Two Book Smugglers titles selected for the White Ravens 2026
Two titles from the Book Smugglers catalogue have been selected for the White Ravens 2026, the International Youth Library’s annual selection of outstanding children’s and young adult books from around the world.
AWARDS & SELECTIONS
9/23/20262 min read
Two titles represented by the Book Smugglers Agency have been selected for the 2026 White Ravens Catalogue, the International Youth Library’s annual selection of outstanding new children’s and young adult books.
LITTLE FOX IS RICH, written by Triinu Laan and illustrated by Ieva Babilaitė, originally published by 700 eilučių and translated by Viltarė Urbaitė, is warm and thoughtful story about migration, language and belonging.
Katja Wiebe, an expert at the International Youth Library wrote in the catalogue: "In this Estonian-Lithuanian coproduction, Triinu Laan and Ieva Babilaitė tell the story of a young fox. Leaving behind the beloved grandparents, he migrates with his parents from the Green Forest to the Blue Forest, to join other foxes who speak a foreign language. The young fox not only learns the new language but also how to fit into his new environment. The book depicts on the one hand a loving grandchild-grandparent relationship, and, on the other hand, casts light on what it means to grow up bilingual. This is made clear in all its facets: feeling lost in a strange language, the recognition of the benefits of being able to communicate in two languages, and the feeling that one is always more at home in the native tongue. That identity-establishing moment is beautifully symbolised in the illustrations: under the typical, orange-toned fox fur, snippets of newspaper texts shine through – each fox carries its own language in itself."
ODILE’S TALE, written by Neringa Vaitkutė and illustrated by Reda Tomingas, was published by Aukso žuvys and is an imaginative and atmospheric fantasy novel that takes readers into a mysterious underground world filled with unusual characters and unexpected discoveries.
"Neringa Vaitkutė’s fantasy novel gets off to a wonderfully eerie start. While working on a remote road through a swampy terrain, road workers stumble upon a mysterious chest from which ghostlike sounds can be heard. After they abandon their discovery in a panic, the chest is soon discovered by the protagonist. Upon opening it, Odile is whisked away, as if down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole, into a different world. In this underworld, which resembles a gigantic forest, she meets strange creatures and learns that these have been put under a curse that is waiting to be broken. Powerful natural beings, tricksters, secret rules of the underworld that must be followed, and a series of trials that the protagonist needs to overcome – these are the ingredients that make up an incredibly gripping plot. Sprinkled with numerous allusions to fairy-tale motifs and fantastical narratives, the novel cleverly intertwines the realities of modern life with a mythical world of fantasy," wrote Katja Wiebe.
This is already the second time when books by Neringa Vaitkutė, Triinu Laan, and Ieva Babilaitė are making it into this prestigious catalogue.
The White Ravens selection is curated by the International Youth Library’s language specialists with support from children’s and youth literature experts. Books are selected for their literary and artistic quality, relevance, originality, innovative approaches and design.
2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the White Ravens catalogue’s English language publication. This year’s selection features 216 titles from 62 countries and territories and 46 languages, celebrating the diversity of children’s and young adult literature worldwide.
The Book Smugglers Agency's catalogue brings together a diverse selection of Baltic children’s literature with a particular focus on Lithuania, including picture books, fiction and non-fiction for readers aged 2 to 16. The agency works to bring distinctive stories and voices from the region to international readers, with rights sold into more than 40 languages.