The USBBY Outstanding International Books List (The OIB List) is an initiative of the United States section of the International Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) to produce an annual list of the outstanding children's books from around the world.
Background The Outstanding International Books (OIB) list began in 2006. Each year, books are selected by a committee appointed from the membership of USBBY, the United States section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). The aim is to promote the best of international children's literature, to introduce young people to outstanding authors and illustrators from other countries, and to help children and young people in the United States to see the world from diverse perspectives.
The 21st OIB List (2026) A total of 41 titles from 24 countries were selected as “exceptional titles for children and young adults", reflecting themes of identity, hope, intergenerational bonds, friendship, play, curiosity, migration, nature, and cultural heritage.USBBY Announces the 2026 Outstanding International Books List, by Erin L. Cox, Publishing Perspectives, 16 Jan 2026. https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/01/usbby-announces-the-2026-outstanding-international-books-list/ Accessed 17 Jan 2026.
Grades Pre-K–2 Andruetto, María Teresa. Clara and the Man with Books in His Window. tr. from Spanish by Elisa Amado. illus. by Martina Trach. Greystone Kids (Argentina) Arai, Ryōji. The Snow Theater. tr. from Japanese by David Boyd. illus. by author. Enchanted Lion. (Japan) Atinuke. M Is for Mango. illus. by Angela Brooksbank. Candlewick Press. (UK/Nigeria) Auh, Dayeon. The Three-Year Tumble. tr. from German by Tim Mohr. illus. by author. NorthSouth Books. (Switzerland/South Korea) Xu, Bin. Picking Tea with Baba. tr. from Chinese by Shan Chen. illus. by Yu Yin. Charlesbridge. (China) Brandelius, Uje. The Playdate. tr. from Swedish by Nicola Smalley. illus. by Clara Dackenberg. Lantana. (Sweden) Flett, Julie. My Friend May. illus. by author. Greystone Kids. (Canada) Guarda, J. Maria. Paloma Flies Away. tr. from Spanish by Melanie Cordova. illus. by author. Candlewick Press. (Chile) Liu, Hao. Wrestlers of the Grasslands. tr. from Chinese by Clavis Press. illus. by author. Clavis Press. (China) Kim, Hye-Eun. Pencil. illus. by author. A Toon Book. (South Korea) Kim, Jihyun. Blue Sky Morning. tr. from Korean by Polly Lawson. illus. by author. Floris Books. (South Korea) Lam, Thao. Everybelly. illus. by author. Groundwood/House of Anansi. (Canada) Xiong, Liang. Take a Walk with the Wind. tr. from the Chinese by Chloe Garcia Roberts. illus. by author. Elsewhere Editions. (China) Lopez, Azul. Croco. tr. from the Spanish by Kit Maude. illus. by author. Tapioca Stories. (Mexico) Ohnari, Yuko. Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash! tr. from Japanese by Emily Balistrieri. illus. by Koshiro Hata. Red Comet Press. (Japan) Perella, Eugenia. My Home Is In My Backpack. tr. from Spanish by Sally Polson. illus. by Angela Salerno. Floris Books. (Chile/Venezuela) Saunders, Kirli. Afloat. illus. by Freya Blackwood. Levine Querido. (Australia) Schuff, Nicolás. How to Reach the Moon. tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. illus. by Ana Sender. Amazon Crossing, Kids. (Argentina) Tallec, Olivier. Is It Asleep? tr. from French by Antony Shugaar. illus. by author. Gecko Press. (France)
Grades 3-5 Dauremer, Rébecca. The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough. tr. from French by Charis Ainslie. illus. by author.Post Wave. (France) Djupvik, Laura. My Brother. tr. from Norwegian by Martin Aitken. illus. by Øyvind Torseter. Elsewhere Editions. (Norway) Fadeeva, Olga. Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear. tr. from Russian by Lena Traer. illus. by author. Eerdmans. (Russia) Kashiwaba, Sachiko. The Village Beyond the Mist. tr. from Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa. illus. by Miho Satake. Yonder/Restless Books. (Japan) Krishnaswami, Uma. The Sunshine Project. illus. by Julianna Swaney. Groundwood/House of Anansi. (Canada/India) McQuoid, Judith. Giant. Little Island. (Ireland/UK) Naïr, Karthika. Electric Birds of Pothakudi. illus. by Joëlle Jolivet. Abrams. (France/India) Toro, Juliana Muñoz. Journey of the Humpbacks. tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. illus. by Dipacho. Eerdmans. (Colombia)
Grades 6-8 Åstot, Moa Backe. Butterfly Heart. tr. from Swedish by Agnes Broomé. Levine Querido. (Sweden) Bjerkeland, Ingvild. Beasts. tr. from Norwegian by Rosie Hedger. Levine Querido. (Norway) Dzotap, Alain Serge. Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon. tr. from French by author. illus. by Marc Daniau. Eerdmans. (France/Cameroon) Go, Jung-Soon. Okchundang Candy. tr. from Korean by Aerin Park. illus. by author. Levine Querido. (South Korea) Lessore, Nathanael. Dropping Beats. Little, Brown.(UK) Mansour, Vivian. Pilgrim Codex. tr. from Spanish by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez. illus. by Emmanuel Valtierra. Levine Querido. (Mexico) Marsol, Manuel. Astro. tr. from Spanish by Lizzie Davis. illus. by author. Transit Books. (Spain) Rundberg, Johan. Biggest Fake in the Universe. tr. from Swedish by Eva Apelqvist. Amazon Crossing Kids. (Sweden) Said, SF. Tyger. illus. by Dave McKean.Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House. (UK)
Grades 9-12 Bassett, Louise. The Hidden Girl. Walker Books. (Australia) Magicdustė, Akvilė. The Bees: The Women Who Rocked Lithuania. tr. from Lithuanian by Erika Lastovskytė. illus. by author. Fantagraphics. (Lithuania) O’Brien. Gráinne. Solo. Little Island. (Ireland) Sanna, Alessandro. Old as Stone, Hard as Rock: Of Humans and War. tr. from Italian by Ammiel Alcalay. illus. by author. Unruly/Enchanted Lion. (Italy) Volbeda, Ludwig. Self Portrait. tr. from Dutch by Lucy Scott. illus. by author. Levine Querido.(The Netherlands)
The 20th OIB List (2025) A total of 40 titles from 23 different countries were selected.The United States Board on Books for Young People Announces the 2025 Outstanding International Books List, https://www.usbby.org/uploads/1/0/7/0/107064867/press_release__usbby_announces_2025_outstanding_international_books_list.pdf Accessed 17 Jan 2026.
Grades PreK–2 A Day with Mousse by Claire Lebourg. tr. from French by Sophie Lewis. Transit Children’s Editions. (France) A Sleepless Night by Micaela Chirif. illus. by Joaquín Camp. tr. from Spanish by Jordan Landsman. Transit Children’s Editions. (Argentina) Amu Nowruz and His Violets by Hadi Mohammadi. illus. by Nooshin Safakhoo. tr. from Persian by Sara Khalili. Elsewhere Editions. (Iran) Boozhoo! Hello! by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. tr. from English to Anishinaabemowin by Mary Ann Corbiere. Groundwood Books. (Canada) Grandma’s Roof Garden by Tang Wei. tr. from Chinese by Kelly Zhang. Levine Querido. (China) Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi. tr. from Japanese by KAISEI-SHA Publishing Co. and Kids Can Press. Kids Can Press. (Japan) Look! Look! by Uma Krishnaswami. illus. by Uma Krishnaswamy. Groundwood Books.(Canada/India) Marcelo, Martello, Marshmallow by Ruth Rocha. illus. by Ana Matsusaki. tr. from Portuguese by Tal Goldfajn. Tapioca Stories. (Brazil) Montezuma’s Tantrum by Nuria Gómez Benet. illus. by Santiago Solís Montes de Oca. tr. from Spanish by Elisa Amado. Aldana Libros/Greystone Books. (Spain/Mexico) ninitohtênân / We Listen by Caitlin Dale Nicholson with Leona Morin-Neilson tr. from English to Cree by Leona Morin-Neilson. Groundwood Books. (Canada) Taro Gomi’s Big Book of Words by Taro Gomi. tr. from Japanese by KAISEI-SHA Publishing Co, Taro Gomi, and Naomi Kirsten. Chronicle Books. (Japan) The Legend of Tiger and Tail-Flower by Lee Gee Eun. tr from Korean by Aerin Park. Levine Querido. (South Korea) The Slug and the Snail by Oein DeBhairduin. illus. by Olya Anima. Little Island. (Ireland) What Makes Us Human by Victor D.O. Santos. illus. by Anna Forlati. tr. from Portuguese by Victor D.O. Santos. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (Brazil)
Grades 3-5 An Unexpected Light by José Saramago. illus. by Armando Fonseca. tr. from Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa. Triangle Square Books/Seven Stories Press. (Portugal) Birds on the Brain by Uma Krishnaswami. illus. by Julianna Swaney. Groundwood Books. (Canada/India) Griso: The One and Only by Roger Mello. tr. from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn. Elsewhere Editions. (Brazil) John the Skeleton by Laan Triinu. illus. by Marja-Liisa Plats tr. from Estonian by Adam Cullen. Restless Books/Yonder. (Estonia) Loose Threads by Isol. tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Enchanted Lion. (Argentina) Mishka by Edward van de Vendel, & Anoush Elman. illus. by Annet Schaap.tr. from Dutch by Nancy Forest-Flier. Levine Querido. (Netherlands) Taming Papa by Mylène Goupil. tr. from French by Shelley Tanaka. Groundwood Books. (Canada) The Duel: A Story about Peace by Inês Viegas Oliveira. tr. from Portuguese by Rosa Churcher Clarke. Triangle Square Books/Seven Stories Press. (Portugal) The Wildcat Behind Glass by Alki Zei. tr. from Greek by Karen Emmerich. Restless Books/Yonder. (Greece) Too Small Tola Makes It Count by Atinuke. illus. by Onyinye Iwu. Candlewick. (United Kingdom/Nigeria) Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us by Olga Fadeeva. tr. from Russian by Lena Traer. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (Russia) Vigdís: A Book About the World’s First Female President by Rán Flygenring. tr. from Icelandic by Jonas Moody. HELVETIQ. (Iceland)
Grades 6-8 Call Me Al by Wali Shah & Eric Walters. Orca Books. (Canada) Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge. illus. by Emily Gravett. Amulet/Abrams Books. (United Kingdom) Johnny, the Sea, and Me by Melba Escobar. illus. by Elizabeth Builes. Melba. tr. from Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson. Enchanted Lion. (Colombia) Our Beautiful Darkness by Ondjaki. illus. by António Jorge Gonçalves. tr. from Portuguese by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Unruly/Enchanted Lion. (Brazil/Angola) Save Our Forest! by Nora Dåsnes. tr. from Norwegian by Lise Lærdal Bryn. Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers. (Norway) The Go-Between by Jennifer Maruno. Red Deer Press. (Canada) The Mailbox Tree by Rebecca Lim & Kate Gordon. Walker Books. (Australia) The Queen of Thieves: The Moonwind Mysteries by Johan Rundberg. tr. from Swedish by A. A. Prime. Amazon Crossing Kids. (Sweden) We Go to the Park by Sara Stridsberg. illus. by Beatrice Alemagna. tr. from Swedish by B.J. Woodstein. Unruly/Enchanted Lion. (Sweden) Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto. Groundwood Books. (Canada)
Grades 9-12 ● Crash Landing by Li Charmaine Anne. Annick Press. (Canada) ● Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard by Anna Cercignano, Elenora Antonioni, Maurizia Rubino, Francesca Torre, La Tram, Lucia Biagi, Vega Guerrieri, Caterina Ferrante, Laure Guglielmo, Davide Costa, ElisA2B, Carmen Guasco, Marta Macolino, & Alessia De Sio. tr. from Italian by Anna Barton. Dark Horse Comics. (Italy) ● The Book of Denial by Ricardo Chávez Castañeda. illus. by Alejandro Magallanes. tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Unruly/Enchanted Lion. (Mexico) ● Ukraine: Remember Also Me: Testimonies from the War by George Butler. Candlewick Studio. (United Kingdom/Ukraine)
The 19th OIB List (2024) A total of 41 books were selected. 29 of the titles were translated into English, 27 different countries or cultures are represented in the selections. The chair of the selection committee noted that "the authors and illustrators empower readers to make sense of themselves, make sense of the world at large, and to recognize change is always possible."
Grades PreK–2 Aguilera, Claudio. 9 Kilometers. Tr. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel. Illus. by Gabriela Lyon. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (Chile) Álvarez, David & David Bowles. Ancient Night. Illus. by David Álvarez. Levine Querido. (Mexico) Dalvand, Reza. I Have the Right: An Affirmation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Tr. from French by Scribble. Illus. by author. Scribble. (France)