Mildred L. Batchelder Award

About the Mildred L. Batchelder Award
This award, established in Mildred L. Batchelder's honor in 1966, is a citation awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

Administered by:

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) logo

2023 Winner(s)

Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II

Published by HarperCollins Publishers, written by Lia Levi, illustrated by Jess Mason, translated from the Italian by Sylvia Notini

During Mussolini’s reign, Lia and her family leave their home because of the persecution of Jews. Based on her adult memoir, Levi retells her story through the eyes of a child experiencing racism and hatred of Jews during the period. 


2023 Honor(s)

Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War

Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., written by Mónica Montañés, illustrated by Eva Sánchez Gómez and translated by Lawrence Schimel

Told in the alternating voices of two brothers, this picture book reveals the everyday life and deprivation faced by the siblings during the Spanish Civil War. 


Dragonfly Eyes

Published by Candlewick Press, written by Cao Wenxuan and translated by Helen Wang

In a story spanning three generations, a family, whose wealth brings them great honor, becomes a target for abuse and persecution during China’s Cultural Revolution due to their mixed heritage and possessions.


João by a Thread

Published by Elsewhere Editions, written and illustrated by Roger Mello and translated by Daniel Hahn.

João dreams of floating through watery landscapes covered by elaborate embroideries until a hole swallows them. Startled awake, he weaves words together into a comforting lullaby.