5 of the Most Translated Children’s Books that Are Known and Loved the World Over!
Stories travel further than most of us ever will. Thanks to translators, the tales we grew up with have crossed borders, cultures and generations. Many of the stories we know as classics today earned that status because someone, somewhere, carried them into another language and opened the door to new readers.
UNESCO’s public data on literary translation places several children’s authors among the most translated in history, including Astrid Lindgren, H.C. Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. Looking at individual works, these five children’s books stand out for their reach and lasting appeal.
1. The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince sits at the top of the list. It is the most translated children’s book in the world and second only to the Bible overall. Published in 1943, it has been translated into more than 300 languages and dialects and has sold well over 200 million copies.
The story begins with a pilot who makes an emergency landing in the Sahara and meets the little prince from asteroid B-612. Through their conversations, the book explores imagination, isolation and the contrast between childhood curiosity and adult logic. The fox’s line, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly”, remains one of the most quoted passages in literature.
Adaptations have been plentiful, including Mark Osborne’s 2015 film, which blends CGI with stop-motion sequences to reflect the book’s shift between the ordinary world and the imaginative one.
Please feel free to use this infographic on your own website. You can do so free of charge. All we ask is that you indicate AdHoc Translations as its source. Simply copy the HTML code above and insert it into your website.
2. The Adventures of Pinocchio
Carlo Collodi’s 1883 tale about a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy has been translated into more than 260 languages and dialects. Pinocchio’s stubbornness, curiosity and misadventures have made him one of the most recognisable characters in children’s literature.
The 1940 Disney adaptation brought global fame to the story, but it has been reimagined in many forms since. Despite the many versions, the heart of the story remains the same: a child learning responsibility, empathy and honesty.
Please feel free to use this infographic on your own website. You can do so free of charge. All we ask is that you indicate AdHoc Translations as its source. Simply copy the HTML code above and insert it into your website.
3. The fairy-tales of H.C. Andersen
Famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen wrote 156 fairy-tales between 1835 and 1852, and they have been translated into more than 150 languages. Many of them have become cultural touchstones, including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor’s New Clothes.
These stories are known for their emotional depth. They often give human traits to animals and objects and do not shy away from loneliness, loss or self-discovery. Andersen’s work is regularly adapted into theatre, animation and film, and his stories still shape how we understand the fairy-tale genre today.
Please feel free to use this infographic on your own website. You can do so free of charge. All we ask is that you indicate AdHoc Translations as its source. Simply copy the HTML code above and insert it into your website.
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Written in 1865 by Oxford mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland began as a story told during a rowing trip with the dean’s daughters. The protagonist, Alice Liddell, would later give her name to the book’s heroine.
Alice falls through a rabbit hole into a world of shifting logic, talking creatures and unpredictable transformations. Between this book and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, the series has been translated into around 170 languages.
The 1951 Disney film remains one of the most famous adaptations, combining characters and events from both books into a single animated retelling.
Please feel free to use this infographic on your own website. You can do so free of charge. All we ask is that you indicate AdHoc Translations as its source. Simply copy the HTML code above and insert it into your website.
5. Pippi Longstocking
Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking was published in 1945 and later became the first in a series about a bold, independent girl who lives without parents and refuses to be intimidated by adults. The character was born from a request by Lindgren’s daughter, who asked for a story about a girl named “Pippi Långstrump”.
The books have been translated into more than 70 languages and adapted for cinema and television many times. Pippi’s strength, humour and refusal to bow to authority sparked debate when the book was first published, yet those same traits made her a symbol of resistance to gender norms and traditional expectations. Her adventures with Mr Nilsson the monkey, her horse and her friends Tommy and Annika remain loved worldwide.
In 2005, Lindgren’s archives were added to UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Please feel free to use this infographic on your own website. You can do so free of charge. All we ask is that you indicate AdHoc Translations as its source. Simply copy the HTML code above and insert it into your website.
Please feel free to use this infographic on your own website. You can do so free of charge. All we ask is that you indicate AdHoc Translations as its source. Simply copy the HTML code above and insert it into your website.