This year's Mildred L. Batchelder Award, given to an outstanding children's book translated into English, is the wonderful Italian middle grades memoir Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II. Sensitive and age appropriate, this standout book is an ideal shared read aloud for older children.

Through simple premises, picture books can serve as the starting point for nuanced conversations on complex topics. My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow/Mañana viene mi tío is a very simple book that addresses the forced disappearance of citizens by repressive governments.