World Kid Lit Month 2024: Dance

Dance can be a serious business - but it can also be a joyous celebration. Dance can tell stories. Share histories. Help with self-expression. Be an expression of your heritage - singular, or multi-faceted. 

Dazzlehands by Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan. 

Oh my goodness! This is a joy and a delight! It has captured readers around Aotearoa New Zealand. It has even been adapted as a ballet! 

The greatest haka festival on earth by Pania Tahau-Hodges & Story Hemi-Morehouse. 

If you ever have the chance to see any of Te Matatini - then do so! 

Haka by Patricia Grace & Andrew Burdan. 

If you watch Te Matatini, you'll see a lot of haka. This is the story of the one that's the most famous: Ka Mate. I've chosen this video, as it has subtitles, and translations. 

Watercress tuna and the children of Champion Street by Patricia Grace & Robyn Kahukiwa. 

I love the joy in this Aotearoa classic, and the way it demonstrates how diverse our communities are. 

Luna loves dance by Joseph Coelho & Fiona Lumbers. 

Luna loves to dance, but does that mean she can pass exams and be a 'real' dancer? A story as bright as the illustrations, and Luna herself. 

World Kid Lit Month 2024: Colonisation & History

Because, it's not all fun and games. And, sometimes, children's books have a way of cutting through all the crap and obfuscation, and get to what matters. 

Freedom Soup by Tami Charles & Jacqueline Alcántara. 

History through family, traditions, and food. And joy. So much joy! 

(And, let's leave it at that, because searching for the Haiti Independence Debt will not do anything positive for your mental health. Because f*** colonialism.) 

Somebody's land by Adam Goodes & David Hardy. 

This is part of a series of picture books, focusing on First Nations / Australian Aboriginal culture and history. Although a picture book, this is an introduction to the concept of 'terra nullius' - the Western concept that the land was nobody's, and they had the 'right' to claim it. 

Young dark emu by Bruce Pascoe. 

The history in this is tied in with the concept of 'terra nullius' - that the Australian First Nations people didn't farm the land. As Pascoe has shown in Dark Emu (his adult book), they did - just not in Western European ways. 

The house that Jack built by Gavin Bishop. 

This is a tale told in pictures, and fine details. You need to read the illustrations - and every single piece, every little side picture. 

Patu by Gavin Bishop. 

Gavin Bishop has been at the height of his powers for years, which means he is stratospherically / astronomically brilliant. 

True Story by Robyn Kahukiwa. 

Robyn Kahukiwa is a taonga (treasure) and has not been backward in fronting with historical realities and violence, but it has been rare for her to be so upfront in a children's book. This is self-published which, I think, gave her the freedom to truly express herself and the history she needed to share. 

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 2024: Introduction

Kia ora tīma! 

For this year's World Kid Lit Month, I've decided to share some of my favourite picture books - grouped into rough themes / topics. Some of the themes have looser interpretations than others. Some are heavier than others. 

Some of the books maybe have been created / published by US creators / publishers - but the creators are not Pākehā / white. 

I'll be posting every couple of days: 

• Across the world
• Celebrations
• Colonisation and history
• Dance
• Death
• Family and friends
• Feelings
• Food
• Grandparents
• Languages
• LGBTQIA+ 
• Nature
• Self esteem
• Social issues
• Traditions