Internationally Published Children's Books

Night Noises is a story written by famous children's author Mem Fox. This book was originally published in Australia before making its debut in the United States. The text in this book reminds me of a mystery where the reader wants to keep going to see what is going to happen at the end. Being an adult, I had this same childish feeling and couldn't wait to discover who or what was making the noises.

Night Noises is a story about Lily Laceby, an older woman who lives in a small cottage with her dog. One winter night, the two of them doze off and fall asleep in front of the warm, cozy fireplace. Butch Aggie, the dog, begins to hear different, "night noises," such as car doors closing, voices whispering in the nearby woods, and fists quietly knocking at the front door. The author does a wonderful job of using the literary element of onomatopoeia to describe the different noises heard by the dog. This clever technique makes the book come to life. During all of these noises, Lily is never awakened or startled, but rather continues dreaming of her bygone days. She is only aroused when the dog begins to bark loudly. She slowly moves to the front door to find many of her family members and friends there to celebrate her 90th birthday!

I had never read a book by Mem Fox but feel in love with this story and wanted to read another title by her. I believe children of all ages would enjoy the story Night Noises because it sets the tone of being a mystery book, yet has a warm message of always remembering to love your friends and family.

Just like I promised, I read another internationally published children's book by Mem Fox. Th story, Possum Magic, was also originally published in Australia and then brought to the United States later. In this story, Grandma Poss has magical powers. One day, she uses these magical powers to turn Hush invisible to make sure she will always be safe from snakes. While invisible, Hush has many exciting and wonderful adventures.

Although she has fun being invisible, one day Hush decides she wants to be visible again. Grandma Poss can't remember the magic used to make her be seen again. Therefore, the two go on a tour of different Australian cities and taste a variety of "people" foods to try and find the right magic to make Hush visible again. They end up discovering the right foods to do this and Hush stays visible forever.

The most memorable part of the story is when Grandma Poss and Hush go on their tour of several cities to find the right food to make Hush visible again. At each stop, they sample some food and parts of Hush begin to appear slowly starting with her tail. This tail is one that sends a message to keep trying and never give up.

The last internationally published children's book I read was titled Big Wolf & Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme. This book was originally written and published in French and was chosen as a 2010 Batchelder Honor Book. This books tells about a friendship between the two main characters, Big Wolf and Little Wolf. The tale starts out with Big Wolf feeling threatened by a new wolf, Little Wolf, who has come along and started following him around and copying him. Over time, the annoyance wears off and Big Wolf learns to care for Little Wolf. The reader can tell by the time they spend together that they have become quite fond of each other. One day, Little Wolf suddenly disappears. Little Wolf's disappearance makes Big Wolf realize how much his friendship really meant to him. Big Wolf waits for his return and finally one day he sees him traveling back over the hill. I feel like all children can connect with these two characters and the plot of this story.

Both the illustrations and text in this book convey a strong message of how new friendships may be scary at first, but are worth taking the risk because they can enrich your life with a true lifelong friend.