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

  

Light and colour.

Edited by Corey Tutt.

Hardie Grant Children, 2026.

Illustrated nonfiction.

Light from our Sun and other sources is all around, bringing colour, heat and energy. Over time, humans have harnessed light to create fire, fluorescent light and even scientific equipment like lasers. But light and colour are tricky. Too much or too little light changes our body chemistry, when it bends it can fool our eyes, and it can even act like a wave or a particle. Explore what First Australians and scientists have learned about the incredible properties of light and colour.

Part of a series which includes Numbers in Nature, Earth’s changing surfaces, Animal survival.

A wonderful synthesis of Australian First Nations knowledge and science, with Western science.

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

 

My first ikura.

Written by Qiane Matata-Sipu.  

Illustrated by Isobel Te Aho-White.

Taku ikura tuatahi

Nā Qiane Matata-Sipu. 

Nā Stacey Morrison i whakamaori. 

Nā Isobel Joy Te Aho-White i waituhi. 

QIANE+co, 2025.  

Sophisticated picture book.

A gentle and powerful story that reclaims the sacredness of a girl’s first ikura (period) through a Māori lens — celebrating connection, ceremony and whakapapa. Rooted in te ao Māori, My First Ikura and the reo Māori translation Taku Ikura Tuatahi is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that follows a young girl’s first period, guided by the support of her whānau. More than a story of physical change, it celebrates womanhood as a sacred rite of passage. First of its kind in Aotearoa, it addresses first menstruation through a Māori cultural framework. Culturally affirming, it emphasises ceremony, family support and ancestral wisdom — it also includes a specially written karakia for families to learn together. Beautifully produced, with premium finishes and lush, full-colour illustrations using traditional earth pigments (kōkōwai). Created by recognised Māori creatives: Builds trust and demand from readers seeking authentic Indigenous voices. Education-friendly: Supports conversations in kura, classrooms and at home about periods, wellbeing and identity.

What an absolutely stunning book. Such positivity and support. 

Dragging out the knowledge I half-remember from the introductory anthropology paper I took (in *mumble* 1990!) - and the essay I wrote about menstruation customs - this approach is very rare. 

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 0-6: The Americas

 

I am a Bon dancer.  Written by Brandi-Ann Uyemura.

Illustrated by Amy Matsushita-Beal.

Holiday House, 2026.  Picture book.

"I thread each arm through my peach sleeves. Grandpa Jo ties the bright yellow sash around me. I check to make sure the paper flowers in my hair are on just right. I am ready for my first Bon dance festival!” 

It's a young Japanese-American girl's first time at the "Festival of Souls," one of the largest Buddhist festivals. It's just like her grandfather described: the smell of corndogs, the glow of hanging paper lanterns, the beat of taiko drums. But Grandpa Jo didn't tell her that everyone else already knew how to dance! Suddenly, the lanterns feel like spotlights. She wish, wish, wishes she could dance, but she can't bring herself to try until Grandpa Jo encourages her to remember the meaning of the Obon Festival - celebrating our family members who have passed on - and to imagine her beloved Grandma Nat dancing along with her. Because she is there, and behind her are her parents, sugar-cane cutters, and behind them are their parents, who came to Hawai'i on ships from Japan.

Traditions of light and dance – and their connection to those who have passed.

The author is fifth generation Hawai’ian Japanese.

The illustrator was born in the USA, and is now based in Tokyo.

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

 

How we share cake.

Written and illustrated by Kim Hyo-eun.

Translated from Korean by Deborah Smith.

Scribe Publications, 2024.

Picture book.

Original Korean edition published by Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Making sure you get your rightful share in a family of five siblings is never easy. Everything must be carefully calculated and precisely measured to make sure no one misses out. How we share cake is an exploration of the timeless struggle for fairness and justice among brothers and sisters.

Slices of cake – and Korean life – are shared in this recognisable family situation.

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

 

Who Will Make the Snow?

Written by Taras Prokhasko.

Illustrated by Marjana Proshasko.

Translated from Ukrainian by Boris Dralyuk and Jennifer Croft.

Elsewhere, 2023.

The two newest moles in the forest learn to dig themselves out of their comfort zones and experience the boundless, unpredictable world around them – a Social Emotional Learning adventure. Twin moles, Purr and Craw, are born on the first day of spring. The newest members of their woodland world, they’re curious about everything. What is swimming? Why does mother speak French as she makes pancakes? What does father scrawl in his notebook? Do animals live in the sea? Why do grownups eat smelly cheese? How do we get better when we're sick? What happens when we die? As they start to grow up, every day is filled with another adventure as they explore the peculiar characters that surround them in the forest. Home is always waiting for them, filled with the clacking of father’s typewriter, the sound of mother playing her upright bass, and the smells of quince jam and medicinal moss brews. During their adventures outside the home, they learn that the world is sometimes scarier, stranger and more dangerous than it seemed from the pocket of their father’s coat. Each new encounter leaves Purr and Craw a little braver and wiser and with a few extra friends. Beautifully illustrated with scenes of mischief and discovery by Marjana Prohasko, Who Will Make the Snow? reminds us that the world is always larger and more wonderful than we can see from our own corner of the woods.

An early chapter book. Very cute, however many tasks are assigned based on gender stereotypes.