This fall Kane/Miller Book Publishers continues its tradition of importing the finest children’s books from around the world. Yellow Umbrella, a wordless picture book from Korea for ages 3-7, comes with an audio CD. Its exquisite art tells the story of one umbrella’s morning journey through the streets of the city as it is joined by one, then two, then more and more umbrellas. Seen from above, the colorful umbrellas take on a life of their own as they move through intersections, past houses, and through parks. The accompanying CD of original music by a contemporary Korean composer evokes the feeling of a rainy day, beginning with a short, simple theme and developing into longer, more complex variations, mirroring the structure of the book. Yellow Umbrella was voted one of the 40 “Best of the Best” 2002 Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities by the International Board on Books for Young People.

For kids ages 1-4 Kane/Miller offers a quartet of books from Belgium: Kevin Spends the Night, Kevin Takes a Trip, Kevin Goes to School, and Kevin Goes to the Hospital. In each book, Kevin experiences an important event, shown with simple language and colorful graphics. Toddlers will understand Kevin’s excitement, as well as his fears, and will be reassured by Kevin’s success in each new situation. These books have just the right amount of suspense to create a dramatic story, while the happy endings will leave kids satisfied. The youngest book lovers will also delight in another Belgian import, In the Jungle, an interactive board book for ages 0-3. With its cutout centerfold, kids can impersonate a roaring lion, a snapping crocodile, and other colorful animals.

The human/animal roles are reversed in Marta and the Bicycle, a delightful book from Switzerland for ages 4-8. Marta the cow is not content to watch the trains go by as she chews her cud in the meadow. She wants to learn to ride a bike. A quick trip to the dump turns up all the parts she needs, and after building herself a bike and learning to ride it, Marta decides to enter a bike race. Funny, quirky illustrations capture the hilarious absurdity in this story about one very determined cow.

Animal impersonation is the order of the day in I am a Dog, a picture book from England for ages 3-7. With Daddy at work and Mommy too busy with baby sister, a little boy entertains himself by pretending to be a dog. But when his barks wake up the baby, and the boy takes the baby’s food bowl onto the floor in order to gobble up her food like a dog would, Mommy is not impressed. Fortunately, when Daddy comes home, the boy’s parents find the perfect solution to their problem, and a trip to the pound ensues. With a real dog of his very own, the little boy can become a little boy once again, for as Mom says, “There’s only room for one dog in our house.”

Saving Sinbad!, also from England, is a suspenseful story about two very real dogs. When a family’s sailboat is caught in a storm, the lifeboat races out to save them. But who will save Sinbad, the family’s dog, when he washes overboard? The rescue dog, of course! Beautifully rendered paintings by one of England’s most prolific illustrators make this a captivating read.

Determined readers will have fun spotting all the mistakes in Something is Not Quite Right, an interactive picture book from Germany for ages 3-7. From the shoes in the refrigerator to the snowman in the oven, kids will get a kick out of finding all the things that are not quite right. For grownups, there’s an answer key at the back of the book.

Kane/Miller Book Publishers, founded in 1984, is a small, independent publishing company devoted to bringing the best of children’s literature from around the world to the United States. The editors select great stories with arresting illustrations that will show American children the similarities and differences between cultures. Kane/Miller’s most well known book is Taro Gomi’s Everyone Poops, a Japanese import for pre-schoolers that addresses a delicate subject with straightforward illustrations and a sly sense of humor.