Planet Picture Book

Spotlight on

Ireland

Ireland

Back in October last year, I received a message on Twitter from Gráinne Ní Mhuilneoir @BooksAsGaeilge asking if I was looking for picture books from Ireland to review. Um . . . yes please, I responded! And within 24...

Syria

The Jasmine Sneeze

AACHOOO! Poor Haroun. He can’t stand the scent of jasmine. It makes him sneeze and prevents him from sleeping. The problem is Haroun lives in Damascus and there is jasmine everywhere! Fortunately, he’s a crafty kind of...

Syria

Syria

I have been wanting to feature picture books by Syrian book creators on the blog for a while now, but have held off due to the lack of titles available in English. I, alas, have no grasp of Arabic, the official language...

Still in the limelight

Tanzania

Lupompo and the Baby Monkey

All is not well in Lupompo’s village. People are cutting down trees and draining the land; the forest animals are leaving and villagers are falling sick. Lupompo is determined to find out the truth. This title was...

Tanzania

Let’s Play, Tucheze Numbody

Learn to count from one to ten with this bilingual Swahili/English book, which also features music and movement. This is no ordinary counting book; it’s a bilingual counting game in both English and Swahili! And it...

Tanzania

The Story of the Crow and the Frog

In this retelling of a classic story, a crow mocks an old frog for moving slowly along the seashore and challenges him to a race. The frog assures him he will win and he gathers together all the other frogs to enlist...

Previous destinations

Singapore

The Mango Tree

When Cik Idah is born, her grandmother plants a mango seed in the front garden. As the baby girl grows to adulthood, the mango tree provides her with a place to play, take refuge and store her memories. I embarked on a...

Singapore

Karung Guni Boy

Ming loves to draw his inventions, but he doesn’t have any money to bring them to life. Then he hits on a creative solution: to collect the things his neighbours no longer want or need! What is a Karung Guni Boy, I...

Singapore

The Little Singapore Book

This highly illustrated non-fiction title traces the story of Singapore over 700 years, from old island kingdom to the current day. I’ve had this title on the radar for over a year now thanks to a recommendation by...

Singapore

Singapore

If you research children’s literature from Singapore, you’ll soon find yourself on the website of the Singapore Book Council. Founded in 1968, this non-profit organisation champions the Singaporean (and wider Asian)...