The company's website lists books by country of origin and by theme. Fifteen countries are represented, including such English speaking countries as Australia and England. You may recognize some of the books, such as Everyone Poops, from Japan; You Be Me, I'll Be You, from Belgium; Hanimations, from Italy; and The Mats, from the Philippines. The Mats was honored with the Philippine National Book Award for Children's Literature in 1995.
When I first read several of the books, I did not realize that they had originated in other countries. However, they struck me as different from what I was used to, and of course, this is what makes them particularly valuable in broadening a child's (and an adult's) perspective and creating more of a global awareness. The themes and tone of the books vary greatly and many of them are quite funny. Others handle serious topics with a gentle touch. Among others, the themes of the books Kane/Miller publishes include:
- cultural/global awareness,
- death/loss,
- the body,
- new baby,
- self-esteem/identity,
- reading, and
- science.
I hope you will visit Kane/Miller’s website and learn more about this publisher and how their books can broaden your child’s perceptions of children from, and life in, other countries. They may be surprised to learn how much we all have in common.
If you have other publishers to recommend, please post the information on the About Children's Books Forum.
