USBBY Outstanding International Books 2026

 

Our list is for the curious: readers who are open to going on exciting journeys through the pages of a book, educators and librarians who want to introduce young people to the world’s riches, and parents who are consciously striving to make sure their children grow up with the benefits of a global perspective.

It is always exciting to see this list each year. I look for the Australian titles of course but also I look to see if I have already read/seen any of their choices and then I compile a list of books I want to see.

I was so excited to see this Australian title on this prestigious list. I really thought Afloat would be the 2025 CBCA Picture Book of the Year - it was an Honour title

The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) announces its 2026 Outstanding International Books list, featuring 41 exceptional titles for children and young adults published in 2025 and originating from 24 countries. Since 2006, USBBY’s annual lists have introduced young readers in the U.S. to global perspectives, outstanding international creators, and stories that foster empathy, bridge cultures, and build connections. Together, these books show young people around the world seeking connection and belonging—through family, friendship, self-discovery, and engagement with their communities. Spanning diverse cultures and experiences, the stories highlight empathy, resilience, imagination, and the courage to grow. This year’s selections reflect universal themes such as identity, hope, intergenerational bonds, friendship, play, curiosity, migration, nature, and cultural heritage, showcasing the richness of international children’s literature. 

You can see past lists here. Read more details about some of the titles here.

Selection criteria include:

• Books that represent the best of children’s literature from other countries 
• Books that introduce readers in the United States to outstanding authors and illustrators from other countries 
• Books that help children in the United States see the world from other points of view 
• Books that provide a perspective or address a topic otherwise missing from children’s literature in the United States 
• Books that exhibit a distinct cultural flavor 
• Books that are accessible to readers in the United States ​

Criteria for content and presentation include:

• Artistic and literary merit 
• Originality or creativity of approach 
• Distinctiveness of topic 
• Uniqueness of origin 
• Qualities that engage and appeal to children 

​Not every book will meet every individual criterion.

Grades PreK-2 

● Andruetto, María Teresa. Clara and the Man with Books in His Window. tr. from Spanish by Elisa 

Amado. illus. by Martina Trach. Aldana Libros/Greystone Kids. (Argentina) NOTE in my blog post I talked about reading this book to senior students Grade 6 and also in a High School

● Arai, Ryōji. The Snow Theater. tr. from Japanese by David Boyd. Enchanted Lion.  (Japan) 

● Atinuke. M Is for Mango. illus. by Angela Brooksbank. Candlewick Press. (UK/Nigeria) 

● Auh, Dayeon. The Three-Year Tumble. tr. from German by Tim Mohr. NorthSouth Books. (Switzerland/South Korea) 

● Brandelius, Uje. The Playdate. tr. from Swedish by Nichola Smalley. illus. by Clara Dackenberg. 

Lantana. (Sweden) 

● Flett, Julie. My Friend May. Greystone Kids. (Canada) 

● Guarda, María J. Paloma Flies Away. tr. from Spanish by Melanie Córdova. Candlewick Press. (Chile) 

● Kim, Hye-Eun. Pencil. TOON Books/Astra Books for Young Readers. (South Korea) 

● Kim, Jihyun. Blue Sky Morning. tr. from Korean by Polly Lawson. Floris Books. (South Korea) 

● Lam, Thao. Everybelly. Groundwood/House of Anansi. (Canada) 

● Liu, Hao. Wrestlers of the Grasslands. tr. from Chinese by Clavis Publishing. Clavis  (China) 

● López, Azul. Croco. tr. from Spanish by Kit Maude. Tapioca Stories. (Mexico) 

● Ohnari, Yuko. Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash! tr. from Japanese by Emily Balistrieri. illus. by 

Koshiro Hata. Red Comet Press. (Japan) 

● Perella, Eugenia. My Home Is In My Backpack. tr. from Spanish by Sally Polson. illus. by Angela 

Salerno. Floris Books. (Chile) 

● Saunders, Kirli. Afloat. illus. by Freya Blackwood. Levine Querido. (Australia) 

● Schuff, Nicolás. How to Reach the Moon. tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. illus. by Ana Sender. Amazon Crossing Kids. (Argentina) 

● Tallec, Olivier. Is It Asleep? tr. from French by Antony Shugaar. Gecko Press. (France) 

● Xiong, Liang. Take a Walk with the Wind. tr. from Chinese by Chloe Garcia Roberts. Elsewhere Editions. (China) 

● Xu Bin. Picking Tea with Baba. tr. from Chinese by Shan Chen. illus. by Yu Yin. Charlesbridge. 

(China) 

Grade 3-5 

● Dautremer, Rébecca. The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough. tr. from French by 

Charis Ainslie. illus. by author. Post Wave. (France) 

● Djupvik, Laura. My Brother. tr. from Norwegian by Martin Aitken. illus. by Øyvind Torseter. 

Elsewhere Editions. (Norway) 

● Fadeeva, Olga. Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear. tr. from Russian by Lena Traer. illus. by 

author. Eerdmans. (Russia) 

● Kashiwaba, Sachiko. The Village Beyond the Mist. tr. from Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa. 

illus. by Miho Satake. Yonder/Restless Books. (Japan) 

● Krishnaswami, Uma. The Sunshine Project. illus. by Julianna Swaney. Groundwood/House of Anansi. 

(Canada/India) 

● McQuoid, Judith. Giant. Little Island. (Ireland/UK) 

● Muñoz Toro, Juliana. Journey of the Humpbacks. tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. illus. by 

Dipacho. Eerdmans. (Colombia) 

● Naïr, Karthika. Electric Birds of Pothakudi. illus. by Joëlle Jolivet. Abrams. (France/India) 

Grades 6-8  

● Åstot, Moa Backe. Butterfly Heart. tr. from Swedish by Agnes Broomé. Levine Querido. (Sweden) 

● Bjerkeland, Ingvild. Beasts. tr. from Norwegian by Rosie Hedger. Levine Querido. (Norway) 

● Dzotap, Alain Serge. Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon. tr. from French by author. illus. by 

Marc Daniau. Eerdmans. (France/Cameroon) 

● Go, Jung-soon. Okchundang Candy. tr. from Korean by Aerin Park. illus. by author. Levine Querido. 

(South Korea) 

● Lessore, Nathanael. Dropping Beats. Little, Brown. (UK) 

● Mansour, Vivian. Pilgrim Codex. tr. from Spanish by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez. illus. by Emmanuel 

Valtierra. Levine Querido. (Mexico) 

● Marsol, Manuel. Astro. tr. from Spanish by Lizzie Davis. illus. by author. Transit Books. (Spain) 

● Rundberg, Johan. Biggest Fake in the Universe. tr. from Swedish by Eva Apelqvist. Amazon Crossing 

Kids. (Sweden) 

● Said, SF. Tyger. illus. by Dave McKean. Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House. (UK)

View the High School list here.

Past posts about the outstanding lists - 2022; 2023; 2025.

Running my own Race by Abena Eyeson

This story is a little clichéd, but I imagine most young readers will not identify all the usual tropes. I have read other books like this so here is my list:

• Injustice - Poor 'black boy' finds a place in posh 'whites only' school
• Talent - The coaches immediately see this boy has great running ability
• Bullies - The kid assigned to 'help' him is an angry and jealous bully
• Underdog - Kofi is selected for the running team and yes he beats Miles (the bully)
• Excuses - We learn that Miles has some difficulties in his home life - as though this somehow excuses his dreadful behaviour
• Peer group pressure - Miles holds some power over other kids in the school and so they readily believe the rumors Miles spreads about Kofi.
• Friendship - luckily the other scholarship kid - a girl named Christine - steps in to help and encourage Kofi
• Siblings - Kofi has a terrific sister who surprises him by offering good advice and support
• Old friend - Charlie has been Kofi's friend forever but this friendship seems to be in danger now that they no longer go to the same school
• Winning the race - spoiler alert - of course Kofi wins that big race even after Miles hurts him badly and he is forced to miss many weeks of training

The only part of this story that did surprise me was the way the school fairly quickly accepted that Kofi was the victim and that the story told by Miles that Kofi hit him first was a total lie. It was good to see the school Principal accept the need for restitution and also it was good to read the scene where Coach mediates this meeting. The contrition by Miles did feel real.

Nosy Crow consistently produce good books so I was keen to dive into this one. My friend shared the books sent to her library by Pegi Williams (South Australia) from their standing order. 

I am sure the cover of Running my own race will appeal to readers who love sports. 

Publisher blurb: Kofi’s mum is determined he’s going to be ‘somebody’. But when Kofi is given a place at a prestigious private school because of his athletic ability, everything changes. Kofi dreams of being a professional athlete – but he soon finds following your heart isn’t an easy road. Under pressure from his mum to make the most of his academic opportunity, his best friend who doesn’t want him to change, his community to make them proud, and a rival who will do anything to make sure Kofi doesn’t outshine him – Kofi isn’t sure where to turn. Can Kofi find a way to follow his own path?

In time, though, with help from a new friend (a fellow scholarship student), his athletics coach, and loving family, Kofi finds the courage and strength to stand up for himself and to forge his own lane. Radiant with empathy, Running My Own Race tackles big topics in a brilliantly relatable style that’ll have readers punching the air with joy after walking in Kofi’s trainers every step of the way. Love Reading 4Kids

Abena Eyeson was born in Ghana but has lived in the UK since the age of 12. She has won accolades for the FAB Prize, Jericho Prize and TLC Pen Factor. She writes picture books, educational non-fiction and has self-published YA. Abena lives just outside London with her husband and three children. It was her children that inspired her to put Black characters at the heart of her stories. Running My Own Race is her first middle grade novel. Here is an interview with the author. There are some resources on the author web page.

A better series that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading recently which has a focus on the same themes as this book - Running my own Race - are the Tracks books by Jason Reynolds.

Ghost is the first book in the series

Cecily Sawyer How to be a spy by Iona Rangeley illustrated by David Tazzyman

"My name is Cecily Sawyer and I'm investigating the disappearance of Emmeline and Peregrine Sawyer. I know this city's mice are being used as spies 

and I know who kidnapped my parents."

Publisher blurb: Cecily Sawyer has spent the evening in the attic, training her pet mouse, Mrs Maple-Syrup – an unusually intelligent mouse, in Cecily’s opinion – when her parents disappear. Luckily, Cecily is more than ready to investigate such a thing. She has wanted to be a spy her whole life, and has all the spy handbooks, manuals and code-cracking kits a girl could need. But soon, Cecily discovers several very strange things in her city. She’s not the only spy out there – far from it, in fact. And Mrs Maple-Syrup is not the only unusually intelligent mouse…

I am not sure if this is a book that young readers aged 9+ will stick with - it has such a large cast of characters and I found the motivations of the adults, who used to belong to one organisation but who have now formed several spy agencies, very confusing. In the end I was also a little bit lost about who were the baddies. I did admire the perseverance of young Cecily and the way she used her knowledge gained from reading a large number of books about working as a spy. It was fun to read the scene when Cecily used the telephone box to transport herself to another place - you have probably seen this in a movie or on the television program Get Smart. In fact, the slapstick style of this book reminded me of a little of that show especially all of her gadgets such as a fire shooting pen and exploding cactus plant.

The organisation names were also a little confusing:

The Espionage Collective

The Intelligent Institute of Espionage and Counterespionage

The Counter Espionage Collective

The Nightcrawler Network

The United League of Reconnaissance

Cecily's books:

Espionage for School-aged Children

The Little Girl's guide to Forging your identity

Code-Breaking for beginners

The Little girl's guide to faking your death and evading your enemies

Manipulation and Intrigue

Surveillance made simple

The Little Girl's G

Thuide to scaling buildings and crossing borders

The Little Girl's Guide to plotting, meddling and coniving

The Little Girl's Guide to infiltration of a Crime Ring

The Little Girl's Guide to Common household poisons

The Little Girl's Guide to starting fires and winning them

So you're assembling a new spy organisation: What next?

You can read story sample here. This book is the first in a planned trilogy. 

Iona Rangeley is the author of this series:

In some ways the tone and format of this book Cecily Sawyer How to be a spy reminded me of this series. These are the newer covers but I do prefer the original ones:

February 4th World Read Aloud Day

World Read Aloud Day was founded on the belief that stories are the key to creating positive social change, ... studies have shown that reading aloud to children has been linked to the development of vocabulary and comprehension, 

strengthening emotional bonds and enhancing focus.

I saw a question on a Facebook forum asking for books to share with teachers for National or World Read Aloud Day. The person who asked for book ideas set a couple of criteria but I am going to disregard these - Australian and published in the last five years. 

For my scenario I am going to imagine a school with twenty teachers. I don't really believe in one size fits all so I am going to group my books into four sections - Kindergarten; Grades 1 and 2; Grades 3 and 4; and Grades 5 and 6 and I will put five books per group = 20 books.  I will put some wonderful Australian titles here but also lots of international ones too. Because hopefully my scenario school has a well-stocked school library, I will put books that are not new - that is the joy of a library - you can find older books that are truly gems. In terms of gems the person asking for suggestions also used the dreaded word 'quality'. I won't go into that right now, but this is a word that makes me shudder. I am sure I could list several hundred books for this post - these are titles that I blogged recently. I previously talked about World Read Aloud day in 2018.

Kindergarten

Little Bear's Little Boat

Two for me, one for you

Happy Birthday Moon

Puffling (or you could read Lucy Goosey)

Owl Babies

Grades 1 and 2

Where does Thursday go?

Lizzy and the Cloud

Lisette's Green Sock

Strictly no Elephants

Dimity Dumpty (or another book by Bob Graham)

Grades 3 and 4

Shelter

Robber Girl

The King and Nothing

The Suitcase

Extra Yarn

Grades 5 and 6

Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup

Herman and Rosie

Snow White in New York

Sparrow Girl

As Time went by

A Brief History of World Read Aloud Day

When was this event established: World Read Aloud Day was founded in 2010 by the nonprofit LitWorld. Following a trip to Kibera in Nairobi, LitWorld founder Pam Allyn realized how important the power of stories was to children around the globe. So, she started World Read Aloud Day to make a positive impact on the world.

How has it developed since then: Since its establishment, World Read Aloud Day has been celebrated by millions of people through 170 countries. 

There are some resources here.

In answer to the question and using the very restrictive criteria from the original Facebook post here are the two sets of nine titles that I suggested (note one is older than five years but I snuck it in anyway). You can pop any of these titles into my search bar for more details.

Buffy: An Adventure Story by Bob Graham

Buffy is an assistant to Brillo the Magician but he is not famous. In fact, we see his home is a cardboard box outside the theatre and on the poster advertising the show Buffy's name appears in tiny writing right at the bottom. The trouble is Buffy is becoming more popular than Brillo and so one night he is kicked out into the rain. Yes, it is pure jealousy.

Bookseller blurb: This is an enchanting adventure story about a performing dog. Buffy is a performing dog with HUGE talents. He can play the harmonica, tap-dance and do magic tricks. But when he outshines his master the magician, Buffy is in the doghouse. Kicked out onto the street to fend for himself, Buffy has the blues...until sweet Mary Kelly bursts into his life like a fanfare from Heaven! At last, after all his wanderings, he finds someone who really appreciates his extraordinary talents.

I have been talking about a few Bob Graham books this month because I discovered there are titles I previously had not mentioned here but should have. Buffy was published in 1999, and I well remember reading it to groups of students in my former school library when Buffy was shortlist by the CBCA in 2000 for their Picture Book of the Year award. That copy was a larger format hard cover - mine now is a small format paperback. Sadly, Buffy is now out of print but I am sure you will find a copy in most school libraries here in Australia. In the US Buffy is called Benny.

If you are familiar with Bob Graham books you will recognise the logo on this truck - YES, it is from Max. In fact, there are references to Max in so many other Bob Graham books (like a story within a story) - such as in Ellie's Dragon when Ellie goes to the movies and on the big screen, we see Max. This idea builds on from an earlier one seen in Tales from the Waterhole, where Morris and Billy are seen watching Max on their television. This symbol is also on a tanker truck in Home in the Rain because that is the brand of the petrol station and that same tanker is also seen in A Bus called Heaven.

Companion books:

Three

Mutt Dog

Finding You

The Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander

“Do you swear to venture forth bravely and find the answer to any question, 

no matter the challenge?”

If you mashed together Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth you might come close to the plot of this book - such a wild ride. You will turn the pages so quickly as you read this book desperate to see if Lenora can survive all the mayhem.  

The only extra things I would have liked were a library map and perhaps a Dewey decimal chart showing all the library departments where Lenora was sent by the Chief Librarian Malachi. Lenora goes to the calendar room, the map room and the unknown room which actually has information about tardigrades, all the while she is being chased by the enemy who brings darkness. Along the way her status rises and she is awarded new badges. Lenora has to be very mindful of the library motto:

Knowledge is Light

Bookseller blurb: With her parents off traveling the globe, Lenora is bored, bored, bored until she discovers a secret doorway into the ultimate library. Maze like and reality-bending, the library contains all the universe's wisdom. Every book ever written, and every fact ever known, can be found within its walls. And Lenora becomes its newly appointed Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian. She rockets to the stars, travels to a future filled with robots, and faces down a dark nothingness that wants to destroy all knowledge. To save the library, Lenora will have to test her limits and uncover secrets hidden among its shelves.

In the chaos of this story there is also commentary on censorship, the role of libraries as providers of free information, the importance of curiosity, and of course the value of libraries as organised repositories of books, maps, charts, ephemera and so much more. Materials from everywhere and every time period.

"The Forces of Darkness wish to control people, and it is every knowledge that prevents them from doing so. ... They can only rule where there is ignorance, they can only create fear where the truth has been hidden, they can only gain power when the light has been snuffed out. Librarians are their greatest enemy, and we have fought them throughout time, and always will fight them as long as that light burns anywhere, no matter how weakly."

I may not have kept reading this book actually because it all became a little too silly for me but then I took a detour last night and glanced at the Kirkus review. Such is the power of their work that the star they gave The Library of Ever spurred me on to stick with this story although I am not so sure I need to read the sequel. I did enjoy Lenora's common sense, determination, perseverance, and her amazing general knowledge. She certainly adapted well to the roles of Assistant Apprentice Librarian and later Assistant Librarian. 

There are moments in this story that made me smile:

"The tardigrade snarled. 'As far as we tardigrades are concerned, Pluto is and always will be a planet. end of discussion. ...Lenora saw no reason to argue. She had always thought that Pluto seemed like a perfectly fine planet, whatever the adults might tell her. She took out her notebook. Pluto is, always will be, a planet. This she underlined firmly."

"I would like to know,' she said, 'how to find Wales.' 'You've found them,' said the whale. 'We are in fact, beluga whales.' 'Oh,' said Lenora. 'I mean Wales, the place, not whales, the mammal. 'Hmph' replied the whale ... And I suppose you think that just because I am a whale, a mammal, that I automatically know the location of Wales, the place?"

Not the first tale to be set in a universal library but unusually clever in the details and commendably accurate in its own way. Kirkus Star review

At its heart, The Library of Ever is a love letter to librarians and an ode to the importance of access to knowledge and information for everyone. The Winged Pen

Here is a fun interview with the author and the web page for Zeno Alexander. I picked up my copy of The Library of Ever at a recent charity book sale for $2. This book was published in 2019 but it is still available as is the sequel:

Bookseller blurb: Lenora returns to the magical Library—which holds every book ever known on its shelves. But she discovers the Library is under new management, its incredible rooms and corridors turned sinister and oppressive. Lenora quickly connects with a secret resistance that’s trying to free knowledge from the darkness threatening it. Her new friends introduce her to an ancient lost city, hang-gliding, and mathematical beings larger than the universe itself.

Companion books:

The 113th Assistant Librarian

Lost in a Book

The Lost History

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

The Lost Library

The Phantom Tollbooth