Global Voices: Picture Books from Around the World

Internationally published books provide a different point of view from what is generally presented in books produced in the United States, and anyone who has tried to purchase books from another country knows how hard it can be. This volume is a good starting point for finding quality picture books from around the world. The first part is broken into three chapters that give a general overview of the topic: why children in the U. S. should read books from other countries; a brief introduction into the cultural differences in art and illustration; and an explanation on how some topics that recur across national lines (Family Life, War and Conflicts, Folk and Fairy Tales) are presented in various ways in different cultures. The second part consists of bibliographies of picture books organized by geographical location: Africa and the Middle East; Asia; Australia and New Zealand; Canada; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean. The selected titles offer an authentic perspective of that country and have literary and artistic merit. It is a vast area to cover, and for many of the countries there are (understandably), just a handful of titles. Some of the older titles (pre-2009) are out of print. A good starting point for diversifying picture book collections or filling in gaps in international book collections.—Renee McGrath, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY