Children's Books in So Many Languages!
Kyūshū Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan. Umi no mukō no zutto mukō. Tokyo: Furēberukan, 2009
«¿Sabías que Nolen Library tiene libros para niños en varios idiomas? Or should I say . . . Did you know that Nolen Library collects children's books in many languages?»
Our children's collection includes books in Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French, and Russian, as well as a selection of other languages. While many are translations of well-known English classics, some of the books are classics in their own language. Still others are bilingual or even trilingual. Here are a few of my favorites.
You probably already know Where the Wild Things Are by beloved author Maurice Sendak, which tells the story of Max, a boy who travels far away to an island inhabited by monsters. Nolen has the Spanish edition, Donde Viven los Monstruos, translated by Teresa Mlawer.
Sendak, Maurice. Donde Viven los Monstruos? New York: Harper Trophy, 1996
Or consider reading Black & Blanco, a book for bilingual readers—or those who would like to be! This book has text in both Spanish and English, and gets the reader involved by asking questions like "Can you wiggle your bones?" or "¿Puedes menar los huesos?"
Black & Blanco! Engaging art in English y Español. San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 2013
Do you know an old lady who swallowed a fly? How about 有个老婆婆吞了一只苍蝇? The English-language edition of this comic story is quite popular at Nolen Library's storytime sessions. I'm sure the Chinese version is just as hilarious!
Taback, Simms. You ge lao po po tun le yi zhi cang ying. Haikou: Nanhai chu ban gong si, 2010
After you discover Japanese art in the Met's galleries, stop by Nolen to read a tale about Japanese sailors. 海のむこうのずっとむこう (Umi no mukō no zutto mukō) features beautiful watercolor pictures. The detailed illustrations allow even non-Japanese readers (like myself) to follow this adventure-filled story.
Kyūshū Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan. Umi no mukō no zutto mukō. Tōkyō: Furēberukan, 2009
These are just a few of the many non-English children's books available for you to read in Nolen Library, which is open to all Met visitors seven days a week.
Related Link
In Circulation: "After Hours, Things Get Crazy at Nolen Library" (July 8, 2015)
Gwen Mayhew
Gwen Mayhew is an assistant museum librarian in the Thomas J. Watson Library.