World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 7-12: Europe

 

Feather.

Written and translated from the Welsh by Manon Steffan Ros.

Firefly Press, 2024.

Originally published in Welsh as Pluen.

Huw always pops in to see his nan on the way home from school – she bakes him cakes and never fusses about his homework. So it's a great shock when, one day, Nan forgets his name, and calls him Johnny – the long-unmentionable name of her late brother. As Nan slowly slips into the grip of dementia, Huw and his friends go on a quest to learn more about Johnny and what happened to him. Exploring themes of friendship, family bonds and the history of conscientious objection in WW2, Feather is both modern and historical, as well as being relatable, particularly for children who may have grandparents with a similar dementia struggle to Nan.

Sympathetic and gentle, with moments of strength and sadness. Huw standing up to his father and asking for some attention is so brave.

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 0-6: Bilingual Picture Book

  

Kende! Kende! Kende!

Written by Kirsten Cappy and Yaya Gentille.

Illustrated by Rahana Dariah.

Child's Play Inc., 2024.

Text in English and French and some words in Lingala. Picture book.

A multilingual story of love and learning, joy and journey. Inspired by the families throughout Central Africa who are forced to leave their homes, this is an honest but hopeful own-voice narrative about displacement, migration, and finding a new home. Having fled their village as conflict approaches, Mamá, Papá, Lolie, and Nico live in a refugee camp until they are chosen for resettlement in North America. Their new city is a go, go, go of new challenges, but also a return to love and learning, joy and journey. A text woven from three languages (English, French and words in Lingala) celebrates multilingual speakers and the resilience of refugees.

Journeys told through the number of wheels on vehicles. The things that stand out as different, including women driving and doing physical activities.

The first language is French while in Africa, then swaps to English when the family is resettled. The Lingala words are in bold and in capitals, with script similar to handwriting.

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 0-6: Africa

 

I'll see you in Ijebu.

Written by Bunmi Emenanjo.

Illustrated by Diana Ejaita.

Barefoot Books, 2024.

Picture book.

A Catholic girl growing up in the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria takes a trip to spend a week with her Muslim extended family in the countryside town of Ijebu to celebrate Eid al-Adha. Her days in Ijebu are filled with celebrations, traditions and special time connecting with family. Breathtaking illustration and poetic writing draws the reader into the sensory experience of celebrating Eid in Nigeria, while detailed endmatter includes information about Nigeria and Eid al-Adha, recipe for Nigerian puff puff and more.

Family, traditions, and love. A beautiful depiction of how followers of two different religious traditions can celebrate and support each other.

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 7-12: A Language with a Non-Latin Script

 

The village beyond the mist.

Written by Sachiko Kashiwaba.

Illustrated by Miho Satake.

Translated from Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa.

Restless Books, 2025.

A mountain town that's not on any map, a messy bookstore with infinite doors, and a spoiled prince under a forgetful wizard's curse... this summer might hold more than Lina bargained for! When a gust of wind carries off her umbrella, it leads Lina down a secret path between the trees to a strange and incredible world. In the hidden village of Misty Valley, centaurs roam the cobblestone streets and gnomes visit shops stuffed with spellbooks and enchanted desserts. All magic has a dark side, though, and sometimes even sorcerers need a human's helping hand.

For the younger age group – more 12 to 14 years.

Ethereal and mystical.

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 13-18: Asia

 

The girl and the goddess: a modern myth. 

Written and illustrated by by Nikita Gill.

Ebury Press, 2020.

Novel in verse.

Let her be a little less human, a little more divine.

Give her heart armour so it doesn't break as easily as mine.

One girl's wild journey of strength, beauty and growth as she discovers who she really is. Lyrical wonder, spiritual revelation and revolution meet with epic mythical landscapes in this deeply intimate coming-of-age story, one that teaches us all, no matter how small we feel, to become the masters of our own destiny. Meet Paro. A girl with a strong will, a full heart and much to learn. Born into a family reeling from the ruptures of Partition, follow her as she crosses the precarious lines between childhood, teenage discovery and realising her adult self. Nikita Gill's masterful poetry and beautiful illustrations conjure up jasmine-scented voices and smiles inhabited by ancestor's souls, rain dancing in a new city and the painful caverns in our hearts. We are taken on a journey of deity wisdom, fragmented family, and love lost and gained. We see power in belief, healing from trauma and hope after conflict. Undercurrents of the Trimurti, the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer, run deep, as Paro must confront fear, desire and the darkest parts of herself in the search for meaning and, ultimately, empowerment. Navigating different cultures, religions and identities, The Girl and the Goddess is a mesmerising poetic tale of where we come from, how we grow and how we become who we are.

Powerful, a book to think about and absorb.

A verse novel, which takes less time than a traditional novel – but, it is so deep it takes time to come to terms with everything.