[Monday Reading] 10 International Picture Books I’ve Read During Quarantine

Fats here.

It’s Monday, What are You Reading is a meme hosted by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers (new host of Monday reading: Kathryn T at Book Date). Since two of our friends, Linda from Teacher Dance and Tara from A Teaching Life have been joining this meme for quite awhile now, we thought of joining this warm and inviting community.

In celebration of our 10th Year Blogiversary, I’m sharing 10 international picture books that kept me company during quarantine. Hope you find some good ones to read from this list!

The Ear by Piret Raud
(Estonia)

On the cover of my library copy, it was noted that The Ear was inspired by Van Gogh. The book is about the Ear that woke up one morning to discover that she was all alone. She felt lost and incomplete without the head and the brain. As the Ear sets off to figure out what to do , she meets creatures along the way. Find out how the Ear made new friends and discovers what she’s capable of.

Jerome by Heart by Thomas Scotto and Olivier Tallec
(France)

In this tender picture book, a boy named Raphael shares his deep affection for his friend, Jerome. The book doesn’t follow a straightforward narrative. Instead, readers become familiar with Raphael and Jerome’s friendship with vignettes from their day-to-day interaction. Tallec’s illustrations add charm to this book.

Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez and Jaime Kim
(Argentina)

This is one of my favorite books from this list. A little girl suddenly becomes confused when people ask her where she’s really from, after she tells them, “I’m from here, from today, same as everyone else.” She turns to her abuelo for answers. Surely, he would know where she’s really from, wouldn’t he? Beautiful book through and through.

The Last Leopard by Wenxuan CAO and Rong Li
(China)

In this book, a leopard wanders tirelessly across the wilderness in search for other leopards. “Am I the only leopard left in the world?” The leopard asks a pigeon, a groundhog, and even an oak tree. When I thought I figured out where the story was going, the ending threw me off. I still don’t know how I feel about this book.

Lion and Mouse by Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng
(Mexico)

You can probably guess that this is a retelling of a timeless classic. The mutual dependence of the lion and mouse from the old tale is portrayed as “returning the favor” in this book. I like the twist, as well as the characterization of the “lovely lion who was like the sun” and the mouse who has a girlfriend! If you like retellings, add this to your list!

Paws and Edward by Espen Dekko and Mari Kanstad Johnsen
(Norway)

Paws and Edward are the best of friends. They enjoy doing things together. Paws loves dreaming about rabbits, while Edward enjoys his walks with Paws. Lately, Paws spends most of his time sleeping. Edward asks Paws to take a walk. Paws is too tired to go out for walks but he does, anyway. For Edward. Paws and Edward is a sweet story about losing a pet.

Oscar Seeks a Friend by Paweł Pawlak
(Poland)

Oscar is on a mission to replace his missing tooth. It’s hard enough for a skeleton boy to make friends, more so for a skeleton boy with a missing tooth! One day, Oscar sees a little girl burying a tooth in the ground. When Oscar asks the girl if he could have the tooth, she refuses at first. She tells Oscar that needs to bury it so her dreams could come true. When the girl sees Oscar with his missing tooth, she laughs. She agrees to give Oscar her tooth, if he helps her find a friend. Cute story on finding friends in unlikely places.

Count on Me by Miguel Tanco
(Italy)

This book is perfect for math enthusiasts. While I am not a fan of math myself, I enjoyed my geometry and trigonometry classes in high school. This book is all about being passionate at something. It doesn’t have to be a particular skill. It could be something as simple as math. Read about the little girl who sees the beauty of the world through math.

A Most Mysterious Mouse by Giovanna Zoboli and Lisa D’ Andrea
(Italy)

As a cat lover, I would borrow and take home books featuring cats. Giovanni Zoboli’s picture book is no exception. The cat in this book spends his time thinking about mice. “If I don’t, who else will?” I thought that was funny. (What’s also funny is a cat trying to imagine one million different mice!) Find out what happens if an actual mouse shows up at the cat’s door!

My Big Bear My Little Bear and Me by Margarita Del Mazo and Rocio Bonilla
(Spain)

This is another favorite of mine. The illustrations are as charming as the story. A little girl tells readers about the two bears in her life, big bear and little bear. It’s an affectionate story about a girl’s loving relationship with her father (and stuffed bear!). This is best paired with The Bear in My Family by Maya Tatsukawa.

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