The Pencil by Susan Avingaq illustrated by Charlene Chua

When Susan's mother leaves their iglu to help a neighbour with a birth, she and her sister Rebecca and brother Peter are left in the care of their father. Play for the children includes having a jumping contest, a game of hide-and-seek and the two older girls practicing their letters on the frost surface of the ice window. But when Ataata pulls out the pencil from the special box of Anaana's things, everything changes. The pencil is already very short from Anaana's writing of letters to people in other camps, using whatever paper she might save including from tea boxes and sugar bags, but it is still gold. Anaana always said that we needed to be very careful with the pencil and that it wasn't a toy. Ataata also gives Susan a piece of paper and suggests she draw pictures for her brother. Though nervous, she draws seals and caribou and her family. Then Rebecca practices her writing, and Peter draws some scribbles and their father draws different inuksuit. The pencil gets shorter and Ataata has to sharpen it with his knife. Source: CanLit for Little Canadians

Authors Avingaq and Vsetula understand life in Nunavut, Canada, and embed in the story the importance of being responsible for belongings and caring for them wisely. A helpful glossary of the Inuktitut words (italicized on first reference within the story) is included in the backmatter. Kirkus

Listen to an audio sample here. This book (2019) is available here in Australia but sadly it will be well beyond the budget of most school libraries. 

While we were in Canada my friend and I tried to read lots of Canadian indigenous titles. The Pencil is one we found in library and it is a story that has lingered with me. My friend had talked about this book previously in this blog post. 

At the IBBY Congress in Ottawa IBBY launched their newest list: IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books in Indigenous and Endangered Languages.

This list links with International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

The Collection is both a celebration and a call to action. It invites readers, educators, publishers and institutions worldwide to discover the richness of books created in Indigenous and endangered languages, while encouraging the production and dissemination of new works. By highlighting stories rooted in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, it affirms that languages are not only to be preserved, but to be actively used, shared and continuously reimagined. The development of this Collection has been both an ambitious and deeply enriching process. The final Collection offers a journey across regions and traditions, showcasing how children, through more than 152 languages, engage with stories that reflect their realities, imaginations and identities.

Over 500 titles were submitted from around the world and 169 were eventually selected for this inaugural list representing 150 languages. You can see the full list with detailed annotations here. I previously talked about the book by David A Robertson from Cananda that is included on this list. He was a Keynote speaker at the IBBY Congress. 

Here are the criteria for the UNESCO IBBY List:

● Books for children and young people (picture books, novels, biographies, graphic novels and nonfiction) presenting high-quality standards in terms of text and/or illustration; 

● books published between January 2018 and December 2025; 

● books originally published in an Indigenous and/or an endangered language, and original bilingual books including at least one Indigenous and/or endangered language;  

● books expressing the intention of, or relation to, one or more of the 10 outputs of the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages; and 

● books and publications that adhere to UNESCO principles and respect 

political neutrality. 

Here are a few of the Australian titles:

These books are not included in the IBBY UNESCO catalogue but they were some I read in the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver:

You can read more about these and many others here.

Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres

This is an obscure old (1997) book but the art is so brilliant I just needed to share it here. I am amazed to discover it might still be available.

"Moja apaszka'. 'Yeah, cover him with the scarf!' 'Si Cubramoslo'. 'Hurry, I'll pick him up."

A young girl is sitting in the subway train when a small sparrow flies in the door. In the carriage there is a man who speaks Spanish and a lady who speaks Polish. Somehow the girl, who only speaks English, needs to ask these people to help her catch the bird, gently, and then carry it off the train and set it free.

There is no translation of the dialogue in Spanish and Polish but somehow it is easy to understand that everyone has a common goal of helping this small, helpless bird, to escape from the train, to find freedom and blue skies.

Torres's first picture book ...  is a charming multicultural vignette. Kirkus

I am not going to say this is an essential purchase for a library or home collection but if you do stumble upon this book, as I did, I am certain you will enjoy the gentle story which captures a tiny moment in time and the small but important actions of a group of people on a train. The tiny moment in time idea reminds me of the special books by Bob Graham such as Silver Buttons; How the Sun got to Coco's House; Vanilla Icecream; and Home in the Rain. Here is a video of the whole book. Take a look so you can see the fabulous illustration of shoes worn by a boy on the train. 

I have read a few other books about subways recently:

I am the Subway

The man with the Violin

Milo Imagines the World

IBBY Honour list 2018

Here are some other books by Leyla Torres:

Evelyn del Rey is Moving Away by Meg Medina illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

Perhaps the title tells you all you need to know about this book? No, there is so much more to this story. Evelyn de Rey is Daniela's best friend, her best friend in the whole wide world. And now she is moving away. These two friends have lived next door to each other for ever! They play together, they visit each others apartments, and they have years of shared memories. Even though Evelyn does move away, Daniela knows this is a friendship that will last forever.

"I know she will always be my first mejor amiga, my número uno best friend."

Take a look at this book trailer for Elevlyn de Rey is Moving Away. I am sure it will convince you that this book is one you will want to add to your library. The Autumn setting is also perfect for a book which explores the idea of change. 

I have a Pinterest collection of picture books about moving to a new house. The most obvious book to pair with Evelyn del Rey is moving away would be Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson.

You can see other books by Newbery medalist Meg Medina here. Here are some other books illustrated by Spanish illustrator Sonia Sanchez. Her art style is 'scrumptious'. 

Stepping Stones: A Refugee family's Journey by Margriet Ruurs illustrated by Nizar Ali Badrby

An astonishing book that allows the humanity of refugees to speak louder than politics and introduces readers to one of Syria's incredible artists. Kirkus

Look at the words from Kirkus. I love the word - ASTONISHING! This book is so important it should be a part of every library collection - school libraries and public libraries. I am saying this because I know this book was not purchased by any of the public libraries near my home and only one local school had a copy which sadly they could not find. One small fact that might convince you of the importance of this book. I was very happy to read sales of this book in Canada raised $60,000 for refugees.

Another measure of the importance of this book. I have discovered it has been translated into Dutch, German, Vietnamese, Turkish, Portuguese, Korean and Spanish. In 2017 this book won the Bolen Children's Book Award in Canada (Vancouver Island City of Victoria).

I highly recommend you take a couple of minutes and watch this video which shows Nizar Ali Badr at work creating his stepping stone illustration. You can see full size photos of his work on this BBC News site. Stepping Stones was included with the Lamont Standing order in 2017 and they also provided a set of teaching ideas. If you need further ideas here are a set of notes from University of Queensland Press.

Here is the blurb:

"Rama and her family are forced to leave behind everything they know and love. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama's family sets out to find refuge in Europe."

You can read more about this book on the Stepping Stones website.

Every public and school library will want this book. It’s so important for us to try to understand the plight of people whose countries have been torn apart by war. Stepping Stones allows us to enter into the feelings and experiences of a young refugee girl, and by so doing, get an idea of her past and her future. It’s a moving story, and one that I hope touches many hearts. The Book Chook

For further reading about the Refugee Experience using picture books take a look at my Pinterest collection.  I would begin with The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman, Azzi in between by Sarah Garland, Where will I Live and Out by Angela May George.