On Beyond is about the wider world of children’s books, that is books that originate beyond the US or in languages other than English. I love children’s books and I’m a believer in their power to delight, inspire, and nudge us. My goal is to share some of the great ones with you. And to hear about your favorites too.
Every week, I’ll spotlight a recent or upcoming book. If you’re a parent, teacher, or librarian, consider me your scout. And if you’ve found something you love, let me know so we can spread the word.
For creators, there’s loads of inspiration in these books. My favorite thing about traveling is to discover cultural norms I didn’t realize I had. Rules I didn’t know I was instinctively following. And finding books that take different approaches or take on different topics gives me a similar thrill. I hope reading about these will give you a creative jolt, too!
If I could, I’d be holding weekly salons so we could have tea and look at the books and talk about them together. Doing this virtually is much less delicious, but I hope we can create some community here. I also hope if you’re in San Francisco, we can share that cup of tea. Let me know!
A Little More About Me:
I love kids, languages, books (and business stuff, too). And most of my work has been some combination of these things. When I lived in Tokyo, I wrote and produced bilingual, educational radio programs. Post business school, I created international strategies and partnerships for American media and technology companies. When my kids were tiny, I founded a children’s language school in the greater Seattle area teaching French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese to infants and young children.
Now I write, edit, and translate (Japanese to English). I am a board member and co-editor of World Kid Lit—where I’ve met the most amazing community of people interested in world kid lit (hello! hello!) Definitely check out the website and resources and join us there, too. I also run a writing group for middle grade authors.
In the last few years, I’ve won the CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers) best yet-to-be published middle grade novel and best yet-to-be published picture book. In different ways, I keep returning to stories about language and friends and family. It just may be a theme.
