Kalaniot Books

Heather reading in the sunlight and Izzy clowning with donuts

Translating Classic Art into Contemporary Picture Book Illustrations

We’re putting a bit of a twist on Translation Month this September. We frequently highlight linguistic translators and their work in making children’s books from around the world accessible to English language readers. We look for them to receive credit from publishers on book covers and seek out their skillsets in workshops and on panels. […]

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Headshots of translators Charis Ainslie, Ilana Kurshan, and Juliana Barbassa

Kid Lit Women in Translation

August is a time to celebrate the women authors who can be read in more than the language in which they write. Thanks to their recognition by publishers, and the skillful work of professional translators, we want to call attention this year to the following women during the Women In Translation month of August. The

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Pagespread from back matter shows six panes of information, including details for Seneca Fall Convention, Dakota Pipeline Protest, Bram & Bett v Ashley, United States v Wong Kim Ark, Loving v Virginia, Obergefell v Hodges

Real Life Activist Heroes

Demonstrators, protesters, activists—what’s the difference? All work to deliver a public effect. Demonstrators make a public stand among a group of like-minded people that may be against or for an element of the status quo in public life. Protesters, as the word indicates, also take a public role, usually within a group, against something that

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Butterknife and fork on blue background

Pairing Power

Just as two eyes provide depth missing when we look ahead with just one eye, a pair of complementary books provide a deeper experience of their shared—and complementary—theme. The pairs suggested here each fit together, rather than presenting oppositional or dichotomous views. Like a pair of friends rowing a boat across new waters with greater

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Fimo dough constructed penguin pair and their stack of books tucked into a rocky niche, Kelvin Walk, Glasgow

Celebrating Titles Featured on 2024’s Best Books for Kids Lists

It’s the end of another publishing year and the best lists are snowing upon us! What we love about the plethora of these lists from children’s literature experts, review publications, and national press resources is how so many perspectives pop into focus: diverse list makers see “best” in so many different—and complementary—ways. Some of the

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Chai symbol for life in Hebrew

Explore Diversity in Jewish Identity with Picture Books

Culture and tradition are part and parcel of every person’s identity and yet many of us—perhaps especially in the United States—tend to see the identities of those around us as flattened into tropes. Instead of ignoring the nuances that encompass unforced and forced migrations, developments in social and political surroundings, and even availability of food

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Women Who Connect the World of Books to Readers

August is celebrated annually as Women In Translation Month. This is the time when we turn specific attention—and give gratitude—to the women writers  and the women translators who make possible access to stories from many languages to readers who can access them only in their own home languages. Professional translation is an art, just as

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Tales in Tune:  Music and Picture Books

Fusing the delights of music and story is a powerful way to teach basic concepts as well as explore deeper ideas and emotions.  Over my nearly 30 years of teaching young children, I’ve set a LOT of knowledge to simple tunes: the names of continents, oceans, countries and states, math concepts, simplified steps of the

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Hansel & Gretel cover on left and interior spread on right

Old Tales Told Afresh

As the old year makes way for the new, let’s take a look through some fresh retellings of old stories. Some of these stories are rooted in folklore; others have been recrafted from literary works of bygone centuries. All offer new ways of seeing and understanding the roots from which they grow, just as insights

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