Outstanding International Children's Books for Grades 3-5

The Outstanding International Books list recognizes outstanding books published or distributed in the United States that originated or were first published in a country other than the United States. Titles are selected annually by the United States Board on Books for Young People, the U.S. national section of the International Board on Books for Young People.

Updated April 1, 2026
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CU Catalog Champaign Children's Team
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Outstanding International Children's Books for Grades 3-5

The Outstanding International Books list recognizes outstanding books published or distributed in the United States that originated or were first published in a country other than the United States. Titles are selected annually by the United States Board on Books for Young People, the U.S. national section of the International Board on Books for Young People.

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The invisible elephant
Anisimova, Anna
Paper Book
A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Book From beloved Finland-based children's author Anna Anisimova comes a heartwarming, beautifully illustrated chapter book about a blind girl who joyfully explores her environment using her senses and vivid imagination, inviting young readers to...
Too small Tola makes it count
Atinuke
Paper Book
In the fourth book of this irresistibly charming series, Tola finds creative solutions to her neighbors' difficulties--but can Tola solve her own problem when her friends call her a liar? Lockdown is over and Too Small Tola is happy to be home with her family again in their...
Three tasks for a dragon
Colfer, Eoin
Paper Book
With wit and gorgeous art, New York Times best-selling author Eoin Colfer and multi-award-winning illustrator P.J. Lynch team up again for a quest story of knights, dark magic, and a maiden with powers of her own. Studious Prince Lir is next in line to become the Wolfhound...
The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough
Dautremer, Rébecca
From award-winning author and illustrator Rébecca Dautremer, celebrate love, joy, and family with Jacominus Gainsborough. Journey through the life of a humble little rabbit, Jacominus Gainborough. In twelve beautifully illustrated scenes that capture the changing...
On the edge of the world
Desnitskaya, Anna
Paper Book
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List - Grades 3-5 (2024) A uniquely formatted book about dreams, loneliness, and the universal longing for connection.  Vera and her family live on Russia's...
My brother
Djupvik, Laura
Paper Book
A sensitive portrayal of loss, Brother Mine is the story of a child whose brother emerges from the depths of the fjord on the end of her father's fishing line. Though grieving in different ways, the child and her father find comfort in remembering their brother and son together. Oyvind Torseter's...
Sound : discovering the vibrations we hear
Fadeeva, Olʹga
Paper Book
A USBBY Outstanding International Book (OIB) "Dynamically illustrated...kid-friendly, intriguing." -- Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) "Brimming with cogent insights, delightful visuals, and infectious wonder." - Kirkus Reviews...
Water : discovering the precious resource all around us
Fadeeva, Olʹga
Paper Book
"This browsable, superbly designed book is absorbing."  -- Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) "Wonderful . . . engaging detail . . . a beautiful addition to nonfiction collections looking for books on the subject, and those seeking...
Vigdi?s : a book about the world's first female president
Flygenring, Ra?n
Paper Book
★ "In this winningly informal introduction, a budding young writer sits with Vigdís to enjoy her famous Bessastaðir cookies and chat about her early years..." - Booklist (STARRED review) A Bank Street Center for Children's Literature Best Book of the Year  <...
The walking school bus
Friedland, Aaron
Paper Book
A "moving tale of two enterprising siblings determined to find a safe way to get to school" (New York Times), this singular picture book celebrates the creativity, ingenuity, and passion of children all over the world. Features an afterword from Julian Lennon,...
Taming papa
Goupil, Myle?ne
Paper Book
Mélie doesn't know how to relate to her father, a political prisoner in another country whom she has never met, when he is released and immigrates to join her family in Montreal. "Where I come from, you have to say the same things as everyone else or keep quiet," Mélie's mother tells her....
The art and life of Hilma af Klint
Hillström, Ylva
Paper Book
The first children's picture book on Hilma af Klint and her pioneering work. Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) began painting her abstract and highly symbolic images as early as 1906, long before Kandinsky and Malevich arrived at what is generally regarded as the birth of modern...
Loose threads
Isol
Paper Book
An intrepid girl discovers the value of the tangled, knotty side of life in Loose Threads, a picture book inspired by a Palestinian scarf, from Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Isol. Translated from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel<...
The moon tonight : our moon's journey around earth
Jung, Chang-hoon
Paper Book
"Exquisite." -- New York Times Follow our moon as it waxes and wanes across the night sky in this informative and stunning nonfiction picture book by an astronomer and award-winning illustrator. Everyone on Earth can look up and marvel at our...
The house of the lost on the cape
Kashiwaba, Sachiko
Paper Book
A 2024 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honoree A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Book One of Kirkus Reviews' 10 Essential Middle-Grade Books for Fall 2023 -- Starred Review One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Middle-Grade Family Stories of 2023 A 2023 Cybils Awards Finalist...
The village beyond the mist
Kashiwaba, Sachiko
Paper Book
"Kashiwaba's novel is indeed transporting. . . . Pick up this book and be spirited away." -- Gregory Maguire, The New York Times From the bestselling, Batchelder Award-winning author and translator of Temple Alley Summer and The House of the Lost on the Cape comes the fantastic adventure...
Birds on the Brain
Krishnaswami, Uma
Paper Book
The sequel to the award-winning Book Uncle and Me features bird lover Reeni and her quest to save her city's bird count event when the mayor tries to shut it down. Reeni is wild about birds! So when she and her best friend, Yasmin, have to pick a survey topic for a school project, asking...
John the skeleton
Laan, Triinu
Paper Book
2025 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner 2025 Kirkus Prize Finalist 2025 USBBY Outstanding International Book 2022 Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition winner 2021 The White Ravens catalog 2021 Tartu Prize for...
The pebble
Marcinkevicius, Marius
Paper Book
A deeply moving story about hope and friendship in one of the darkest times in history. Eitan and his best friend Rivka live in a place where children laugh, dogs bark, and neighbours chat. But no one can leave, and once you go through the gates, you never come back......
Giant
McQuoid, Judith
Paper Book
Step into Edwardian Ireland and meet the boy whose imagination would one day create Narnia in this magical retelling of CS Lewis's childhood. Davy was too old for make-believe. Then he met Jacks. Davy, a working-class boy living in East Belfast in 1908, is sent to work...
Griso : the one and only
Mello, Roger
Paper Book
The last of his kind, Griso travels the world searching for unicorn companions. He asks beetles, chameleons, and buffalos if they've seen any mythical creatures like him, and all send him on his way saying, 'Neither here nor at the edge of the world.' Griso gallops across plains, marshes, and...
Electric birds of Pothakudi
Karthika Nair
Paper Book
Karuppu Raja dearly loves his small village of Pothakudi. He takes great pride in being responsible for its only source of light, switching the circuit breaker on every night to power the streetlamps. But one evening, he discovers a bird's nest buried deep inside the box. He's faced with a terrible...
Saving H'non : Chang and the elephant
Nguyễn, Trang
Paper Book
From the creators behind the Eisner-nominated Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear comes another gorgeously-illustrated graphic novel adventure based on a true story, in which young conservationist Chang overcomes the odds to save and return an elephant to its natural habitat. ...
The duel : a story about peace
Oliveira, Ins? Viegas
Paper Book
Two men argue in a distant and cold country. Words pierce and injure their hearts. In order to resolve the problem once and for all, two men decide to fight a duel. They start back to back, each one counting a hundred paces before turning to shoot. 1, 2, 3, 4 There they go, walking away. So many...
Who will make the snow?
Prokhasʹko, Mar'i︠a︡na
Paper Book
Twin moles, Purr and Craw, are born on the first day of spring. The newest members of their woodland world, they're curious about everything. What is swimming? Why does mother speak French as she makes pancakes? What does father scrawl in his notebook? Do animals live in the sea? Why do grownups eat...
Journey of the Humpbacks
Toro, Juliana Munoz
Paper Book
A USBBY Outstanding International Book (OIB) "Extraordinary...An unforgettable encounter that will spark a lifelong fascination."  --Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW) The amazing migration of humpback whales, explored through...
Letters in charcoal
Vasco, Irene
Paper Book
In the pueblo of Palenque in Colombia, hardly anybody knows how to read. Curious about the letters her older sister Gina receives from a young doctor each month--letters that she is sure contain promises of love--one young girl makes a decision that will change her life, and the lives of every...
Mishka
Vendel, Edward van de
Paper Book
Winner of the National Book Award for Children's Literature in the Netherlands! A tender, lyrical story of an Afghani girl finding a new home, new friends, and refuge--with the help of a very special bunny. Meet Roya, her three brothers, and their parents....
Dounia and the magic seeds
Zarif, Marya
Paper Book
When fleeing her war-ravaged home, a young girl brings four magic seeds to help her family on their difficult journey Dounia loves her home in Aleppo, Syria, and all of its wonderful smells, sights, and traditions. But when war breaks out, Dounia and her grandparents must flee their home...
The wildcat behind glass
Zeē, Alkē
Paper Book
A USBBY 2025 Outstanding International Book Melia is spellbound by the stuffed wildcat in her family's living room--her cousin swears that it comes to life and roams the streets at night. When she finds a signed note from the animal with secret instructions, a thrilling and dangerous...
Corner
Zo-O
Paper Book
A quirky and relatable story about balancing creativity and connection A crow finds itself in an empty corner and begins to make the space its own. First, it furnishes the corner with a bed, a bookshelf, a rug, even a potted plant. In the newly decorated space, the crow reads and eats,...
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