And Then We Saw the Bag...: Trash to Them, Treasure to Us by Emma AdBåge, trans. from the Swedish by Melissa Bowers. Arctis, $18, out now; ISBN 978-1-64690-054-1. Ages 4–8. AdBåge hilariously captures a household’s cleanup dynamics in this account of overzealous parental tidying. As flattened drawings comedically track the house’s transformation from “empty and straight” to once again cluttered, readers will easily see themselves in this laugh-out-loud tale. The book received a starred review from PW.

Arthur’s Cat by Johan Leynaud, trans. from the French by Sarah Ardizzone. Eerdmans, $18.99, out now; ISBN 978-0-8028-5658-6. Ages 3–7. Leynaud’s English-language debut tells the story of a rambunctious boy who loves his cat Zeffo. But Zeffo? Not so much. Embedded in the humorous tale are social-emotional themes of friendship, boundaries, and personal growth.

The Blanket by Marie Dorléans, trans. from the French by Katy Lockwood-Holmes. Floris, $18.99, out now; ISBN 978-1-78250-979-0. Ages 4–7. The fearful protagonist of Dorléans’s astutely sensitive and strengthening story draws courage from a voluminous red blanket. Homey, digitally finished illustrations with ample patterning employ a mix of graphite and watercolor techniques in neutrally colored everyday scenes that spotlight the cherry afghan.

Borders: Meeting Our Neighbors Around the World by Gudol, trans. from the Korean by Sophie Bowman, illus. by Haerang. Helvetiq, Oct. 6; ISBN 978-3-03-964149-9. Ages 8–12. First published in South Korea, this book provides an illustrated tour of natural and human-made borders across the globe, and their everyday impact. The book earned the 62nd Korea Book Award, Taiwan’s Openbook Good Book Award, and the French Prix Sorcières for nonfiction.

The Boy Who Sees with His Fingers by Tomasz Malkowski, trans. from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, illus. by Joanna Rusinek. Albatros, $19.99, Feb. 2027; ISBN 978-80-00-07853-3d. Ages 5–9. This story about a boy growing up with a visual impairment is the first chapter book that Albatros will publish in the U.S., expanding beyond picture and board books. It’s funny and relatable story about ability, empathy, and the power of confidence. A former teacher for blind children served as a consultant, and the book will incorporate Braille elements.

Comet Club by Yi Yang, trans. from the Chinese by Jamie Richards. Takumigraphics, $19.99 paper, Oct. 13; ISBN 979-8-8750-0256-4. Ages 12 and up. In Yang’s cinematic graphic novel, her English-language debut, a group of teenagers in a dying city forms a UFO-watching club, only to stumble onto a mystery much closer to home. Propulsive storytelling and a lived-in setting lend the narrative an atmospheric quality. The result is a dynamic tale distinguished by bleak humor and mounting suspense.

Con el paso del tiempo/As Time Went By by José Sanabria, trans. from the Spanish by Audrey Hall. Ediciones NorteSur, $19.95 Mar. 2027; ISBN 978-0-7358-4664-7. Ages 4–8. The English-language translation of Sanabria’s picture book—a modern fable about a steamship’s journey—was awarded a Batchelder Honor in 2017. Next spring, the original Spanish text will be available to U.S. readers for the first time in a bilingual edition.

Desert Flowers by Jairo Buitrago, trans. from the Spanish by Elisa Amado, illus. by Manuel Monroy. Aldana Libros, $19.95, Oct. 27; ISBN 978-1-77840-012-4. Ages 4–8. Against the backdrop of the vast desert of northern Mexico, two girls are celebrating their grandmother’s birthday in her house. But nobody else has shown up. Both the author and artist have been featured on the IBBY Honour List and in the White Ravens catalogue.

The Dreamcrafter by Zolboo Orgil, trans. from the Mongolian by Bujinlkham Erdenebaatar. Enchanted Lion, $18.99, Nov. 3; ISBN 978-1-59270-498-9. Ages 4–8. With the aura of a fairy tale, this oneiric story explores the power of art, and the role it plays in the lives of its creators and admirers. See our article on the making of the book, which kicks off Enchanted Lion’s new Mongolian Voices series.

Fancy Dogs by Tini Malina, trans. from the German by Tammi Reichel. NorthSouth, $19.95 Oct. 6; ISBN 978-0-7358-4627-2. Ages 4–8. This rhyming picture book depicts our four-legged friends at their most stylish and silly. In March, NorthSouth published Malina’s first English-language title, Selma—The Story of a Stellar Spider (also available in Spanish as Selma—la historia de una araña estelar). The new title is also available in Spanish, as Los perros finos.

Gravity and Other Substances by Daniel Liévano, trans. from the Spanish by Eugenia Mello and Pablo Román. Unruly, $22.99, Nov. 10; ISBN 978-1-59270-435-4. Ages 14 and up. Inviting readers to linger over questions of existence, this idiosyncratic illustrated essay from Liévano considers the relationship between storytelling and abstract ideas such as memory, reality, dreams, and gravity. Enticing language and graphical artwork in vibrant blues, yellows, and reds treat each concept as a tangible force with its own character and consequences. The book received a starred review from PW.

Have You Ever Heard a Horse Sing? by Pauline Barzilaï, trans. from the French by Lindsay Turner. Transit, $20.95 (42p) ISBN 979-8-89338-088-0. Ages 3–8. Variations on the title question unfold with increasing absurdity in Barzilaï’s fervent English-language debut. A narrator presents themself as excessively attentive, as onomatopoeia-filled pages recount their experiences encountering varied impossible sounds, including “a frog whistle” (“TWEE FEE FEE”) and “an ant fart” (“WOOT WOOT DING”). After each prompt, musing prose underscores how unlikely it is to catch the noise in question. The picture book received a starred review from PW. See Linsday Turner’s conversation with fellow literary translator Kit Maude here.

Henri and the Secret Letters by Fanny Ducassé, trans. from the French by David Warriner. Greystone, $19.95, Oct. 6; ISBN 978-1-77840-364-4. Ages 4–8. In Ducassé’s first book to be published in English, Henri is a solitary, thoughtful badger who enjoys baking, forest walks, and living at his own gentle pace. On the first day of fall, he receives a mysterious letter from a “secret sender” who admires the twinkle in his eye. More letters follow, each containing a recipe and a clue. The book weaves six child-friendly recipes into its narrative.

I Will Eat You in the End by David Duff, illus. by Marianna Coppo. Holiday House/Porter, $19.99, out now; ISBN 978-0-8234-6393-0. Ages 5–9. This Beckettian two-parter by Duff (based in London) and Coppo (based in Rome) lays out the realities of the life cycle with unstinting matter-of-factness and disarming wit. In a somewhat existential cold open, an enormous teal sauropod inadvertently squishes the companion of a pink bowler-hatted worm. Instead of mourning, the surviving invertebrate begins a candid discussion on the democracy of mortality, explaining that all living things have a beginning and an end, and that everyone needs sustenance. It’s a funny, generous, and profound tale. The picture book received a starred review from PW.

Life Is Dangerous: From Bacteria to You by Reidar Muller, illus. by Sigbjorn Lilleeng. Albatros, $24.99, Mar. 2027; ISBN 978-80-00-08070-3. Ages 9–12. The publisher’s first graphic novel to be published in the U.S. takes readers on a tour through the evolution of life, featuring dinosaurs, giant dragonflies, enormous scorpions, sea monsters, and other fearful creatures. The book was nominated for Norway’s Brage Prize and the Ministry of Culture’s Children’s and Youth Literature Prize in the Nonfiction for Children and Young People categories.

Little Monk Writes Rain by Hsu-Kung Liu, trans. from the Chinese by Rachel Wang Yung-Hsin. Eerdmans, $18.99, out now; ISBN 978-0-8028-5657-9. Ages 4–8. Originally published in Taiwan, this picture book tells the gentle story of a Buddhist monk who practices calligraphy every day—calming his heart and bringing an unexpected gift to a nearby city. The illustrator’s use of calligraphy allows readers to get a glimpse of the original language. The book also has a distinctive vertical format, evoking traditional Chinese silkscreen art.

The Necklace of Seven Souls by Hooda Shawa, trans. from the Arabic by Sawad Hussain and Nour Jaljuli, illus. by Nada Esmaeel. Yonder, $18, out now; ISBN 978-1-63206-407-3. Ages 14 and up. Shawa and Esmaeel blend mystery and romance in a moving novel about two Palestinian teens in present-day Paris. Romantic and suffused with longing, it’s a luminous exploration of displacement, memory, and the Palestinian diaspora. The YA novel received a starred review from PW. See our conversation with translators Hussain and Jaljuli.

The Night by Mariachiara Di Giorgio. NorthSouth, $21.95, out now; ISBN 978-0-7358-4628-9. Ages 4–8. This tantalizing wordless fantasy from Di Giorgio opens on a rainy night as a loving caretaker departs, leaving two children with a forbidding figure. One child carries a copy of Hansel and Gretel under an arm; does the babysitter, an unsettling presence, mean to do them harm? The two don’t wait to find out. In this enticing Brothers Grimm tale turned upside down, horror morphs into magic as silhouettes and shadows embody night’s quixotic wonders. The picture book received a starred review from PW.

Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa, illus. by Osamu Tsukasa, trans. from the Japanese by David Boyd and Asa Yoneda. Elsewhere, Dec. 1; ISBN 978-1-962770-30-9. Ages 8–12. On the eve of the Milky Way festival, a boy and his classmate are transported to the Galactic train, in this surreal adventure from the beloved Japanese author who inspired Studio Ghibli. The story is accompanied by woodblock-style prints. 

Same Time, Next Week? by Marlene Droop, trans. from the German by Alisha Niehaus Berger. NorthSouth, $19.95, out now; ISBN 978-0-7358-4630-2. Ages 4–8. A group of animals road-trip beyond city limits in search of stars in this carefree adventure from Droop, making her English-language debut. Scribble-textured, naive-style illustrations in a limited palette lend the excursion an epic quality. The picture book received a starred review from PW.

The Underground Adventure of the Brave Frog Renée (The Brave Frog Renée #1) by Mikołaj Pa, trans. from the Polish by Scotia Gilroy, illus. by Gosia Herba. Greystone, $18.95, Nov. 3; ISBN 978-1-7784-0350-7. Ages 4–8. An intrepid amphibian’s exploration below Earth’s surface becomes the occasion for a series of grand visual set pieces in this diverting picture book. Wondering whether Earth’s center is like the soft-boiled egg on her breakfast table, bipedal and fanged frog Renée packs a bag and heads out to investigate. As she travels to the planet’s core with help from underground creatures, gouache and pencil spreads chronicle the journey in dramatically changing scenes.

The Voice of the Snow by Yuko Ohnari, trans. from the Japanese by Emily Balistrieri, illus. by Koshiro Hata. Red Comet, $18.99, out now; ISBN 978-1-63655-203-3. Ages 4–7. In this follow-up to Downpour (a PW Best Book of 2025), the husband-and-wife team offers a gentle and poetic exploration of a snowy morning through the eyes, and ears, of a child. A third title, Autumn Leaves, is due in fall 2027. All three picture books are inspired by creators’ son.

We by Christelle Dabos, trans. from the French by Hildegarde Serle. Europa, $22; ISBN 979-8-88966-204-4. Ages 14 and up. The We, an omnipotent force, rules over the inhabitants of an unnamed supercontinent in this powerful speculative epic from Dabos, the author of the Mirror Visitor quartet. Exquisite prose and inventive worldbuilding complement the sophisticated, high-stakes plot, which considers issues of destiny, faith, and free will. The novel received a starred review from PW. Read more about the book and the resurgence in YA dystopia here.

The Weather Shop by Thomas Lee, trans. from the Korean by Deborah Smith. Do Re Mi, $19.95; ISBN 978-1-917933-08-7. Ages 4–8. Lee enchants with an adorable introduction to Mole’s Weather Shop, which sells “lots of useful things, all made from the weather.” Reveling in playful details, dainty pen drawings shaded in candy-colored watercolor and gouache capture Mole’s store as a bustling destination for the whole community. The cozy creaturely pileup is a delight. The book received a starred review from PW. Read more about Do Re Mi’s publishing program, including several books in translation, here.

When I Want to Be Silent by Zornitsa Hristova, trans. from the Bulgarian by Angela Rodel, illus. by Kiril Zlatkov. Helvetiq, $17.95; ISBN 978-3-03964-148-2. Ages 3–7. Hristova and Zlatkov explore the limits of words in this philosophical English-language debut. First-person narration attends images of a realistically rendered bear. With a quiet profundity, the creators manage to capture the indescribable.