Favourite translated children's books
If you're interested in exploring children's books in translation, these well-loved favourites and award-winning titles offer the perfect places to start.
Check out In Other Words, our prize for translated Children's fiction
-
Toby Alone
Author: Timothee de Fombelle Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 8+
Flip -
Toby Alone
Author: Timothee de Fombelle Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 8+
Winner of the 2009 Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation, this exciting adventure has a serious message about the w…
; Flip
-
Asterix the Gaul
Author: Renné Goscinny Illustrator: Albert Uderzo Translator: Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 7+
Flip -
Asterix the Gaul
Author: Renné Goscinny Illustrator: Albert Uderzo Translator: Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 7+
In a tiny corner of Brittany, one small village of indomitable Gauls hold out against the almighty, all-conquering Romans.
; Flip
-
The Beast Player
Author: Nahoko Uehashi Translator: Cathy Hirano
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Flip -
The Beast Player
Author: Nahoko Uehashi Translator: Cathy Hirano
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Elin's mother has a very special job - caring for the magical Toda which protect their kingdom. But when something goes wrong, Eli…
; Flip
-
The Midnight Palace
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon Translator: Lucia Graves
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 11+
Flip -
The Midnight Palace
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon Translator: Lucia Graves
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 11+
In Calcutta in 1916, after the deaths of both their parents in bizarre circumstances, two babies are separated at birth.
; Flip
-
Finn Family Moomintroll
Author: Tove Jansson Translator: Elizabeth Portch
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 6+
Flip -
Finn Family Moomintroll
Author: Tove Jansson Translator: Elizabeth Portch
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 6+
Moomintroll is cheerful and chubby and lives in the magical Moominvalley with his mother, Moominmamma, his father, Moominpappa and…
; Flip
-
In The Sea There Are Crocodiles
Author: Fabio Geda Translator: Howard Curtis
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 10+
Flip -
In The Sea There Are Crocodiles
Author: Fabio Geda Translator: Howard Curtis
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 10+
First published in Italian last year, the story of Enaiatollah Akbari's journey from Afghanistan to Italy has now been translated …
; Flip
-
Pippi Longstocking
Author: Astrid Lindgren Translator: Tiina Nunnally Illustrator: Lauren Child
Interest level: 6+
Reading age: 8+
Flip -
Pippi Longstocking
Author: Astrid Lindgren Translator: Tiina Nunnally Illustrator: Lauren Child
Interest level: 6+
Reading age: 8+
Follow Pippi Longstocking on her amazing adventures as she moves into Villa Villekulla with a horse, a monkey, and a big suitcase …
; Flip
-
Mrs Pepperpot’s Christmas
Author: Alf Prøysen Illustrator: Hilda Offen
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 7+
Flip -
Mrs Pepperpot’s Christmas
Author: Alf Prøysen Illustrator: Hilda Offen
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 7+
Mrs Pepperpot’s shrinking habit can be very inconvenient, especially when she wants to go shopping for Christmas presents
; Flip
-
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree
Author: Paola Peretti Translator: Denise Muir
Interest level: 9-12
Reading age: 9-12
Flip -
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree
Author: Paola Peretti Translator: Denise Muir
Interest level: 9-12
Reading age: 9-12
Nine-year-old Mafalda has a degenerative eye condition. She starts to keep a list of all the things she'll miss when her sight goe…
; Flip
-
Elise and the Second-Hand Dog
Author: Bjarne Reuter Illustrator: Kirsten Raagaard Translator: Sian Mackie from Danish
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
Flip -
Elise and the Second-Hand Dog
Author: Bjarne Reuter Illustrator: Kirsten Raagaard Translator: Sian Mackie from Danish
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
Elise gets a secondhand mongrel to keep her company – and turns out, the dog's name is McAddudi and he’s from Scotland. …
; Flip
-
Mr Leon's Paris
Author: Barroux Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 6+
Flip -
Mr Leon's Paris
Author: Barroux Translator: Sarah Ardizzone
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 6+
Paris is beautifully rendered in moody beige, blue and orange in this retro-styled tale of French taxi driver Mr Leon and his mult…
; Flip
-
Emil and the Detectives
Author: Erich Kästner
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Flip -
Emil and the Detectives
Author: Erich Kästner
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Ten-year-old Emil is excited to be taking the train to Berlin on his own for the first time - but he doesn't like the look of his …
; Flip
-
Starring Carmen!
Author: Anika Denise Illustrator: Lorenza Alvarez Gomez
Interest level: 5+
Reading age: 7
Flip -
Starring Carmen!
Author: Anika Denise Illustrator: Lorenza Alvarez Gomez
Interest level: 5+
Reading age: 7
Carmen is a one-girl theatre company. She sings, acts, dances and makes the costumes! Her little brother Eduardo is desperate to b…
; Flip
-
A Good Day For Climbing Trees
Author: Jaco Jacobs Illustrator: Jim Tierney Translator: Kobus Geldenhuys from Afrikaans
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 11+
Flip -
A Good Day For Climbing Trees
Author: Jaco Jacobs Illustrator: Jim Tierney Translator: Kobus Geldenhuys from Afrikaans
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 11+
Thirteen-year-old Marnus finds himself at the centre of a protest when he and a girl named Leila camp out in a tree to preven…
; Flip
-
Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope
Author: Anne Plichota and Cendrine Wolf Translator: Sue Rose
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 11+
Flip -
Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope
Author: Anne Plichota and Cendrine Wolf Translator: Sue Rose
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 11+
The Oksa Pollock series has legions of fans all over the world, and this first installment leaves us in no doubt why.
; Flip
-
The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught her to Fly
Author: Luis Sepulveda Illustrator: Satoshi Kitamura Translator: Margaret Sayers Peden
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 10+
Flip -
The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught her to Fly
Author: Luis Sepulveda Illustrator: Satoshi Kitamura Translator: Margaret Sayers Peden
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 10+
An oil-soaked gull asks an unsuspecting cat to look after her egg and protect the baby inside. The cat must find a way to teach a …
; Flip
-
The Story of Babar
Author: Jean De Brunhoff Translator: Merle S. Haas
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 7+
Flip -
The Story of Babar
Author: Jean De Brunhoff Translator: Merle S. Haas
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 7+
' In the great forest, a litle elephant was born. His name was Babar...'
; Flip
-
The New Football Coach
Author: Dominique Demers Translator: Sander Berg Illustrator: Tony Ross
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
Flip -
The New Football Coach
Author: Dominique Demers Translator: Sander Berg Illustrator: Tony Ross
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
The Black Duck Brook Football Club are hoping their new coach Miss Charlotte will help lead them to victory - but she seems to hav…
; Flip
-
The Adventures of Tintin
Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 9+
Flip -
The Adventures of Tintin
Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 9+
Resourceful junior reporter Tintin embarks on a series of exciting international adventures, accompanied by his faithful dog Snowy…
; Flip
-
The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
Flip -
The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
An air pilot makes a forced landing deep in the Sahara Desert. There, he makes a mysterious Little Prince, who tells him a series …
; Flip
-
The Raven’s Children
Author: Yulia Yakovleva Translator: Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp from Russian
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10-12
Flip -
The Raven’s Children
Author: Yulia Yakovleva Translator: Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp from Russian
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10-12
It’s 1938 and siblings Shura and Tanya are good Soviet citizens and comrades. But there are spies and enemies everywhere. Gri…
; Flip