World Kid Lit Month: Celebrate a global outlook this September

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As we embark on the new academic year, many school librarians will be thinking how they can expand collections and program events to celebrate diversity in the community, global and local. If this is you, we’ve got you covered, because September is World Kid Lit Month, an annual celebration of international literature for children and young adults, including books from other countries, set in other countries, and translated from other languages. And 2026 is the 10th anniversary of World Kid Lit Month: the perfect time to get involved if you haven’t before!

The World Kid Lit website provides a number of resources to support schools, families and individuals who are interested in exploring global literature as a way to provide a more diverse and inclusive reading experience:

• Read the World booklists, reading prompts and ideas for an international reading challenge for children of all ages
• Fascinating interviews with authors, illustrators, translators and publishers from around the world
• Lists of children’s and YA books in translation published annually since 2017
• Schools’ International Reading Award – a competition to encourage and celebrate diverse, international reading, with prizes for the most creative presentations where participants share with their peers the books they have read. The competition is open to primary and secondary schools and is open for entries from 1st September to 23rd October 2026

ALA Batchelder Award for Children’s Literature in Translation

The ALSC Blog is a great supporter of World Kid Lit Month providing space for guest posts since 2020. ALSC has been a champion of international literature and especially translations for children, most notably through the Mildred L. Batchelder Award.

The Batchelder award was first presented in 1968. It was a slow start with typically only one book receiving a seal. The award was designed to encourage more translations; in 1979 two awards were given. ALSC maintains a wonderful PDF list of all the Batchelder Award winners 1968-present including the 2026 award winner, CROCO by Azul López, translated from Spanish by Kit Maude (TapiocaStories), and four honor titles!

The Award goes to the publisher, the translator receives a certificate at the awards ceremony in recognition for the achievement and is named in announcements, press releases, and the Batchelder and Notable award lists. The Batchelder Award Committee Manual maintains an updated resource of books and articles about the art of translation.

We asked 2026 Batchelder Committee Member, Sujei Lugo about the importance of the Batchelder Award and ‘world kid lit’ (international children’s books). Here’s her powerful statement:

“There is a rich history and variety of children’s literature outside the United States.Barriers such as access, visibility, politics, languages and interests have limited librarians and educators in knowing, reading, and sharing wonderful titles from around the world. Although some of us grew up surrounded by stories in different languages and from different world regions—in my case Latin America—not everyone here in the States has had that experience and exposure. Awards like the Mildred L. Batchelder Award not only recognize outstanding literature from outside the United States, but also give visibility to translators, authors, illustrators, and publishers. It can also encourage librarians and educators to seek out the original titles in their original languages to incorporate them into their collections, classrooms and curriculum.

Since the Batchelder is awarded by a professional organization like ALSC/ALA, it gives a seal of approval and prestige to titles that might not otherwise be recognized. With budget cuts and limited funding, librarians and educators must make choices during collection development and award-winning titles have a higher chance of getting into libraries and schools. For other librarians and educators, it will help them build a case or gain more support for their decisions to purchase a book or use it in their classroom.

Many of us also understand the power of having a “sticker” on the cover; awards change lives, change people’s careers and recognize creators, narratives and countries. It also gives visibility to kid lit creators that are renowned around the world and are now being recognized in the United States literary landscape. For youth whose families, elders and ancestors emanate from outside the United States, seeing creators and stories from their homelands will make them feel heard, seen, and respected—a feeling that many of us don’t often experience in our schools, libraries, and communities.”

So, whether you make a display in your library to inspire new readers, or host an international reading challenge this fall, share your ideas with #WorldKidLitMonth or #AroundtheWorldin10. And happy travels wherever your reading takes you!

Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp is an Arabic, German and Russian teacher, and a literary translator working from these languages into English. She is a passionate advocate of diversity and representation in education and in children’s publishing. Ruth is managing director of UK-based non-profit World Kid Lit CIC, which aims to improve access to inclusive, global literature for young people. She also runs creative translation and multilingual creative writing workshops in schools together with the Stephen Spender Trust, Queens Translation Exchange, and World Kid Lit.

Paula Holmes is strong supporter of #worldkidlit translations. She has served in a variety of volunteer capacities for the Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association) and USBBY (United States Board on Books for Young People). She is currently a University of Alabama School of Library and Information Science MLIS National Advisory Board Member, and a World Kid Lit Advisory Board Member.

Dr. Sujei Lugo Vázquez (she/they/ella/elle) is an independent scholar and a children’s librarian at the Boston Public Library, Connolly Branch. Sujei is a former academic andelementary school librarian in Puerto Rico and is the co-writer of Islas Lectoras: bibliografía crítica de literatura infantil puertorriqueña (2023). Sujei is an active member of REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking and ALSC: Association for Library Service to Children and has served on several book awards committees such as the Newbery, Belpré, Batchelder and Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. Sujei’s body, heart, and mind travels between Boston and Puerto Rico and you can follow her on Instagram @sujeilugo and Bluesky @sujeilugo.bsky.social

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you are interested in submitting a guest post, please read and fill out our Guest Blogging Interest Form. We would love to hear from you!

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