How I won a Picture book writing contest in Japan

Today, I’m thrilled to announce that I won an incentive prize at the 10th Picture Book Contest in Japan. This was my first time entering a picture book-creating contest, and I feel incredibly lucky that the jury recognized my manuscript as publication material. Based on my experience, let me share with you what it takes ... Read More

Picture books for 0-years-old

An insight from a Japanese researcher In this entry, I’ll resort to a viewpoint expressed by Toshiyuki Shiomi, a Japanese author of pediatric literature. The field of psychology dedicated to the study of infants, specifically those aged 0 to 1, has only recently emerged as a topic of research. This is due to the fact ... Read More

A Research Field Was Born

Today (Aug 26th) marks the birthday of Children’s Literature Translation Studies as a field, which was established in 1976 at the 3rd Congress of IRCL, titled “Problems of Translation in the Field of Literature for Children and Young People.” At the congress, Children’s Literature scholars and translators gathered in Sweden and agreed on the importance ... Read More

Children and other talking animals

Picture books and books intended for two- to three-year-olds often use talking animals as a way to show children agency and explain the transition from animal-like existence to that of a talking little human. In books for children aged one to three, animal characters take on human roles and behaviors such as talking, cooking and ... Read More

Children’s Books for Adults

What to expect reading together with a child According to Nielsen Book Research Reports, since 2015, 80% of Young Adult books have been bought by adults. When children read or listen to a story, they enjoy it and learn from the experiences of the characters. They also closely observe the adults’ reactions to different events ... Read More