent.
South Korea: Yellow Umbrella by Jae Soo Ryu.
South Sudan
Spain: Caperucita in Manhattan by Carmen Gaite.
The Fantastic Antonita by Borita Casas.
Grimpow: The Invisible Road by Rafael Abalos, 2007.
Marc Just Couldn’t Sleep by Gabriela Keselman.
Platero y yo by Juan Jimenez.
Sri Lanka
Sudan: The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney. (American author)
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden: The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren.
Agnes Cecelia by Maria Gripe.
Good Night, Alfie Atkins by Gunila Bergstrom.
Switzerland: The Children from No. 67 by Lisa Tetzner.
Two Little Bears by Hanna Muschg (Johansen)
When the World Was New (Young) by Jurg Schubiger.
Syria Escape From Aleppo by N.H. Senzai.
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania: anything by Tololwa Mollel.
Bimwili & the Zimwi by Verna Aardema.
Jungle Doctor by Paul White.
Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters.
Thailand: Rice Without Rain by Minfong Ho. (Chinese American author who grew up in SE Asia)
The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story by Pegi Deitz Shea.
The White Elephant by Sid Fleischman.
*Tibet: Mrs. Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter. (American author)
Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal.
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey: Sister Shako and Kolo the Goat: Memories of My Childhood in Turkey by Vedat Dalokay.
Nasreddine by Odile Weulersse. (French author)
Turkmenistan: How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz. (Polish American author)
Tuvalu
Uganda: Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji.
Ukraine: The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale by Jan Brett.
United Arab Emirates
UK (United Kingdom): Enid Blyton
Ameliaranne and the Green Umbrella by Constance Heward.
Autumn Term by Antonia Forest, 1948.
Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers by John Burningham, 1963.
The Camels Are Coming (Biggles) by W.E. Johns, 1932.
The Little Grey Men by BB (DJ Watkins-Pitchfork).
Uruguay: The Adventures of Rupert the Toad by Roy Berocay, 1994.
Jungle Tales by Horacio Quiroga, 1918.
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City (Holy See)
Venezuela: Hot-footed Miguel Vicente by Orlando Araujo.
The Streets Are Free by Kurusa.
Vietnam: A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata.
Y
Yemen I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali.
Z
Zambia: Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan.
Sikulu & Harambe by the Zambezi River: An African Version of the Good Samaritan Story
by Kunle Oguneye
Zimbabwe: Far From Home by Na’ima B. Robert.
Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell.
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer.