We asked publishers to tell us about some of the recent and forthcoming children’s titles in translation they’re especially proud to be bringing to U.S. readers, from thought-provoking picture books to YA fantasies and more.
Arctis Books USA
Fehu (Whisper of the Ravens #2) by Malene Sølvsten, trans. from the Danish by Adrienne Alair. Oct. 15, $22 ISBN 978-1-64690-027-5
The Virus (Kepler62 #5) by Bjørn Sortland and Timo Parvela, trans. from the Finnish by Owen Witesman, illus. by Pasi Pitkänen. Sept., $16 ISBN 978-1-64690-036-7
The Secret (Kepler62 #6) by Bjørn Sortland and Timo Parvela, trans. from the Finnish by Owen Witesman, illus. by Pasi Pitkänen. Oct. 22, $16 ISBN 978-1-64690-037-4
“One of the books I’m excited about is the second book in the Whisper of the Ravens series, Fehu [Oct. 15], by Danish author Malene Sølvsten. We released the first book, Ansuz, last year and unfortunately it hasn’t done as well as we had hoped. It’s a beautiful fantasy/thriller trilogy with lots of Norse mythology in it. The series has been beautifully translated by Adrienne Alair, and it’s got such a rich, vibrant world that I think readers will love.
Two more titles I’m looking forward to seeing on the bookshelves are The Virus and The Secret—the last two books in the middle grade space adventure series Kepler62 by Bjørn Sortland and Timo Parvela, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen, and translated by Owen Witesman. The whole series is very edge-of-your-seat, and these last two books are no exception, with a terrific reveal readers will love! Books five and six are coming out in September and October and I think readers will find the ending very satisfying and exciting.”—Joy Bean, editorial director, Arctis Books USA
Eerdmans
The Cat Way by Sara Lundberg, trans. from the Swedish by B.J. Woodstein. Oct. 8, $18.99 ISBN 978-0-8028-5633-3
Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise: Poems of Animal Opposites by Bette Westera, illus. by Mies van Hout, trans. from the Dutch by David Colmer. Sept. 17, $18.99 ISBN 978-0-8028-5635-7
It Is Okay by Ye Guo. Aug., $17.99 ISBN 978-0-8028-5624-1
We’ve got a number of other great international books on our upcoming fall list, including Sara Lundberg’s The Cat Way, a Swedish translation about what happens when a human decides to give up control and let their cat take the lead. Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise is a Dutch book of animal opposite poems from Batchelder Honor-winning author Bette Westera. And It Is Okay, an English-language debut from Chinese author-illustrator Ye Guo, is about two characters who manage to be friends despite their differences. All of these books are being eagerly received and earning beautiful reviews from a variety of sources.”—Kathleen Merz, editorial director, Eerdmans
Enchanted Lion and Unruly
The Adventures of Cipollino, trans. from the Italian by Antony Shugaar, illus. by Dasha Tolstikova. 2025, ISBN 978-1-59270-416-3
The Grammar of Fantasy, trans. from the Italian by Jack Zipes, illus. by Matthew Forsythe. Mar. 11, 2025, $29.95 ISBN 978-1-59270-305-0
Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto, trans. from Italian by Antony Shugaar, illus. by Roman Muradov. Jan. 28. 2025, $29.95 ISBN 978-1-59270-415-6
Old as Stone, Hard as Rock, of Humans & War, with artist’s note and introduction by Ammiel Alcalay. Jan. 14, 2025, $34.95 ISBN 978-1-59270-421-7
Gravity and Other Substances by Daniel Liévano. 2025, ISBN 978-1-59270-473-6
“We are very much looking forward to the following books in translation, all publishing in 2025. Pedagogy and storytelling are expertly combined in The Grammar of Fantasy, Gianni Rodari’s great theoretical work that presents concepts, exercises, and examples to stimulate the imagination and unleash the creativity of absolutely everyone: children and parents, students and teachers, writers and artists, and more. Also from Rodari, Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto is a trenchant, well-observed, and humorous novel of social critique in which the book’s central conceit has the titular Baron Lamberto start to age in reverse, miraculously recovering from his infirmities, from injuries big and small, and even from old age and death itself.
Unruly, Enchanted Lion’s imprint for older readers, will be publishing Alessandro Sanna’s Old as Stone, Hard as Rock, Of Humans & War, a book about humans and war––a visual journey through a rich and suggestive series of paintings depicting the strife, battles, wars, and terror that we have unleashed from our very beginnings through the events of September 11, 2001. Also coming from Unruly is Gravity and Other Substances Colombian artist Daniel Liévano, a powerful visual allegory that explores one of the least traveled areas of comics: the representation of abstract, or even pure ideas. —Claudia Zoe Bedrick, publisher, editor, and art director, Enchanted Lion
Elsewhere Editions
Head in the Clouds by Rocío Araya, trans. from the Spanish by Sarah Moses. Sept. 24, $19.95 ISBN 978-1-953861-90-0
Mafalda: Book One by Quino, trans. from the Spanish by Frank Wynne. Apr. 8. 2025, $18 ISBN 978-1-962770-04-0
“We have so many gems on the horizon, it’s hard to choose. This season, we are publishing a picture book debut by Rocío Araya, translated from the Spanish by Sarah Moses, Head in the Clouds. This is a philosophical story: a girl has questions that don’t fit into her conventional schoolteacher’s curriculum. Araya, who comes from a fine art background, collages together lined notebook paper, magazine cut outs, maps, and other ephemera, and paints and draws on top of these creations. The final book is a treasure. You find things in the pages after a fourth or fifth read that you may not have noticed before.
And in spring 2025, we will publish Quino’s comic book sensation Mafalda, in Frank Wynne’s vibrant translation. Mafalda is huge throughout the world. There’s a new Netflix show in the works. There are public statues of her in Spain; she’s been published throughout Europe and Asia. She’s only six years old but she talks about capitalism, imperialism, power hungry politicians, war, unions, and her hopeless parents with an incredible satirical wit. She approaches problems with genuine curiosity. She has a posse who you get to know as you read, each a fully formed kid: Manolito, Miguelito, and Susanita. They make up their own rules for chess and try communicating with aliens. To say that we have high hopes for Mafalda would be an understatement!” —Sarah Gale, editor and director of publicity, Archipelago/Elsewhere Editions
Gecko Press
The Remarkables: The Most Incredible Children I’ve Met—So Far! by Clotilde Perrin, trans. from the French by Daniel Hahn. Sept., $24.99 ISBN 978-1-77657-504-6
How to Draw: The Definitive Guide by Enric Lux, trans. from the Catalan/Spanish by Daniel Hahn. Fall 2025
A Better Best Friend by Olivier Tallec, trans. from the French by Antony Shugaar. Mar., $18.99 ISBN 978-1-77657-573-2
“Perrin’s previous books include the magnificent, multi-layered (literally) Inside the Villains. She has a unique sensibility that draws from deep fairy tale forests overlaid with mischief and laughter. In The Remarkables, she creates large, detailed portraits and personality pages of children with crazy superpowers like speed, elasticity, invisibility, sweetness, noise, and silence. It’s an inclusive encyclopedia in which we see ourselves and our friends, and find ways to talk about emotion, imagination and difference.
And I’ve just received the translation for a Catalan book by Enric Lux, How to Draw: The Definitive Guide, which we’re releasing in fall 2025. It is pure joy—original, anarchic, very funny, and a big happy invitation to experiment and be creative. I can’t wait for readers to share that.
This year we published Olivier Tallec’s A Better Best Friend, a charming and dryly funny picture book that’s hit a chord internationally—about a mushroom and a squirrel who become great friends and help each other to beautifully appreciate the comings and goings of the natural world. I’m deeply attached to [the follow-up] releasing in 2025. I hope Tallec is on the way to being as widely recognized as he deserves by readers of English.”—Rachel Lawson, publisher, Gecko Press
Helvetiq
The Great Turkey Walk: A Graphic Novel Adaptation of the Classic Story of a Boy, His Dog and a Thousand Turkeys by Kathleen Karr, trans. from the French by Michelle Bailat-Jones, illus. by Léonie Bischoff. Oct. 8, $29.95 ISBN 978-3-03-964063-8; $19.95 paper ISBN 978-3-03-964067-6
“The Great Turkey Walk, a graphic novel adaptation of Kathleen Karr’s classic novel set in 1860, is about a boy who borrows his teacher’s life’s savings to drive a herd of a thousand turkeys from Missouri to Denver. It’s an anti-Western romp, celebrating friendship, diversity and respect. It won the grand prize at the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival—it’s the best of what Europe has to offer U.S. readers. We love that it’s an American story reimagined by a supremely talented European illustrator—now we’re retranslating it back to the U.S.”—Richard Harvell, head of North American publishing, Helvetiq
Levine Querido
The Legend of Tiger and Tailflower by Lee Gee Eun, trans. from the Korean by Aerin Park. Aug., $19.99 ISBN 978-1-64614-459-4
Pilgrim Codex by Vivian Mansour, trans. from the Spanish by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez, illus. by Emmanuel Valtierra. Feb. 11, 2025 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-64614-515-7
Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland, trans. from the Norwegian by Rosie Hedger. Apr. 1, 2025 $18.99 ISBN 978-1646145133
“We’re publishing a book this fall called The Legend of Tiger and Tailflower by Lee Gee Eun that I’m obsessed with. Gee Eun is maybe the most beloved picture book creator in Korea right now and it’s my personal mission to break her out in the States. The book is an 80-page comics/picture book blend and it’s so funny, and sneaks up on you emotionally, too!
Two others from next spring that I’m particularly jacked up about are Pilgrim Codex, which is the story of a Mexican family immigrating to the U.S., written by Vivian Mansour, illustrated by Emmanuel Valtierra, and translated by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez. Emmanuel has this amazing style that evokes the ancient codices while also incorporating pop art influences, and Vivian—with the help of Carlos—has this beautiful, almost storybook style to her writing.
And then there’s Beasts, a short YA horror novel from Norway that’s kind of a mix of A Quiet Place and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Check please!”—Nick Thomas, executive editor, Levine Querido
Red Comet
Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash! by Yuko Ohnari, trans. from the Japanese by Emily Balistieri, illus. by Koshiro Hata. Mar. 4, 2025, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-63655-114-2
“We have our first Japanese translation called Downpour by Yuko Ohnari, illustrated by Koshiro Hata. It’s a jubilant celebration of a summer rainstorm seen through the eyes of a boy. He has all his senses on heightened alert and the text includes onomatopoeia, which gave our translator, Emily Balistieri, a really fun challenge, which they pulled off beautifully.
The other book I’m particularly excited about is one I saw on the first day of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and went back to the Spanish publisher Zorro Rojo on the last day. I squatted on their booth and told them forcefully that I must be the English-language publisher of the book! It is called Origin by Nat Cardozo, a Uruguayan/French author-illustrator. The book showcases 22 Indigenous children from around the world. The text includes profiles of these children and shares information about their tribes, their customs, and connections to nature. The illustrations are extraordinary; the facial features of each portrait, while carefully researched, masterfully include flora, fauna and landscape drawn from where the tribes live. The underlying message of the book to the reader focuses on the connection Indigenous peoples have to nature and the environment and how we, in our societies, have walked so far away from those essential relationships. I can already see how kids will want to create portraits of their own heritage or biographical portraits and interviews of other people they know. It is an important conversation to bring to young children who I believe will embrace the topic—especially as the lens on Indigenous peoples and their future seems in focus right now.” Angus Yuen-Killick, publisher, Red Comet Press
Tapioca Stories
Marcelo, Martello, Marshmallow by Ruth Rocha, trans. from the Portuguese by Tal Goldfajn, illus. by Ana Matsusaki. $19.95 June, ISBN 978-1-73478-399-5
Future by María José Ferrada, trans. from the Spanish by Kit Maude, illus. by Mariana Alcántara, Oct. 8, $19.95 ISBN 979-8-9887499-0-5
Natura (English and Spanish Edition) by María José Ferrada, trans. from the Spanish by Kit Maude, illus. by Mariana Alcántara. Oct. 8, $19.95 ISBN 979-8-9887499-3-6
“We’re extremely happy and honored to publish the very first English-language edition of this Brazilian classic. The story, originally published in 1976, is the cornerstone work by acclaimed children’s author Ruth Rocha. This first English edition was made possible with the new visual narrative of Ana Matsusaki and the fantastic translation of Tal Goldfajn. This story is a playful reflection about language and a celebration of young creative thinkers, like Marcelo, making sense of the world we live in, and we hope that English readers love it as much as Brazilians do.
It is also very exciting to publish our inaugural title in Spanish, Futuro, published together with its English edition Future, as well as our inaugural bilingual title, Natura. There are many wonderful Latin America picture books on the way, including some original Tapioca Stories editions.” —Yael Bernstein, founder of Tapioca Stories
Yonder
The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba, trans. from the Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa, illus. by Miho Satake. May 27, 2025, $18 ISBN 978-1-63206-392-2
John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, trans. from the Estonian by Adam Cullen, illus. by Marja-Liisa Plats. Oct. 1, $19.95 ISBN 978-1-63206-370-0
“We’re very excited to be publishing the first commercial English translation of Sachiko Kashiwaba’s The Village Beyond the Mist. (I say “commercial” because a translation was done in the 1980s to help Japanese schoolchildren learn English.) It will be translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa and illustrated by Miho Satake to commemorate this 50-year landmark edition.
We’re also really looking forward to a picture book we’re publishing this fall called John the Skeleton by Estonian author Triinu Laan, translated into English by Adam Cullen. It’s about a skeleton who retires from his work as a classroom model to go live in southern Estonia with a pair of grandparents called Grams and Gramps, and it’s also about death—which makes it a perfect Halloween book. There’s plenty of humor, some magical realism, and truly great illustrations that Marja-Liisa Plats sketched in black and white in such a way they almost appear to move on the page, amid splashes of neon pink. The story also introduces some elements of life in southern Estonia that are particular to the region: smoke saunas, for instance, and leso stoves, and linden blossom tea. In the original Estonian edition, the author wrote the characters’ dialogue in the Võro language, which is spoken by only about 75,000 people in southern Estonia and is at risk of disappearing. In the English, the translator chose to communicate this by using a folksy vernacular similar to what you might hear in the American South. At the end of the story, Grams passes away and Gramps decides to teach his grandkids the Võro word for “linden blossom tea,” which he and Grams used to drink together, because he believes that sharing this magic word can help keep his family close. In the English version, the book ends with that scene. It’s a beautiful way to show children how we might hold onto the memories and knowledge of the people we love after they pass on.”—Jennifer Alise Drew, senior editor, Restless Books and Yonder
