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.
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Asterix the Gaul
Author: Renné Goscinny Illustrator: Albert Uderzo Translator: Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Interest level: 6-10
Reading age: 7+
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Asterix the Gaul
Author: Renné Goscinny Illustrator: Albert Uderzo Translator: Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Interest level: 6-10
Reading age: 7+
In a tiny corner of Brittany, one small village of indomitable Gauls hold out against the almighty, all-conquering Romans.
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Movies Showing Nowhere
Author: Yorick Goldewijk Illustrator: Yvonne Lacet Translator: Laura Watkinson
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
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Movies Showing Nowhere
Author: Yorick Goldewijk Illustrator: Yvonne Lacet Translator: Laura Watkinson
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
When Cate visits Mrs Kano's cinema, she is transported into a world beyond her wildest dreams. This wonderfully imaginative time-t…
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The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
Author: Anders Sparring Illustrator: Per Gustavsson Translator: Julia Marshall
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
Author: Anders Sparring Illustrator: Per Gustavsson Translator: Julia Marshall
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
The Pinchers are a family of thieves who are very excited to visit a local diamond exhibition. This hilarious crime caper is full …
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The Beast Player
Author: Nahoko Uehashi Translator: Cathy Hirano
Interest level: 12-14
Reading age: 12+
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The Beast Player
Author: Nahoko Uehashi Translator: Cathy Hirano
Interest level: 12-14
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…
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Gotcha!
Author: Clotilde Perrin Translator: Daniel Hahn
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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Gotcha!
Author: Clotilde Perrin Translator: Daniel Hahn
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
Look out! Three fearsome monsters are coming to gobble you up! Hide inside the houses of the three little pigs, Hansel and Gretel …
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Gamayun Tales I
Author: Alexander Utkin Translator: Lada Morozova
Interest level: 7-10
Reading age: 8+
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Gamayun Tales I
Author: Alexander Utkin Translator: Lada Morozova
Interest level: 7-10
Reading age: 8+
Gamayun, the magical human-faced bird of Slavic mythology, narrates this vibrant and luxurious graphic novel for younger readers. …
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Inside the Suitcase
Author: Clothilde Perrin Translator: Daniel Hahn
Interest level: 4-5
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Inside the Suitcase
Author: Clothilde Perrin Translator: Daniel Hahn
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
Flap books are nothing new, but Perrin’s use of multiple flaps-inside-flaps makes this book a real immersive adventure. A per…
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Nits!
Author: Stephanie Blake Translator: Linda Burgess
Interest level: 3-5
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Nits!
Author: Stephanie Blake Translator: Linda Burgess
Interest level: 3-5
Reading age:
A funny, light-hearted picture book about a common childhood issue that will prompt plenty of chuckles and delight young fans…
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Rhubarb Lemonade
Author: Oskar Kroon Translator: A. A. Prime
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 11+
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Rhubarb Lemonade
Author: Oskar Kroon Translator: A. A. Prime
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 11+
Vinga is happy to spend the summer on a tranquil Swedish island with her beloved Grandpa, leaving her troubles behind in the city.…
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The Midnight Palace
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon Translator: Lucia Graves
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 11+
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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.
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Talking to Alaska
Author: Anna Woltz Translator: Laura Watkinson
Interest level: 10-13
Reading age: 11+
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Talking to Alaska
Author: Anna Woltz Translator: Laura Watkinson
Interest level: 10-13
Reading age: 11+
It only takes one day at their new school for Parker and Sven to become mortal enemies. Parker’s had a terrible summer and just wa…
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Finn Family Moomintroll
Author: Tove Jansson Translator: Elizabeth Portch
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 6+
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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…
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The Visible Sounds
Author: Yin Jianling Illustrator: Yu Rong Translator: Filip Selucky
Interest level: 4-8
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The Visible Sounds
Author: Yin Jianling Illustrator: Yu Rong Translator: Filip Selucky
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age:
A two-year-old girl loses her hearing as a result of illness. At first, little MiLi feels frustrated, tearful and cross. Then…
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Leilong’s Too Long!
Author: Julia Liu & Bei Lynn Translator: Helen Wang
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Leilong’s Too Long!
Author: Julia Liu & Bei Lynn Translator: Helen Wang
Interest level:
Reading age:
Leilong is a brontosaurus, but he’s a dinosaur with a difference: this brontosaurus carries children to school. His long neck is a…
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Pippi Longstocking
Author: Astrid Lindgren Translator: Tiina Nunnally Illustrator: Lauren Child
Interest level: 6+
Reading age: 8+
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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 …
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Oskar and the Things
Author: Andrus Kivirähk Illustrator: Anne Pikkov Translator: Adam Cullen
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
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Oskar and the Things
Author: Andrus Kivirähk Illustrator: Anne Pikkov Translator: Adam Cullen
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
When Oskar makes a toy phone from a piece of wood, he is astounded when he discovers he can use it to call objects in and around G…
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You Don’t Know What War Is: the diary of a young girl fro...
Author: Yeva Skalietska Translator: Cindy Joseph-Pearson
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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You Don’t Know What War Is: the diary of a young girl fro...
Author: Yeva Skalietska Translator: Cindy Joseph-Pearson
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Twelve-year-old Yeva’s diary from the early days of the Russian-Ukrainian war, showing how war affects ordinary people.
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Mrs Pepperpot’s Christmas
Author: Alf Prøysen Illustrator: Hilda Offen
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 7+
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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
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My Especially Weird Week with Tess
Author: Anna Woltz Translator: David Colmer
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
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My Especially Weird Week with Tess
Author: Anna Woltz Translator: David Colmer
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
During his week’s holiday, Sam had expected football on the beach but instead finds himself ballroom dancing, holding a funeral fo…
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Bramble Fox
Author: Kathrin Tordasi Transated by Cathrin Wirtz
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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Bramble Fox
Author: Kathrin Tordasi Transated by Cathrin Wirtz
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
A fantasy thriller to take your breath away. Packed with beautifully imagined details that build a spellbinding world of magic, th…
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The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree
Author: Paola Peretti Translator: Denise Muir
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree
Author: Paola Peretti Translator: Denise Muir
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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…
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Elise and the Second-Hand Dog
Author: Bjarne Reuter Illustrator: Kirsten Raagaard Translator: Sian Mackie from Danish
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
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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. …
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Emil and the Detectives
Author: Erich Kästner
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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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 …
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Starring Carmen!
Author: Anika Denise Illustrator: Lorenza Alvarez Gomez
Interest level: 5+
Reading age: 7
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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…
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A Good Day For Climbing Trees
Author: Jaco Jacobs Illustrator: Jim Tierney Translator: Kobus Geldenhuys from Afrikaans
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 11+
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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…
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Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope
Author: Anne Plichota and Cendrine Wolf Translator: Sue Rose
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 11+
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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.
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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+
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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 …
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The Story of Babar
Author: Jean De Brunhoff Translator: Merle S. Haas
Interest level: 4+
Reading age: 7+
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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...'
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The New Football Coach
Author: Dominique Demers Translator: Sander Berg Illustrator: Tony Ross
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
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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…
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The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Interest level: 7-11
Reading age: 8+
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The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Interest level: 7-11
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 …
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The Raven’s Children
Author: Yulia Yakovleva Translator: Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp from Russian
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10-12
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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…
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