The 2017 Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Batchelder Award is given to the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States. The award is given to the book’s publisher.
Mildred L. Batchelder was a Children’s Librarian with a fierce temperament who focused her efforts on fighting for the rights of minorities and the importance of children’s literature and services for multicultural communities. She wanted to be sure that there were good books accessible to children in their own language. Hence the Mildred L. Batchelder Award which was created in 1966, in her honor.
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Winner — Enchanted Lion Books Cry Heart, But Never Break Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away. But Death does arrive all the same, as it must. He comes gently, naturally. And he comes with enough time to share a story with the children that helps them to realize the value of loss to life and the importance of being able to say goodbye. Ages 4-8 |
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Honor Book — Chronicle Books LLC
Over the Ocean A young girl gazes out to where the water meets the sky and wonders what lies beyond the waves. Boats filled with toys? Skyscrapers filled with people? Houses filled with families? Or, maybe, over the ocean stands someone not so different from the girl herself, returning her gaze. Ages 3-6 |
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Honor Book — NorthSouth Books, Inc.
As Time Went By Once upon a time, there was a ship, a family and a village that each underwent changes. Told in three parts through watercolor illustrations and spare text, this story follows the ship from grand to abandoned, a family from rich to poor, and a village of homeless people from despair to joy as they find a new home within the railings of the transformed ship. Ages 4-6 |
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Honor Book — Margaret K. McElderry Books
The Ballad of a Broken Nose Bart, a quirky Norwegian 13-year-old, faces many odds: an alcoholic, overweight mother who loves him dearly; life in a run-down apartment; classmates who bully him and break his nose; and boxing lessons he takes to toughen himself—all juxtaposed with his desire to become an opera singer! Ages 10 and up |