Tuesday, 22 September 2026

World Kid Lit Month 2026: Explorer Challenger: 7-12: ALA Batchelder Award for Children’s Books in Translation

 

Home.  

Written and illustrated by Isabelle Simler.

Translated from the French by Vineet Lal. 

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024.

Originally published in French as Maison by Éditions Courtes et Longues, 2022.

Illustrated large format poetic nonfiction.

A spectacular tour through the dwellings of twenty-seven different animals, from a hermit crab's secondhand shell to a beaver's lakeside dam to a comet moth's silk cocoon. Acclaimed creator Isabelle Simler presents a poetic journey through amazing animal homes across the world. In Europe, alpine marmots stay safe in underground refuges. In southeast Asia, Sumatran orangutans doze off in treetop bedrooms. In Mexico and the southwestern US, elf owls nest in holes in saguaro cacti. On every continent but Antarctica, honeybees mold wax into palaces for their queens. No matter where you travel, some creature is making an extraordinary place to call home. With connections to life cycles, camouflage, and other biological concepts, Home is a spellbinding showcase of the wonders of the natural world. Enchanting poetry, fascinating back matter, and intricately detailed art invite young readers to be amazed by the creativity and diversity of our animal neighbors.

Translation is an art. It is one I am incapable of – but I can imagine that translating poetry would be the hardest. This is exemplary – and accompanied by amazing illustrations.

No comments:

Post a Comment