World Kid Lit Month 2024: Traditions.

From celebrations to traditions - over this month I've travelled the globe, and subjects - and I hope you enjoyed the journey with me. 

The big bath house by Kyo Maclear & Gracey Zhang. 

A celebration of traditions and growing up. And of bodies of all shapes and sizes. 

Come together: things every Aussie kid should know about the First Peoples by Isaiah Firebrace & Jaelyn Biumaiwai. 

In this essential book, Isaiah, a Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara man, establishes a foundation of First Nations knowledge with 20 key topics. Alongside bright and contemporary illustrations by Mununjali and Fijian artist Jaelyn Biumaiwai, Isaiah connects us to each topic through his own personal story and culture, from the importance of Elders to the Dreaming. From Koori Curriculum. 

This is a taonga (treasure). It is worth trying to find, to get some insights into one of the oldest continuous culture on our planet. 

Coming home to country by Bronwyn Bancroft. 

The colours, smells, and sounds of the author's Country are vividly brought to life. Australia is home to many a Country.

Country is the connection Australian First Nations have to a place. To the lands, seas, and waterways. To their family and community. 

The ocean calls by Tina Cho & Jess X. Snow. 

The pull of traditions, and aspirations. But, seriously, wouldn't you want to grow up and be a haenyeo - a free diving mermaid? 

How my Koro became a star by Brianne Te Paa & Story Hemi Moorhouse. 

The author, Brianne Te Paa, is a local for me. Literally works a ten minute walk away. We've done story readings at the same events - at a venue equidistant. 

Even without that geographical connection, this book would pull on my heart, and I would find a home for it in my house, and my life. 

World Kid Lit Month 2024: Celebrations

After kicking off the month with a book about celebrations around the world, now it's time to celebrate! Yes, two of the four books are Christmas. But, they aren't white, Western, traditional Christmas. 

An island Christmas by Lynn Joseph & Catherine Stock. 

Welcome to Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago. A story rich in traditions, and carrying the warmth of family and the tropical sun. 

Shubh Diwali by Chitra Soundar & Charlene Chua. 

Additional author notes, and a diverse community - shown in the illustrations - make this a wonderful introduction to Diwali. 

The trolley by Patricia Grace & Kerry Gemmill. 

A classic from Aotearoa New Zealand. Christmas in a small whānau (family), with a solo-mum doing her best to make this the best Christmas. 

White Sunday by Litea Fuata & Myo Yim. 

White Sunday is an important part of Samoan life, whether living on their ancestral lands, or part of the Pacific Island diaspora. This book is a joyous celebration of tradition and aiga (family). 

World Kid Lit Month 2024: Around the world

Here are some of my favourite picture books which span the globe. 

Celebrate by Laura Mucha & Hannah Tolson

How better to kick off my World Kid Lit Month, than with a book about celebrations and parties! There are worldwide celebrations, and then site-specific ones. 

List of festivals included: Arbor Day, Argungu Fishing Festival, Barriletes Gigantes, Bloemencorso Zundert, Chinese New Year, Christmas, Constitution Day, Crepissage De La Grande Mosque, Cure Sale, Diade los Muertos, Diablos Danzantesdel Yare, Diwali, Duanwu, Easter, Eid, Festival of Giants, Festival of Near-Death Experiences, Fiesta de la Tirana, Gion Festival, Golden Stilt Festival, Guca Trumpet Festival, Guy Fawkes Night, Halloween, Heivai Tahiti, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Indian Market, Inti Raymi, Juneteenth, Kurentovanje, Kuru Dance Festival, Lajkonik, Las Parrandas, Laura Quinkan Dance Festival, Lotus Lantern Festival, Moussemof Sidi Hmad Mghani, Naadam, Nowruz, Oruro Carnival, Pchum Ben, Pesach, Quebec Winter Carnival, Rio Carnival, Tango Festival, Thanksgiving, The Great Ethiopian Run, Toraja Funeral Rites, Vaisakhi, Venice Carnival, Waitangi Day, Yam Festival. 

Hanukkah upside down by Elissa Brent Weissman & Omer Hoffman

Cousinly rivalry from the other side of the world based on Hanukkah traditions. 

Matariki around the world by Rangiānehu Mātāmua, Miriama Kamo, & Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. 

I'm not sure whether there are enough words in the world for how much I love this book. Yes, I own a copy. If my mother is healthy and alive at 90, there's an illustration in there she wants as a tattoo (her previous ones were for her 70th and 80th birthdays). 

Mirror by Jeannie Baker

I have a longstanding love for Jeannie Baker, and I would recommend every single one of her books - especially the ones illustrated in assemblage - but there is something even-more-than-usual magical about this title. 

World Kid Lit Month 2023: Bonus picture book: Different hemispheres

Bonus picture book: Different hemispheres. 

Hanukkah upside down. 
Written by Elissa Brent Weissman; illustrated by Omer Hoffmann. 

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2023. 

Bonus book with a bonus cat. 

As someone from the southern hemisphere, whose pop culture is dominated by the global north, it's not weird that December celebrations happen in winter. 

I mean, it's not something we personally experience, but it's not outside our awareness. 

I'm all for Nora believing that her southern hemisphere way is the best. It is really hard to break out of the cultural hegemony, and reset your thinking. 

I have always celebrated Christmas in summer, but some part of me yearns for a white Christmas, for example.