World Kid Lit Month: Bingo for 0-6: Europe

Love Around the World and Love Is Love

Written by Fleur Pierets. 

Illustrated by Fatinha Ramos. 

Six Foot Press, 2019 and 2020. 

In 2017 Fleur Pierets and Julian P. Boom started a performance art piece, to marry in every country that legalised same-sex marriage. 

These two picture books are the virtual culmination of this project as, sadly, Julian passed away in 2018.

The couple travel to 28 countries, symbolically marrying, and learn about their traditions. Although they travel the world, 14 of the countries are in Europe, and the creators are from Europe. 

World Kid Lit Month: Bingo for 0-6: A Language with a Non-Latin Script

Senses series in English-Urdu. 

Original Turkish text by Erdem Seçmen. 

Illustrated by Chris Dittopoulos. 

Translated to English by Alvin Parmar and adapted by Milet. 

Milet Publishing, 2013. 

These books are an example of the global nature of publishing.

Simple concept books, originally in Turkish, translated to English, and into many languages:

• Bengali.
• Chinese
• French.
• German.
• Italian.
• Korean.
• Polish.
• Portuguese.
• Russian.
• Somali.
• Urdu.
• Vietnamese.

I am, however, disappointed that the translator into Urdu isn’t noted in the publication information. 

World Kid Lit Month: Bingo for 0-6: The Americas

We All Play Kimêtawânaw. 

Written and illustrated by Julie Flett. 

Translations into Plans Cree (y-dialect) by the Cree Literacy Network. 

Greystone Books, 2021. 

A little delight of a book, with boundless fun and energy.

From the author’s afterword:

[W]e are all connected [land, plants, beetles, etc], living in relationship and in care to one another, in kinship. In Cree, this is called wâhkôhtowin.

World Kid Lit Month: Bingo for 0-6: Oceania

The dynamic duo of Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata).

•  Keys / Ngā Kī (Huia, 2014). 

• The Marble Maker | Te Kaihanga Māpere (Huia, 2016). 

• The Bomb | Te Pohū (Huia, 2018). 

• Cannonball (US edition of The Bomb; Sourcebooks, 2020). 

• One Bird Band (Little Steps Publishing, 2022) 

• When Daddy Tucks Me In (US edition of Keys; Sourcebooks, 2023). 

• Dazzlehands / Ringakōreko (Huia, 2023). 

• A Guide to Rocks / He Taonga te Toka (Huia, 2025)

Te reo Māori editions translated by Kawata Teepa (Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea).

I had the privilege to be part of the audience for the inaugural performance of A Guide to Rocks at the Auckland. Claire Mabey, in this article for The Spinoff, wasn’t the only one crying – and wanting the pair to have a recording contract. Like Crissi Blair, in her report, I thought Ice Cream was a hit – I heard it once, months ago, and now my earworm is ‘brain freeze emergency.’

One the face of it, not all of their books are obviously from Oceania / the Pacific region / Aotearoa New Zealand, but there’s a certain quality that infuses them all.

World Kid Lit Month: Bingo for 0-6: A Language Spoken by a Friend

Miro / Look and Titiro / Look. 

English text, and illustrations, by Gavin Bishop. 

Spanish translation by Zab Translation. 

Te reo Māori translation by Darryn Joseph. 

Gecko Press, 2024. 

I love, love, LOVE the te reo Māori / English version of this, so finding the Spanish / English version in our collection, was a joy.

Gavin Bishop is a legend – a taonga (treasure).

Recently, he has been tasked with creating little gems of board books, perfect for our littlest readers.

Titiro / Look won this year’s Best Picture Book Award in the New Zealand Books Awards for Children & Young Adults. 

As reviewers have noted, it is deceptively simple.