Pajama Press is proud to announce that two of our books have been selected by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) for their 2020 Outstanding International Books List, including: Girl of the Southern Sea, written by Michelle Kadarusman, and The Girl Who Rode a Shark: And Other Stories of Daring Women, written by Ailsa Ross and illustrated by Amy Blackwell.
Girl of the Southern Sea by Michelle Kadarusman
The Girl Who Rode a Shark: And Other Stories of Daring Women by Ailsa Ross and illustrator Amy Blackwell
Michelle Kadarusman was in
attendance at the 2020 presentation, held at the ALA Midwinter Conference in
Philadelphia. Committee member Amy McClure spoke about how the protagonist Nia
from Girl of the Southern Sea embodied resilience during challenging
times.
Michelle Kadarusman with USBBY committee members. From left to right: Amy McClure, Michelle Kadarusman, Anamaría Anderson, and Patrick Gall. Absent from the photograph is committee member Doris Gebe.
The USBBY is “a nonprofit
organization devoted to building bridges of international understanding through
children’s and young adult books.” The Outstanding International Books List
began in 2006 and aims to honor international books that are published and
distributed in the United States and deemed the most outstanding of those published
during the calendar year. Learn more at www.usbby.org/outstanding-international-books-list.
Pajama Press extends our
congratulations to our talented creators. Our sincerest thanks go to the USBBY
for their support of international books through this incredible program for
young readers.
Dance of the Banished by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch has been selected as an Outstanding International Book by the United States Board on Books for Young People for 2016. This is a high honour given to a shortlist of books first published outside of the United States that are “deemed most outstanding of those published during the calendar year.” (USBBY website). These books:
Represent the best of children´s literature from other countries
Introduce American readers to outstanding authors and illustrators from other countries
Help American children see the world from other points of view
Provide a perspective or address a topic otherwise missing from children´s literature in the U.S.
Exhibit a distinct cultural flavor
Are accessible to American readers.
Dance of the Banished is also the winner of the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, a White Ravens Selection, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a Best Books for Kids & Teens selection.
Graffiti Knight by Karen Bass has been honoured by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) as one of six Outstanding International Books for grades 9–12 in 2015.
Chosen from among all books published outside of the United States but first distributed within that country in a given year, the Outstanding International Books list is chosen based on the following criteria (taken from the USBBY website):
Books that represent the best of children´s literature from other countries
Books that introduce American readers to outstanding authors and illustrators from other countries
Books that help American children 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 U.S.
Books that exhibit a distinct cultural flavor
Books that are accessible to American readers.
Graffiti Knight has already received a number of significant awards, including the CLA Book of the Year Award, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature, and the CAA Exporting Alberta Award. Pajama Press congratulates author Karen Bass on yet another well-earned accolade.
Click here to view the full list of 2015 selections.
