My Village. Rhymes
from Around the World edited by Danielle Wright, illustrated by Mique
Moriuchi, published by Gecko Press,
is one of the 250 outstanding new international books for children and young
adults that have been selected for The White Ravens 2009.
Each year the language specialists (Lektoren) at the International Youth Library
(IYL), in Munich, Germany, select newly published books from around the
world that they consider to be especially noteworthy. This list of
books is compiled into the annual White Ravens Catalogue, which is
introduced each year at the Bologna (Italy) Children's Book Fair. The
White Ravens Online Catalogue, which includes all titles from 1993
through 2007, was created by ICDL researchers in collaboration with the
IYL and is available on the ICDL web site with the permission of the
International Youth Library.
The White Raven label is given to books that deserve worldwide
attention because of their universal themes and/or their exceptional
and often innovative artistic and literary style and design. The titles
are drawn from the books that the IYL receives as review or donation
copies from publishers and organizations around the world.
Here's what the judges had to say about My Village:
'Nursery rhymes have been a favourite with children for centuries. Every country has them and every child learns them, be it at home from their parents or siblings, at the playground, at at kindergarden. However, these small rhymed poems are usually specific to the country or language they originate in and are rarely translated. Thus this collection of rhymes from all over the world is all the more valuable, as it introduces English speaking children to cultural gems from diverse countries such as Norway, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, China, or Brazil. The rhymes are given in their original language (and script) and in an English translation and are accompanied by colourful, simple collage illustrations that portray the joyful mood of the poems.'