Criteria
The award is presented annually 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 published in English in the United States during the preceding year.”
History
The award was established in 1966 to honor Mildred L. Batchelder, the former Executive Secretary of the Children's Services Division of the ALA. She believed that “children in all countries should have good books in translation from many parts of the world” because it promotes international understanding of different heritages and cultures. This then enhances a feeling of nearness and improves communication between countries.
2006 Mildred Batchelder Awards
Winner
Arthur A. Levine Books for An Innocent Soldier written by Josef Holub and translated from the German by Michael Hofmann.
Originally published in 2002 as “Der Russländer,” the book tells the story of a young farmhand’s experience as a soldier in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia beginning in the winter of 1811. Betrayed by his farmer, he is conscripted into the Grande Armée and joins an ill-fated march to conquer Moscow. He becomes the personal servant of a young aristocrat, a life-transforming experience for both of them.
Honor Books
Phaidon Press Limited for Nicholas written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé, translated from the French by Anthea Bell.
Nicholas was originally published as “Le petit Nicolas.” A favorite among French schoolchildren for nearly half a century, the Nicholas stories introduce American readers to the hilarious escapades of a schoolboy and his classmates in an all-boys school.
Bloomsbury Children's Books for When I Was a Soldier written by Valérie Zenatti and translated from the French by Adriana Hunter.
Originally published as Quand J’étais Soldate, Zenatti’s memoir tackles the unusual topic of compulsory military service in Israel, revealing the complex fabric of Israeli society. Her account of her first year as a soldier describes an experience totally foreign to American teens.
*Book descriptions come from ALA-Association for Library Service to Children.
The award is presented annually 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 published in English in the United States during the preceding year.”