Changing Images of Family Postcolonial Young Adult Literature

Home , Candlewick (character), Isol, Michael Ende, Tormod Haugen, Tove Jansson

2007 VOL 45, NO. 2

Changing images of family Postcolonial young adult literature in India Children’s literature in Mexico New forms of the Arcadian motif The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature Golden labels in BrBrazilazil The Journal of IBBY,the International Board on Books for Young People

Editors: Valerie Coghlan and Siobhán Parkinson

Address for submissions and other editorial correspondence: [email protected] and [email protected]

Bookbird’s editorial office is supported by the Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin, Ireland.

Editorial Review Board: Sandra Beckett (Canada), Nina Christensen (Denmark), Penni Cotton (UK), Hans-Heino Ewers (Germany), Jeffrey Garrett (USA), Elwyn Jenkins (South Africa),Ariko Kawabata (Japan), Kerry Mallan (Australia), Maria Nikolajeva (Sweden), Jean Perrot (France), Kimberley Reynolds (UK), Mary Shine Thompson (Ireland), Victor Watson (UK), Jochen Weber (Germany)

Guest reviewer for this issue: Claudia Söffner

Board of Bookbird, Inc.: Joan Glazer (USA), President; Ellis Vance (USA),Treasurer;Alida Cutts (USA), Secretary;Ann Lazim (UK); Elda Nogueira (Brazil)

Cover image: By Jutta Bauer from Christine Nöstlinger’s Einen Vater hab ich auch, reproduced by kind permission of the publishers, Beltz & Gelberg (Weinheim and Basel)

Production: Design and layout by Oldtown Design, Dublin ([email protected]) Copyedited and proofread by Antoinette Walker Printed in Canada by Transcontinental

Bookbird:A Journal of International Children’s Literature (ISSN 0006-7377) is a refereed journal published quarterly by IBBY,the International Board on Books for Young People, Nonnenweg 12 Postfach, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland, tel. +4161 272 29 17 fax: +4161 272 27 57 email: [email protected] .

Copyright © 2007 by Bookbird, Inc., an Indiana not-for-profit corporation. Reproduction of articles in Bookbird requires permission in writing from the editor. Items from Focus IBBY may be reprinted freely to disseminate the work of IBBY.

IBBY Executive Committee 2006-2008: Patricia Aldana (Canada) President; Elda Nogueira (Brazil) and Ellis Vance (USA) Vice-Presidents;Anastasia Arkhipova (Russia), Niklas Bengtsson (Finland), Hannelore Daubert (Germany), Reina Duarte (Spain), Elena Iribarren (Venezuela/France),Ahmad Redza Ahmad Khairuddin (Malaysia),Ann Lazim (UK), Ira Saxena (India) Voting Members; Zohreh Ghaeni (Iran) Andersen Jury President; Elizabeth Page (Switzerland), Director of Member Services, Communications and New Projects; Estelle Roth (France), Director of Administration; Urs Breitenstein (Switzerland),Treasurer;Valerie Coghlan (Ireland), Siobhán Parkinson (Ireland), Bookbird Editors

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ISSN 0006-7377 I said it in Hebrew – I said it in Dutch – I said it in German and Greek: But I wholly forgot (and it vexes me much) That English is what you speak!

FIRST: JAM A FIT THE ND JUDICIOUS ADVICE Editorial | page 4

GHTFUL AND FIT THE SECOND: THOU GRAVE Changing Images of Family in Postwar European Children’s Literature Hannelore Daubert | page 6

Waiting in the Wings: Postcolonial Young Adult Literature in India Richa Kapoor | page 15

The Arcadian Motif in European Children’s Literature Tijana Tropin | page 21

Finding a Voice:The Development of Mexican Children’s Literature, Part II Evelyn Arizpe | page 29

RD: SUCH HE THI QUANT S OF SAND FIT T ITIE The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature Amanda Piesse | page 39

THE FOURTH: W FIT RAPPED UP IN A FIVE-POUND NOTE Children’s Literature Awards around the World 7: Golden Labels in Brazil: Thirty-two Years of the FNLIJ Awards Elizabeth Serra | page 44 FIT THE F SHIP IFTH: OF SHOES AND S AND SEALING WAX Postcards from around the World | interleaved Books on Books | page 50 Focus IBBY | page 56

The quoted stanza is from ‘The Hunting of the Snark’ by Lewis Carroll.The titles of the various Bookbird sections are taken from that same poem, from ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’, also by Lewis Carroll, and from ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ by Edward Lear. BOOKBIRD

around the world (a slot filled on this occasion by Amanda Piesse’s insightful review of the new Oxford Editorial Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature). We extend a particular welcome to contributors interested in submitting articles for these informative series. Every country outside of the major publishing centres of the world has its own historical experiences to bring to this story of children’s literature, but e are often struck by the huge interest there though the stories differ in their details, they often Wseems to be out there in classic English have shared plot-points: difficulties in establishing a children’s literature. It’s not that we are over-run children’s literature as distinct from educational by villainous British cultural imperialists keen to publications, an overprotective adult culture that maintain the English position as the big daddy of wants to preserve childhood innocence and abhors world children’s literature, but it is very often scholars literature for children that deals with the realities and critics from countries that have interesting and many children have to face in their actual lives; and valuable literatures of their own who seem to be a marketplace that is distorted by international absorbed by books like Alice in Wonderland or The Tale bestsellers, to name but a few.And so it is that we are of Peter Rabbit. Much as we love the English classics not surprised – discomfited, but not surprised – by ourselves – we were brought up on them, after all – Richa Kapoor’s article on the lack of indigenously we think it a shame that they should continue to written and produced young adult literature in have such a hold on the imagination of the interna- India. tional children’s literature community, especially If Arcadia has found new expression in recent when scholars might instead be bringing us thrilling European literature for children, as Tijana Tropin news of their own countries’ literatures – literatures argues in her article in this issue, it is also true that which we otherwise would not know about, because the realistic European novel of family life is reflecting of barriers of language and culture and commercial increasingly diverse forms of family, as Hannelore constraints. Daubert’s thoughtful article shows. Bookbird is It is partly in an attempt to redress this situation that particularly pleased and proud to be able to bring we have made a point of publishing a series of articles this important German perspective on the literary on children’s literature awards and prizes in different treatment of a new and significant social phenomenon countries (it’s Brazil’s turn in this issue) and a parallel to an English-language audience who might otherwise series on studies or projects in children’s literature have no access to it. And so it has happened once again: it is always the same, yet it is always astonishing to discover the Bookbird editors unspoken conversation that is going on between the VALERIE COGHLAN is the librarian at papers in an issue of Bookbird. Regardless of national the Church of Ireland College of Education in Dublin, Ireland. She lectures on and and even of linguistic boundaries, children’s literature writes about children’s books and has a people the world over speak a common language – particular interest in picturebooks. true, it has to be mediated through English, as a matter SIOBHÁN PARKINSON is a writer of of practical convenience, but the language of children’s fiction for children and adults (young and otherwise) and a professional editor. literature, despite its many dialects, is the language in which the Bookbird conversation continues.

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Philippa Pearce

t is with great regret that Bookbird notes the passing of Philippa Pearce I(1920–2006), author of the Carnegie-winning Tom’s Midnight Garden (1958). This novel, famously inspired by the garden of the Pearce family home in Cambridgeshire, UK, became a classic within the lifetime of its author. It is probably the most important English children’s novel of the mid-20th century, and is almost certainly the prototype ‘time slip’ novel. Philippa Pearce left only a handful of books, but each one is a delight and all are beautifully written. Her first book, The Minnow on the Say (1955), is rather neglected today, but as a treasure-hunt adventure with boats, it has a lasting appeal, especially for boy readers of a reflective turn of mind. Pearce takes no prisoners: her books are definitely for the more introspective child, but such a reader will find them enormously rewarding. Her last novel, The Little Gentleman (2004), a mild and rather old-fashioned story about a little girl and an extraordinarily long-lived mole, was published when the author was in her eighties. In this age of unprecedented commercialisation of children’s fiction, we need voices such as that of Philippa Pearce, authors who, with understated wit, can draw child readers into a fictional world spun magically out of nothing more extraordinary than words.

THE 18th BIENNIAL CONGRESS OF IRSCL 25-29 August 2007 Kyoto International Conference Centre Takaragaike Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan +81-75-705-1234 Theme: Power and Children’s Literature: Past, Present and Future

Children’s literature has the power to help child readers to create diverse and free images of themselves, and to recognise the process of growing up and forming their identities. It can also give them consolation and vital energy.On the other hand, children’s literature has the aspect of serving state propaganda, imposing the social and moral codes of the dominant culture on child readers, and depriving them of their imaginative power, sensitivity and ability to think for themselves. Bearing these positive and negative aspects in mind, we will examine the power of children’s literature in the past and the present, and explore the possibility of children’s literature in the future. Sub-themes: a) Representations of Power in Children’s Literature b) Production and Power in Children’s Literature c)Visual Images and Power in Children’s Literature d) Theories of Power and Children’s Literature

Further details from: IRSCL Japan Committee [email protected] and on the IRSCL website: www.irscl.ac.uk

No. 2 – 2007 / 5 yHNEOEDAUBERT HANNELORE by tasae ySohnParkinson) Siobhán by (translated Hannelore Daubertisalecturerin children’ University inFrankfurt-am-Main s literatureattheGoethe Changing Images of Family in Postwar European Children’s Literature T Das Glück derOldmanns Das Glück f problem-free ofthe literature ofthe1950s intheform ‘cheerful, continued to dominatechildren’s bourgeoisfamily of the ‘complete’ aloneafter thewar lefttorear families –thewholesomeworldin fact –formany women tothecontrary wereIn spiteofactualexperience Looking bac readers and gives modern children’sreaders andgives modern literature culturalcurrency. young peoplegrowing uptoday isreflected inliterature foryoung of offamily experience changing ofrelationships.The and patterns role models withitsaltered structures, imageoffamily, the changing European children’s Nowhere is this more evident thanin literature. amily no apparent thaninthechangingimageoffamily ar pr children’s literature inthelastfourdecades in The choiceofthemesandnarrativeforms ofoundly reflects societalchange.Nowhere, gues Hannelore Daubert, isthismoregues Hannelore Daubert, themes and narrative forms in recent German andother inrecent German themes andnarrative forms last three orfourdecadeshave affectedthechoice of he culturalchangesthatchildhoodhasundergoneinthe v el’ (W k: ulf 1996). c hildren’s literature from1945 [The luckofthe Oldmanns](1957)proposes For example, Gertrud Hammer-Seelmann’s Gertrud For example, CHANGING IMAGES OF FAMILY this model of family, where roles are clearly apportioned on traditional lines.As provider and The wholesome world of head of the family,the father is a figure of respect the ‘complete’ bourgeois and makes all the important decisions.The mother, family dominated in her role as housewife and nurturer, looks children’s literature after the family cheerfully and selflessly. All is of the 1950s harmonious, there are no problems to speak of, and the acceptance by other family members of thought of themselves primarily as advocates on the father’s well-intentioned decisions prevents behalf of children, whose personal rights were all major conflicts from even arising. On the other too often disregarded by adults.They took their hand, some novels that portray the traditional young readers seriously, and saw them as mature bourgeois family depict a ‘modern’ type of father partners, to whom it was no longer appropriate – a busy professional who hardly ever appears in to offer, in a patronising attempt to protect them, the role of father and who, because of his trivial snippets of reality; rather, they had the constant absences, leaves the upbringing of the right to be told about the harsh realities of life, children to their mother. In the ten-volume with all its defects, problems and injustices. Bettina series, by HE Seuberlich, the traditional For young readers the emancipatory demands division of roles is maintained, even though the of children’s literature of the 1970s meant not father has absented himself from child-rearing only the right but the audacity to be informed (Wulf 1996). However, with Astrid Lindgren’s about everything. In this socially critical phase Britt-Mari lätter sitt hjärta [Britt-Mari opens of children’s literature, there was a thematic her heart] (1954), altered patterns in roles and opening up and breaking of taboos. Depressing relationships and the disappearance of patriarchal experiences were no longer blanked out. This structures within the family are already starting was also true of family life, which was no longer to become apparent. presented as an eternally ‘complete’, harmonious and wholesome idyll of togetherness, but as a place where conflict must arise and be worked The bourgeois family in crisis in the 1970s through. Hitherto taboo themes, such as shattered The socio-political upheaval that took place family relations and adults who were overtaxed after 1968, the student, women’s and peace by their role as parents, now took centre stage. movements and anti-authoritarian concepts of Authors mercilessly portray an image of upbringing led to a radically altered image of fractured family structures, critique outdated childhood and family and of child-rearing and authoritarian arrogance and rigid gender-specific authority in West German children’s literature. A new,emancipatory concept of childhood, which For the protagonists of the rested on principles of equality and maturity, 1970s, childhood is a effected a profound change in the themes, forms difficult rite of passage and functions of children’s literature. which one must get Committed authors of a mostly realistic, issue- through as quickly as driven and socially critical children’s literature possible and with the least (such as Ursula Wölfel, Susanne Kilian, Peter Härtling, Christine Nöstlinger among others) possible damage

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role assignment, and in this way take the part of The family is no longer children who are victims of family circumstances and uncomprehending adults. For their protag- defined by the institution onists, childhood is a difficult rite of passage of marriage, but by which one must get through as quickly as parent-child relationships possible and with the least possible damage. Parents no longer appear as advisers and leading motif of the emancipatory girls’ literature comforters, but often as the source of this of this time, as young protagonists protest against damage.The portrayal of parent figures by many paternalism. The process of finding oneself authors at this time is accusatory and negative. involves an extreme rupture from the parental The critique of inherited hierarchical structures home and a critical altercation with rigid and and transmitted gender-specific role allocations, hierarchically determined relationships within which was particularly expressed through the the family.‘But I will do everything differently’ anti-authoritarian child-rearing movement and – this title of Dagmar Chidolue encapsulates the women’s movement of the 1970s, was force- bitter intergenerational conflict, the rejection of fully and directly reflected in children’s literature. parental norms and views, and a complete turning In particular, ‘emancipatory’ girls’ literature away from the way of life of the family of origin. was a medium of this critique of the family. The authors show that the family structures in ‘Assertiveness instead of conformity’ was the command-driven families do not allow for theme of much emancipatory girls’ literature of understanding, partnership-based ways of relating the 1970s and early 1980s. The family structures and constructive resolutions of conflict that are that are presented are rigid and patriarchal, for arrived at by consensus. example Dagmar Chidolue’s Aber ich werde alles anders machen [But I will do everything differently] Between existential seriousness and (1981). In most cases, there are command-driven humour: 1980–2005 households in which both child and parental roles are gender-specifically assigned according to a Parallels between social modernisation and the traditional pattern. Dissatisfied mothers, who have modernisation of children’s literature are partic- put their lives as ‘mere housewives’ at the service ularly clear in the family novels of the past 25 of the family, now noisily and carpingly air their years. Recent researches in the sociology of grievances. Authoritarian ‘head-of-household’ youth and the family reveal a raft of structural fathers elevate their own opinions to generally changes in the world of family life – of central applicable norms, in this way accentuating importance to children – and which are intergenerational conflict.The young protagonists reflected also in children’s literature. The social have a tough struggle to attain independence unit that is the family is no longer defined by and self-determination. Conflict with parents is a the institution of marriage, but by parent–child relationships. Alongside the customary father- Conflict with parents is a mother-child(ren) structure of the traditional leading motif of the nuclear family, we see more and more alterna- emancipatory girls’ tive groupings and new familial structures. The literature of this time family experience of today’s youngsters turns out to be deeply ambivalent: on the one hand,

8 / BOOKBIRD CHANGING IMAGES OF FAMILY they are marked by instability and insecurity – every third marriage ends in divorce and, statistically, a marriage can be expected to last about five years.The number of single parents is on the increase, as is the number of remarriages or newly formed relationships with ‘life-segment’ partners. The result is a plurality of family forms and new configurations of living together (single-parent families, patchwork families, same-sex partnerships and so on). Moreover, these familial configurations are less and less likely to be long term, and their members experience openness but also instability.The result ‘for many children is the real or imagined fear of losing one or both beloved parents’ (Preuss-Lausitz 1995). However, altered styles of upbringing (from ‘command-driven’ upbringing to ‘negotiation-oriented’ upbringing and the detraumatisation of the generation gap) and altered aims of upbringing (independence and autonomy instead of obedience) have led to a humanisation and democratisation of living together for children and adults and have afforded increasingly greater opportunities for personal development. These ambivalent family experiences of youngsters have found a rich variety of expression in Conflicts within the children’s literature since the late 1980s and lend bourgeois family no longer recent children’s literature a currency in terms of provide the themes the history of childhood. Children’s literature now of children’s literature, reflects instability in familial structures (separation, but the crises that arise divorce, remarriage), pluralisation of family forms, from the dissolution of the altered gender-specific roles (new fathers, new bourgeois family mothers), a transformation in relationships between the generations (childish parents, prematurely grown-up children), altered aims and styles of upbringing. In the process, some problem areas have lost their relevance as themes of children’s literature, and new ones have come to the fore. For example, conflicts between the generations and rebellion against authoritarian family structures are no longer themes for modern children’s literature. Instead, the problems associated with separation and divorce or conflicts with new life partners and step-siblings are frequently and variously debated. Generally speaking, it is not conflicts within the bourgeois family that provide the themes of children’s literature, but the problems and crises that arise from the dissolution of the bourgeois family. The degree of matter-of-factness with which ‘deviant’ forms of family are observed and presented is conspicuous, as is the associated tendency towards normalisation and liberalisation. On the other hand, it does seem as if the experience of children who are brought up in a more traditional ‘complete’ family situation – and these are still in the majority – is not reflected to the same extent as the authors’ supposedly ‘liberal’ and ‘progressive’ utopias. How far child readers regard these utopias as

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exemplary needs to be empirically tested. It is certainly clear that, from a purely quantitative point of view, the dominance of alternative family forms and lifestyles found in modern children’s literature does not correspond to empirical reality. The ambivalence of family experience is reflected in the variety of thematic accents and narrative stances of the authors.Whether the authors are describing the risks of contemporary childhood – Peter Härtling’s Lena auf dem Dach [Lena on the roof];Tormod Haugen’s Nattfuglene [The nightingales] – or, rather, the opportunities of children growing up today depends on their personal image of childhood and is revealed in the treatment of themes and the choice of narrative forms, which in the 1990s and up to the present moment have experienced further differentiation.

From social criticism to the inner world

Much as in the 1970s, the family continues to be represented in issue- driven family novels as a locus of problematic and crisis-ridden experiences. There is a continuing extension of the thematic arsenal and further taboos are being broken (for example, the representation of rape and sexual abuse within the family).While the authors of issue-driven, socially critical novels initially concentrated mostly on outer reality, in their effort to explain the world, there was an increasing emphasis, in the 1980s, on reflecting the inner world of child characters. In the psychological family novel the repercussions of challenging circumstances and family crises on the psyches of the child protagonists are at the heart of the literary argument.What is in question are the threats that spring from the dissolution of the traditional family structures and the crises of instability and loss of security. So Peter Härtling describes, in Lena auf dem Dach (1993), the painful feelings of children who experience the separation of their parents; and Kirsten Boie’s theme in Man darf mit dem Glück nicht drängelig sein [Don’t push your luck] (1997) is the crisis-ridden process of getting used to parents’ new partners and step-siblings. Of course, the separation of parents leads not only to family crises; the psychic and social demands on parents themselves have since the 1980s become a theme also in children’s literature. So Kirsten Boie confronts her reader in Mit Kindern redet ja keiner [Nobody talks to children] (1990) with an 8-year-old protagonist, who has to deal with the suicide attempt of her psychologically unstable mother.The 11-year-old protagonist of Knuffels in de kelder [The secret box] (2000) by the Dutch writer Angélique de Waard is put under an unbearable strain in simply living everyday life by her alcoholic mother.

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Generally speaking, it is intergenerational conflict and the change from not conflicts within the the command-driven to the negotiation- bourgeois family that oriented family has already taken place in modern children’s literature.Young protagonists provide the themes of are not only allowed but in fact required to be children’s literature, but the self-reliant. In contrast to the issue-driven eman- problems and crises that cipatory children’s novel of the 1970s, parents are arise from the dissolution now accused of something else: neglect and of the bourgeois family excessive demands in place of oppression and exploitation. Even so, the tone of the represent- The presentation of these realities leads to a ation has changed: the bitter, aggressive and change in the characterisation of parent figures accusatory tone of emancipatory children’s liter- and their relations with their children. So gener- ature of the 1970s, with its pillorying of parental ally speaking, it is not conflicts within the misdemeanours, has been retracted.Authors have bourgeois family that provide the themes of become more reticent about accusations and children’s literature, but the problems and crises appeals to open conflict.Their model for inter- that arise from the dissolution of the bourgeois action between parents and children is directed family. The young protagonists of serious towards compromise and solidarity. psychological children’s novels no longer have a carefree childhood but are burdened in several The (tragic-)comic family novel ways.The parents have reneged on their advisory function, and can no longer be relied upon for Alongside this literature of existential serious- wisdom, stability, strength and orientation, and ness, which concerns itself mostly with the are not dependable yardsticks of values. Rather, threats and crises of modern childhood, a new the children themselves must often take over comic children’s literature developed in the the role of parents, and with it the responsibility 1980s, in which – in enjoyable ways – the for their beleaguered and psychologically feeble opportunities of modern children are discussed. parents. Many authors afford their young A renaissance in children’s comic literature protagonists an important role in coping with allows a new view of reality, marked by family crises and allow them to be more successful equanimity and self-irony,to emerge.A sceptical, in their dealings with such crises and conflicts ironic attitude in young protagonists charac- than their parents.The psychologically gruelling terises the comic (or tragicomic) family novel. effects of family crises and the excessive demands Humorous children’s novels evoke dismay no of the necessity to grow up early are not avoided, longer in their young readers but instead but at the same time, optimistic and promising release, relaxation, confidence, exhilaration and strategies for overcoming crises are outlined: an enjoyment. increase in inner strength and confidence and a Authors of the comic family novel, such as willingness to take on responsibility for them- Kirsten Boie, Christine Nöstlinger, Doris selves and others (including the adults). Child Meißner-Johannknecht, Martina Dierks, Anne characters in the modern negotiation-oriented Fine, Marie-Aude Murail and Guus Kuijer, family are no longer obliged to struggle for self- view changed postmodern experiences of reliance and self-determination.The defusing of family with amusement and a knowing wink.

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They write mostly about the opportunities offered to modern children by the changed styles and aims of child-rearing, a changed understanding of roles, and a changed relationship between children and adults. An attitude of ‘difference rather than deficit’ characterises their perception and method of representation. Their view of the plurality of lifestyles and family forms is relaxed, untroubled, carefree. They allow their characters to operate with irony and self-irony in an uninhibited and relaxed way, and so to parody fads, philosophies and various kinds of ideas about roles.A plurality of family forms often occurs in the comic family novel, but here the characters deal with these Changed family structures matters differently.So, for example, single mothers are are not the result of social not deplorably forsaken creatures but self-confident disadvantage but consciously women who have made their choice for this way of lived consequences of a life quite consciously. Changed family structures and changed culturally shaped roles are not the result of social disadvantage but consciousness consciously lived consequences of a changed culturally shaped consciousness. As a rule, protagonists in comic family novels in democratically organised negotiation-oriented families are considered as equal partners of their sometimes unworldly parents.The situation of children in one- parent families is no longer regarded as disadvantageous but rather as just another way of living together, which can even have advantages for the participants. So authors such as Kirsten Boie (Nella Propella) and Christine Nöstlinger (Einen Vater hab ich auch) [I have a father too] make it abundantly clear that it is not necessarily the ‘completeness’ of the family that is of decisive benefit for the children, but it is the quality of the parent–child relationship that counts. The utopia of the complete, healthy and harmonious family is here resolved into alternative values for living together: partnership, liberalism, tolerance, respect for personal space, emotional warmth, solidarity, helpfulness and commitment, which also extend beyond the bounds of the family. The traditional nuclear family functions in both the novels mentioned simply as a caricature, as a rigid, petty countermodel to the tolerant, liberal, creative family atmosphere, full of love and understanding, of the single-parent family. In spite of the high entertainment value of this decidedly comic representation, there is also, in isolated cases, the danger of creating a new cliché. In the postmodern negotiation-oriented family, as presented in the comic family novel, a transition to flexible age and gender roles has taken place: childish parents and grown-up children, as well as motherly fathers and masculine mothers, extend the repertoire of roles, identity choices and social experiences. So the necessity for the children of childish parents to grow up quickly is perceived not so

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Children’s Books Discussed Boie, Kirsten (1990) Mit Kindern redet ja keiner [Nobody talks to children] Hamburg: Oetinger (also Fischer Schatzinsel) Boie, Kirsten (1994) Nella Propella Hamburg: Oetinger (also dtv junior) Boie, Kirsten (1997) Man darf mit dem Glück nicht drängelig sein [Don’t push your luck] Hamburg: Oetinger (also Fischer Schatzinsel) Chidolue, Dagmar (1981) Aber ich werde alles anders machen [But I will do everything differently] Weinheim:Beltz & Gelberg De Waard,Angélique (2000) Knuffels in de kelder [The secret box] Amsterdam:Van Goor Haugen,Tormod (1975) Nattfuglene [The nightingales] Oslo: Gyldendal Hammer-Seelmann, Gertrud (1957) Das Glück der Oldmanns [The luck of the Oldmanns] Hannover/Berlin:A Weichert Härtling, Peter (1993) Lena auf dem Dach [Lena on the roof] Weinheim:Beltz & Gelberg Lindgren,Astrid (1944) Britt-Mari lättar sitt hjärta [Britt-Marie opens her heart] Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, published in German in 1954 as Britt-Marie erleichtent ihr Herz Hamburg: Oetinger Nöstlinger, Christine (1988) Gretchen, mein Mädchen [My girl Gretchen] Hamburg: Oetinger Nöstlinger, Christine (1994) Einen Vater hab ich auch [I have a father too] Weinheim:Beltz & Gelberg Seuberlich, HE (1951) Bettina, wo sind deine Zöpfe? [Bettina, where are your plaits?] [and sequels] Stuttgart: Die Boje much as oppressively demanding but rather as of life that values balance. Self-confident and another opportunity for personal development energetic, they succeed in reconciling the and self-determination, and this is how the demands of career and motherhood. In smart, strong and confident characters themselves contrast, the ‘new’ fathers remain peculiarly see it.The childish parents, on the other hand, bland. For the most part, they play only acknowledge, even at their age, their right to supportive roles in postmodern families, which self-discovery and make it clear that the devel- are generally moulded by strong female charac- opment of identity is a lifelong, never-ending ters of all generations. Authoritarian fathers, process. Flexibility, openness, enthusiasm, heads-of-households in command-driven experimentation and silliness are identifiers that families, appear in comic family novels only as mark them as ‘real’ kids. caricatures of (eg in Christine Nöstlinger’s The loosening up of gender roles determines Gretchen, mein Mädchen [My girl Gretchen]). the images of family that are shown in comic It is precisely the loosening up of age and family novels. The ‘new’ mothers embody a gender roles in the modern children’s novel that very advanced image of women and a concept allows the negotiation-oriented family to be experienced as a new, positively occupied space. The loosening up of age and Deliverance from the demands of inherited gender roles in the modern roles promotes individual organising and treating children’s novel allows the of the diversity of roles, which must be contin- negotiation-oriented family ually realised by all participants. In this way, to be experienced as a new, young readers get a realistic and convincing model of family life. In dealing also with serious positively occupied space themes (as in tragicomic family novels), comedy

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very likely has a psychologically liberating function. Readers’ own painful experiences are possibly put into perspective for them, and they acquire a more optimistic view of their own situation, through seeing how strong, confident, smart protagonists behave.The knowing, laconic attitude with which the young protagonists are equipped and their considered position with regard to adults likely plays to the laid-back attitude to life of ‘cool’ kids and definitely can contribute to the reader’s enjoyment. Modern family novels often seem like sociological case studies and – as a multiply addressed genre – also afford adults an illuminating insight into the effects on the young people concerned with family turbulence.

References Ewers, Hans-Heino and Inge Wild (eds) (1999) Familienszenen. Die Darstellung familiarer Kindheit in der Kinder- und Jugendliteratur Weinheim/München: Juventa Preuss-Lausitz, Ulf (1995) ‘Kindheit 2000. Entwicklungstendenzen zwischen Risiken und Chancen’ in Veränderte Kindheit in der aktuellen Kinderliteratur (Hannelore Daubert and Hans-Heino Ewers eds) Braunschweig:Westermann pp 7–23 Wulf, Carmen (1996) Mädchenliteratur und weibliche Sozialisation. Erzählungen und Romane für Mädchen und junge Frauen von 1918 bis zum Ende der 50er Jahre Frankfurt/Main: Peter Lang

I AM SONA is an overwhelming, lingering account of a schoolgirl who is determined to fight a deadly infection. Literary quality and information-giving are well balanced in a story centering on an orphan girl, Sona, who is adopted by a young widow. Her life resembles a happy fairy tale until a blood test at school confirms her HIV status. The author pitches the plot to classrooms and homes, both places where HIV/AIDS prevention needs to be discussed most urgently. The story grows in a soil composed of the emotional turmoil MANORAMA JAFA of infected children and their families beset both by the facts of the condition and the myths and I AM SONA misconceptions surrounding it. Sensitively written, with characters that are strong New Delhi: Khaas Kitaab Foundation 2006 and inspiring, the story provides important information about the deadly nature of this tragic disease. 144pp ISBN 8188236357 Manorama, who works out of India, has published many (fiction, 12+) books for children in both English and Hindi. She conducts writers’ workshops in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand and Singapore. Glenna Sloan

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Young people of all cultures need to see their o s

history and heritage, manners and mores, t c a

culture and concerns reflected in the characters o l i and situations they come across in their o n reading. But Richa Kapoor finds that t i a i

indigenous young adult literature in English l n

is a slow burner in India Y o g u

Meanwhile the boys started a list of food they wished would float past n

their window: muffins, kippers, scones, steak and kidney pie, potted g

i meat, dumplings.Their father said if they ever tasted this insipid A n foreign stuff instead of merely reading about it in those blighted d u Blyton books, they would realize how amazing was their mother’s l

curry-rice and khichri-saas and pumpkin buryani and dhansak. t What they needed was an Indian Blyton, to fascinate them with their L i h own reality. t e

Rohinton Mistry, Family Matters (2002) r e a t u n India, the genre of young adult (YA) literature1 written in r W English in postcolonial times has shown an uneven slow devel- e

opment, while reprints of western YA literature continue to i I n

enjoy the lion’s share of the market. Most publishing houses in India i I

resort to the simple, profitable stratagem of reprinting existing western n n

YA literature, mainly classics, instead of starting on the messy business d i

of scouting for fresh, native talent to write new, culturally relevant a g books for youth. Thus, while indigenous YA literature, remains

truly paltry in output with embarrassingly few good titles, the well- s packaged and aggressively publicised western YA book (the Harry Potter series is an example) is a ubiquitous presence in Indian book- stores.The argument here is not that Indian youth should not read western literature, merely that the glut of western reading material needs a corrective, if it could be stated that way,in the form of visible, by RICHA KAPOOR robust indigenous writing that resists the dominance of Eurocentric literary patterns and the ideology behind them. Post-independence, the field of children’s literature in India has undergone indigenisation in a much more concerted manner than the field of YA literature.The Children’s Book Trust (CBT), founded by the artist K Shankar Pillai in 1957 and funded by a substantial

endowment by the government of India, and the children’s wing of Richa Kapoor is a PhD student in literacy education at the the National Book Trust (NBT), called Nehru Bal Pustakalaya, also University of Minnesota founded in 1957 and financed by the government of India though WAITING IN THE WINGS

functioning autonomously, have together pioneered Indigenous YA literature the field of indigenously produced literature for remains truly paltry in children in India. The CBT and the NBT have output with embarrassingly managed to carve a niche for themselves, chiefly by few good titles keeping prices very low, made possible by subsidies issued by the government (Israel 2000).

Undependable YA market

Caught between foreign publishing houses, which have set up shop in India and which flood the market with reprints of attractive, well- known western YA titles,and the CBT–NBT duo, which manage to sell at non-commercial rates entirely due to the largesse of the government, are a handful of independent, indigenous publishers of children’s and YA books who frankly can compete with neither. Given the high costs of producing good-quality books for children and young adults, and the fact that print runs for books by Indian authors are often very modest, it is not surprising that indigenous publishers have been reluctant to take too many risks. Unable to order sufficiently large print runs, these publishers are often forced to compromise on production and printing standards. Inadequate promotion of indigenous books and a severely underdeveloped book distribution system further mean that the YA book market in India is a very undependable one (Israel 2000). There is yet another reason why, from the point of view of publishers, there is only marginal enthusiasm for publishing for youth. The YA literature market in India has, historically, been sidelined by the English textbook market, which is far more lucrative. For publishing books prescribed in schools, colleges and universities translates into assured, no-risk sales with considerable returns (Butalia 1991). Most publishers aim to capture the vast and profitable textbook market, rather than develop indigenous literature which young adults read outside the classrooms. Yet another determining factor when it comes to publishing for young adults is the existence of a healthy public, institutional and school library system. In the US, for instance, the lion’s share of YA books that are published are sold to institutional libraries (Khorana 1991).When it comes to India, publishers of YA literature find no such vast and ready market to target. Given the state of most school libraries in The YA literature market India and a lack of children’s and young adult sections in India has, historically, in other public and institutional libraries, it is not been sidelined by the surprising that most publishing houses, driven by lucrative textbook market conventional marketing logic (ie assured sales), are reluctant to come out with YA books.

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Hope for indigenous publishing books from these three publishers is a handful of titles – Sirish Rao’s quirky adventure story In this rather disquieting story of the lack of Real Men Don’t Pick Primroses (On an Alpine- indigenous/independent publishing houses for style Ascent) published in 1998 by Tara, and YA books in India,three independent publishers Payal Dhar’s A Shadow in Eternity (2006) from hold out hope.Tara Publishing, based in Chennai, Young Zubaan, being the most notable ones – Tamil Nadu, was started in 1994 by the their publishing agenda holds out hope for YA academic Gita Wolf, and is now run by a maverick writing in India to develop as a serious, separate collective of writers, artists, activists, designers genre. and others interested in providing radical, intelligent and politically rigorous books to Proliferation of fantasy genre children and youth – a first, given that both genres in India tend to be didactic. With a In the context of YA writing in India, Jaya unique publishing agenda and a bold approach Bhattacharji (2006), an editor with Kali for that is undeterred by conventional marketing Women, mentions how Pottermania has logic,Tara is working at creating a constituency contributed to a surge in writing in the genre for their books through readings, performances, of fantasy. Furthermore, she speaks of how workshops and exhibitions in India, as well as important it is that this writing evolves its own tapping into the international scene by signature rather than being a banal derivative of distributing books in the UK and the US. the western fantasy tradition. Her remarks Battling poor infrastructure for marketing and made me think of the wonderfully inventive distribution and a serious lack of professionalism fantasy world of Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and for the genre of children’s and YA books,Tara’s the Sea of Stories (1990), the writer’s lone piece commitment – to providing intelligent, politically of YA writing, which has never been aggres- conscious reading material and to publishing sively marketed to the young adult audience it excellent quality books, including choice was intended for.This is a pity,given the paucity illustrations and graphic design – makes their of good, inventive fantasy literature for young wares stand out, in a market inundated by adults in India. poorly produced, didactic books that do not Suspending scientific explanations and natural take their audience seriously. laws, fantasy as a genre explores imaginative realities. While flying cars and talking animals Three independent publishers are often the stuff of the light-hearted, capri- hold out hope: Tara, cious stories that get labelled as ‘fantasy’ for Tulika and Young Zubaan younger age groups, YA fantasy writers – the best of them anyway – often utilise the genre in Tulika, another independent publishing an allegorical way, weaving a complex fiction house, opened shop in 1996, also in Chennai, that ponders on the complexities of human with a similar publishing agenda – to provide, existence and demands a great deal from its indigenously developed literature to children readers (Galda and Cullinan 2002). Rushdie and adolescents. An emerging player in the wrote Haroun after the furore over The Satanic field is Young Zubaan, an imprint of Kali for Verses (1988) resulted in a fatwa being imposed Women. Though the collective output of YA on him. Rather than lie low, Rushdie

No. 2 – 2007 / 17 WAITING IN THE WINGS

confronted the controversy about the censorship of fiction through an allegorical YA book, in which he makes a character pose that wonderful question – ‘What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?’ Rushdie’s protagonist sets out on a quest and the writer spins a yarn which is effectively a reply to the question, and a cleverly crafted one at that, urging why stories, true and untrue, need to be kept alive. For Rushdie the issue is really that storytellers would like to open up all stories and reinterpret them,‘to keep narratives unbounded in time’, while propo- nents of literary censorship would like to ‘designate the only story – to maintain the master narrative frozen for all time’ (Ellerby 1998). Galda and Cullinan (2002) also point to the fact that fantasy builds on and derives literary succour from traditions established in ancient myth, legend and folklore. Haroun and the Sea of Stories bears the mark of myriad traditions and influences, both indigenous and western – Angela Carter and her recreations of traditional fairy tales, Aesop’s Fables, The Arabian Nights, Lewis Carroll, L Frank Baum, Kathasaritsagar, to name only a few (Ellerby 1998). In the Indian context, though the country has a rich repertoire of traditional folk literature that dates back to precolonial times – epics, fables, myths, folktales, animal fantasies – writers of YA literature have clearly not availed of this robust tradition and ventured to spin too many contemporary fantastical tales for youth. There is not much fantastical fiction for young adults that stretches the imagination and provides the kind of powerful reading experience that classics like L Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) or Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) give to their audiences. Rushdie’s Haroun is a wonderful exception here.

Call for more inventive indigenous writing

A brief survey of the field of YA writing in India, across genres, reveals a dull ensemble of titles which tend to be pale imitations of western models. Young adults need more of the sort of inventive, indigenous writing that the prolific Bond (The Room on the Roof 1956; A Flight of Pigeons 1980) – and more occasionally Rushdie (Haroun and the Sea of Stories, 1980), Desai (The Village by the Sea (1982), Deshpande (The Narayanpur Incident, 1992), Sidhwa (An American Brat, A brief survey of the 1994) and more recently,Chakravarti (Tin Fish, 2005) field of YA writing in – offer their young audiences. India reveals a dull Indigenous writing for young adults – the little that ensemble of titles exists – also needs to be dusted off the shelves and made more visible. New titles need to be marketed

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Selected Children’s/YA Titles Discussed Bond, Ruskin (1956) The Room on the Roof New York:Coward-McCann Bond, Ruskin (1980) A Flight of Pigeons Bombay: India Book House Chakravarti, Sudeep (2005) Tin Fish New Delhi: Penguin Books Desai,Anita (1982) The Village by the Sea London: Heinemann Dhar, Payal (2006) A Shadow in Eternity New Delhi:Young Zubaan Deshpande, Shashi (1992) The Narayanpur Incident Bombay: India Book House Rao, Sirish (1998) Real Men Don’t Pick Primroses (On an Alpine-style Ascent) Chennai, India:Tara Rushdie, Salman (1990) Haroun and the Sea of Stories New York:Penguin Books Sidhwa, Bapsi (1993) An American Brat Minneapolis: Milkweed more aggressively (if not quite matching the media blitzkrieg that accompanies JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books). However, until all this comes about, postcolonial YA literature written in English by Indian writers, as a genre, stands a long, long way from establishing any distinct, significant identity for itself.

Note 1 Nilsen and Donelson (1980) define young adult (YA) literature as a ‘broad term to include books freely chosen for reading by persons between the ages of twelve and twenty’ (p5). Lee Galda, professor of children’s and adolescent literature at the University of Minnesota, defines YA literature as writing that caters for those in the age group 12–18 years, adding that sometimes a further distinction may be made between YA literature and adolescent literature, with the former catering to youth in the age group of 16–18 years and the latter serving the needs of the younger – 12–16 years age group (2006, personal communication).

References Bhattacharji, Jaya (2006) http://www.pkblogs.com/samitbasu/2006/07/ jaya-bhattacharji-interview.html Butalia, Urvashi (1991) ‘English Textbook,Indian Publisher’ in S Joshi (ed) Rethinking English: Essays in Literature, Language, History New Delhi:Trianka Ellerby,JM (1998) ‘Fiction under Siege: Rushdie’s Quest for Narrative Emancipation in Haroun and the Sea of Stories’ The Lion and the Unicorn 22: 211–220 Galda, Lee and Bernice E Cullinan (2002) Literature and the Child Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Israel, Samuel (2000) Indian Book Publishing, 1947–80: Contemporary Reviews and Appraisals New Delhi, India: Mosaic Books Khorana, Meena (1991) The Indian Subcontinent in Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography of English-language Books Westport, CT: Greenwood Press Mistry, Rohinton (2002) Family Matters New York:Alfred A Knopf Nilsen,Alleen Pace and Kenneth L Donelson (1980) Literature for Today’s Young Adults Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company

No. 2 – 2007 / 19 Recipient of the Ethel Turner Pr Pe ize for Young ople’s Literature 200 5 and other major li awards, this v terary erse novel explores, in Hodb the voice of Harry y – a sensitive and p erceptive teenager – t bittersweet realiti he es of growing up in r of 1962 ural Australia . A distinguished ex ample of this genre, verse, vivid with d the etail, has the reader its image falling through s to experience the sto ry of life in a remote sleepy village where everyone knows everyo simplicity o ne else. Its f style and the authe Steven Her t ntic-sounding voice o rick he storyteller belie the f complexities of relat among the co ionships lourful townspeople. By the River Suitable for older readers, it n raises issues of soci orms as stifling as t al Crows he heat of the town a Nest, Sydney: Alle a lifestyle a nd describes n and Unwin 2004; s sluggish as the slow (first USA ed titl -moving river of the n) Asheville, North C e. If he is to have an F arolina: y real future, Harry ront Street/Boyds M that he must l knows ills Press 2006 eave this place, yet h 238pp I insig e presents his SBN 1932425721 htful views of the tow n and its people with (verse novel, 12+) nostalgia, sympathy and understanding. Margaret Zeegers

Landström’s two endearing, dauntless young sheep appear in their seventh book with humorous and happy results. Lap readers will chuckle with delight at the unexpected results of Boo and Baa’s exploits. In a book twice as large as those earlier in the series, Boo and Baa are seen raking leaves when they discover a cat high in a tree. To lure him down, they try food, they build escape routes, but the cat has a mind of his own and eventually does what he wants. OLOF AND LENA LANDSTRÖM (TRANS JOAN SANDIN) Translated precisely from the Swedish by Joan Sandin, the spare text wastes no words in explanations of what is happening in the colourful pictures that fill BOO AND BAA HAVE COMPANY each page with detail but without clutter. The fact that Boo and Baa are unaware of some things the Stockholm, Sweden: Rabén & Sjögren 2006; viewer sees adds to the humour created through the (first USA edn) R&S Books 2006 actions of these creative, well-meaning but accident- distributed by Farrar, Straus and Giroux prone characters. The cartoon-like figures, with their 32pp ISBN 9129665469 expressive faces and earnest activity, are a comic team (picturebook, 4–7) sure to delight. Glenna Sloan

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E h u r e o p

e a A n

C r h c i l d a r e d n ’ s i

L a i t e n r a t

u M r e o t

The Arcadian motif takes new and unorthodox i f forms in modern children’s literature. Tijana Tropin argues here that in the 20th century, when a new view of childhood as no longer an idyllic period emerged, escapism became Arcadia’s most important aspect

he Arcadian motif in literature has a long history that dates by TIJANA TROPIN back to Hesiod, but more famously to Theocritus and Virgil, Twho transferred the image of idyllic, innocent rural life from Hesiod’s legendary Golden Age to the Greek province of Arcadia. ER Curtius (1948) describes the perfect embodiment of Arcadia, the locus amoenus, as a beautiful quiet place with meadows, trees, running water and birdsong, in a state of eternal spring. It has appeared as a back-

ground and leitmotif in all idyllic poetry since Theocritus; over time, Tijana Tropin is a lecturer in comparative literature and this picture of an actual Greek province turned into an abstract, literature theory at the Belgrade symbolic place, equated with a happy,simple way of life. Institute for Literature and Art THE ARCADIAN MOTIF

Later poets and artists kept both the name of Arcadia and the mythical overtones of the Golden Age in their idyllic and pastoral poetry; Christian authors appropriated the image of Arcadia during the Renais- sance and added a strong association with Eden, especially by stressing the innocence of Arcadia’s inhabitants. Much of their symbolism can be traced to the fact that the Christian image of the Garden of Eden has exactly the same scenery as the locus amoenus: rivers, meadows, fruitful trees and eternal spring. Christian writers have often adapted Virgil to their needs. Paradise is shown as a secluded garden, hortus conclusus,but it still contains the same elements and, of course, nature is intact, without any agriculture, since people did not start working The Christian image of until after leaving Eden.The description of heaven, as the Garden of Eden has well as Arcadia, relies on Virgil’s Bucolics rather than exactly the same scenery his Georgics. On the other hand, the existence of a as the locus amoenus boundary is noticeable. The heavenly version of Arcadia is enclosed, protected and not merely virginal nature but a carefully tended God’s garden. However, from Renaissance to Rococo the most important theme among pastoral poets was romantic love – usually love between heavily idealised shepherds – which had no place in representations of paradise. The Arcadian motif, as well as the Christian image of heaven, often feature in children’s literature. Since the 18th century and the spreading of Rousseau’s ideas about children and education, childhood images comprise images of Eden and Arcadia – the imaginary land where simple, natural life is possible, and whose inhabitants have the traditional characteristics of children: innocence and purity of heart, lacking any dangerous or painful knowledge of sorrow, death and sex. As Philippe Ariès (2000) has stated, the Middle Ages did not have a concept of childhood in the modern sense; children The Romantic notion of were regarded as small, undeveloped adults. The wild, untamed nature left modern-day concept of the child was formed along- to itself is a new side bourgeois society and the contemporary variation on Arcadia conception of a nuclear family (parents and children only), and it was not until the 19th century that the term ‘childhood’ gained an extraordinarily positive connotation. The characteristics of a paradise-like existence were attributed to children from the Renaissance onwards, but only became a commonplace identi- fication at the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century, paralleling the blossoming of children’s literature. The beginnings of Enlightenment children’s literature in the 18th century coincide with the definite forming of the notion of childhood as a separate and envi- able period of life. But this new view of childhood was only established

22 / BOOKBIRD THE ARCADIAN MOTIF

Rousseauist/Romantic of a Heavenly Jerusalem; conversely, cyclical time repeats itself perpetually, returning to the depictions of Arcadia use Golden Age. (Indeed, Bakhtin (1989) has linked the concept of linear time, the idyllic chronotope with cyclical time.) while the classical version Nikolajeva claims that these two basic forms of Arcadia relates to of time can be discerned in narratives for children: circular time while cyclical time stories end on a pleasant note – usually a return to home or the fully by Rousseau’s followers and Romantic completing of the circle of the seasons – texts writers.The Romantic notion of wild, untamed with the notion of linear time often end with nature left to itself, providing a scenery for noble some disruptive change, such as the growing-up savages or Rousseau’s natural children, is a new of the child protagonists. variation on Arcadia, very different from God’s enclosed garden (Richter 1987). The modern image of Still, both the idea of heaven and Arcadia is only present Rousseauist/Romantic depictions of Arcadia clearly in those national use the concept of linear time, while the classical children’s literatures that version of Arcadia relates to circular time. This have a distinct tradition of split can be observed in different variants of fantastic literary fiction Arcadia in present-day children’s literature. Maria Nikolajeva (2000), basing her argument The relationship of writers and their young on the work of Northrop Frye, has established a readers is constantly changing and evolving, dichotomy in children’s literature between together with general ideas about children and cyclical and linear time. The symbolic impor- childhood. In modern children’s literature, from tance of the Arcadian landscape depends on this Lewis Carroll onwards, the Arcadian motif has distinction: while cyclical time flows in an been present from the very beginning – and endless circle and leads to no change or matur- turned upside-down. The ‘true’ Arcadia of the ing, narratives set in linear time end with a Enlightenment writers was a static motif, a profound change in the protagonists or their backdrop, considered necessary, but scantily environment. Roughly speaking, linear time is described and unequivocal. This image is still connected to Frye’s apocalyptic mode – Frye present in non-didactic children’s literature, but connects the pastoral and the Arcadian in litera- it becomes dynamic, it changes with the autho- ture with the second phase of the cycle of life, rial intention, the writer’s personality and the ‘summer’, and cyclical time – which means it age, reflecting different perceptions of child- ends with a Judgment Day and the establishing hood and children’s psyche, but also the symbolic levels of their understanding, more Cyclical time stories end on clearly than any other motif. Horace stated that a pleasant note but texts the main aims of poetry are prodesse et delectare, with the notion of linear to be useful and to please. The fact that in time often end with some modern children’s literature the stress definitely shifts from the first to the second, from teaching disruptive change the child to entertaining him/her, is enough to

No. 2 – 2007 / 23 THE ARCADIAN MOTIF

bring a new dynamic into the image of Arcadia. concept of childhood and children’s literature Modern texts for children lean towards more in general. As the Arcadias of modern writers interesting plots than simple depictions of the show, the cult of childhood is disappearing, at pleasures of country life or the joys of heaven, least in its mystical-romantic aspect and the and therefore, the motif of Arcadia is contami- religious overtones this notion has retained until nated with other themes. well into the 20th century. The great historical One must keep in mind that this modern and cultural changes that occurred during the image of Arcadia is only present clearly in those 20th century led to a more frequent use of the national children’s literatures that have a distinct apocalyptic mode in children’s literature. tradition of fantastic literary fiction (as opposed Pursued to the last consequences, it would to the fantastic elements of folklore and fairy produce texts such as Astrid Lindgren’s Bröderna tales). For instance, late Victorian and Edwar- Lejonhjärta (The Brothers Lionheart) (1973). dian Britain cherished both a cult of the child and a cult of nature, and children’s literature had Lindgren’s works contain a much higher status than in other national two entirely different literatures.Therefore, the ‘children’s’ variation of variants of Arcadia: a the Arcadian motif crystallised in texts from realistic countryside and this period and region. In literatures with a a secondary world prevalent realistic strain, the Arcadian element was never developed fully. A good example of Lindgren’s works contain two entirely different this is Serbian (and ex-Yugoslavian in general) variants of Arcadia, best represented in the children’s literature, which lacks the Arcadian Barnen i Bullerbyn [The children of Noiseville] image. These writers for children have never books and Bröderna Lejonhjärta. These books are established the distance from a prevalently opposites in many respects – Barnen i Bullerbyn rural environment that is necessary for the sport main characters of 7 or 8 years old in a appearance of the Arcadian image. A case in realistic countryside and centre on children’s point: Branko C´opic´ describes a beautiful, games, while the Brothers Lionheart are around unsullied natural environment but does not 12 or 13, entering puberty, and the main plot idealise it in the least; his stories for children are takes place in a secondary world; the themes set in a firmly established geographical and include illness, death and evil. Barnen i Bullerbyn historical context, often with strong forebodings shows a healthy,integral world, and there are no of World War II as in Orlovi rano lete [Eagles depictions of truly evil people or serious illness, learn to fly early] (1957) or Magarec´e godine let alone death; time is obviously cyclical – the [The donkey years] (1960). He devotes great seasons flow without any change. This book is attention to social relationships which are far typical of the dominant strain in children’s liter- from idyllic. Orlovi rano lete ends with the ature written immediately after World War II. destruction of a children’s hideout and the But the 1950s introduced the slow dying of the bombing of their school – two places which ‘childhood innocence’ trope and new, contem- represented peace and safety for the children. porary motifs into children’s literature. Bröderna The motif of Arcadia changes over time, Lejonhjärta shows the results: the Arcadia of mirroring both the attitudes of the writer in Nangijala, although identified as a golden age, is question and the transformations of the imperiled, and what is more, can only be

24 / BOOKBIRD THE ARCADIAN MOTIF reached by dying. Although the novel ends with the re-establishing of an intact Arcadia/Nangijala, the protagonists must leave it and again submit to pain and death, in order to travel to Nangilima, yet another Arcadian landscape; we have Jonatan’s (the elder Lionheart brother) promise about its beauty but nothing more.This Arcadia clearly belongs to the linear time mode. The Arcadian motif cannot be treated in its pure form any more. It has become inevitable to stress the instability of this harmony.This is not just about the natural process of reaching adulthood, as with AA Milne, Philippa Pearce or Jirˇí Trnka, whose characters have to leave their Arcadian surroundings when they grow up (this is why Pippi Longstocking prevents growing up with a magic pill), but also about a radically different concept of Arcadia, one which is often transferred to a fantastic, secondary world. Fantastic children’s literature has been criticised and even actively opposed in some countries, for ideological reasons (in eastern European countries during the Soviet regime, for example, but also in post-1945 Germany). However, during the past 20 years it has experienced an incredible expansion, both in terms of commercial success and critical acclaim.According to Gundel Mattenklott, the percentage of fantastical texts in children’s literature rose from 5 per cent in 1970 to 60 per cent in 1981 (Mattenklott 1994). One of the most popular and relatively recent fantastic children’s novels, the most typical and almost generally acceptable with its New Age philosophy,is Michael Ende’s Unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story) (1979), the first of a new wave of fantastic literature in West Germany.Ende describes a world akin to Barrie’s Neverland, a patchwork of diverse places and cultures, but his Phantásien is endless, without boundaries, and on the whole a much more creative, integrated and serious concept.The key difference from Barrie’s secondary world is the firm connection of Phantásien with the primary world: its physical decay mirrors the moral disintegration of our society – these processes are interdependent. Human children, with the help of imagination, can heal both worlds. However, there is another aspect of Arcadia which Ende powerfully develops Michael Ende describes a through the very concept of Phantásien. All the world akin to Neverland, but different races of Phantásien are free to live their his Phantásien is endless, own lives, according to their nature and essence, as without boundaries, and is shown by the motto on the magic talisman on the whole a much more Auryn, ‘Do what you wish’ (‘Tu was du willst’), a phrase coined by Rabelais and later appropriated creative, integrated and by Aleister Crowley. serious concept

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The Arcadian motif and its traditional imagery can be found most clearly in Ende’s description of Atréju’s tribe: they live in peace and, although they are primarily hunters and not an agricultural people (the author probably intended the parallels with the habits of Native Americans), there is an emphasis on their bond with nature and on their integrity, as shown through Atréju’s character. Ende turns the seemingly meaningless succession of adventures into a rite of passage when the boy The Arcadian motif cannot Bastian Balthasar Bux receives the Auryn, which fulfils be found in Pullman’s all his wishes, the bad as well as the good ones, by depiction of paradise, but creating new provinces and living beings in Phantásien. only in his vision of a Ende uses both cyclical and linear time: as we learn, completely guilt-free, Phantásien is repeatedly destroyed and created anew,but non-human society our world is ruled by ordinary linear time and these two do not flow at the same speed. It is characteristic of both Ende’s novel and the majority of other fantastic fiction for children and young adults written in the second half of the 20th century that the Arcadian image is mostly absent or pushed into the background by other plot elements. The narratives are more and more frequently action-oriented; there is less space to establish an Arcadian mood. The break with tradition is made explicit in Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, the final part of which, The Amber Spyglass,was published in 2000. Pullman describes a battle between the forces of God and the mortal rebels, human and non-human alike, and openly takes the side of the rebels – God, his angels and the Church are depicted as cruel and life-sapping tyrants. Pullman explicitly refers to Milton’s Paradise Lost – the name of his trilogy is taken from Milton’s work – and subscribes to the Blakean reading of it, with Satan as the true, noble hero of this epic.Together with the antithetic influence of CS Lewis, this makes for a vision of heaven as an oppressive, autocratic place. Therefore, the Arcadian motif cannot be found in Pullman’s depiction of paradise, but only in his vision of a completely guilt-free, non-human society, the Mulefas. This Arcadia clearly inherits the Romantic tradition. Pullman goes to some lengths to describe a completely Arcadian landscape and to establish the idyllic nature of the Mulefa society, but goes on to imply that life in such harmony with nature would be impossible for humans. Still, humans are saviours of this world: similarly to Ende’s Bastian, Pullman’s protagonists, Lyra and Will, have the ability to heal both the primary and the secondary world and to rebuild a new Arcadia (the ‘Republic of Heaven’).They perform this miracle simply by falling in love. One might argue that Philip Pullman is the first writer for

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Children’s Books Discussed Cópic´, Branko (1960) Magarecé godine [The donkey years] Sarajevo:Veselin Maslesˇa Cópic´, Branko (1957) Orlovi rano lete [Eagles learn to fly early] Sarajevo: Svjetlost Ende, Michael (1979) Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story) Stuttgart:Thienemann Lindgren,Astrid (1978) Bracá Lavlje Srce (trans Cédomir Cvetkovic´) Belgrade: Nolit. Originally published as Bröderna Lejonhjärta (The Brothers Lionheart) Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, 1973 Lindgren,Astrid (2002) Die Kinder aus Bullerbü (trans Else von Hollander-Lossow and Karl Kurt Peters) Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag.Originally published as Barnen i Bullerbyn: Buller- byboken [The children of Noiseville] Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren 1961 Pullman, Philip (2001) His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass London: Scholastic Press children who reintegrated the erotic component into his version of the Arcadian motif; in fact, the discovery of erotic love is of cosmic importance for his characters.The revolution they have performed is an evident sign of linear time: everything has changed for ever. The motifs of childhood, the child and Arcadia have been connected with fruitful results, but they were heavily altered in the process. The late 20th century, when the escapist aspect of Arcadia became its most obvious and important aspect and escape from reality desirable for adults as well as children, also witnessed the emerging of a new view of childhood, which was no longer considered an idyllic period of life. The heroes of Lindgren, Ende and Pullman are experiencing real-life difficulties. Karl Lejon is victim to a deadly illness, Ende’s Bastian suffers because of his father’s neglect and Pullman’s Will has to take care of his schizophrenic mother. However, these external circumstances are not the basic characteristic of the new approach to children’s fiction, which has always been replete The landscapes are ever with unfortunate events, misfortunes of virtue and bleaker, the utopias more abandoned orphans.The innovations are the complex and more precarious and child personalities, capable of difficult, ambivalent endangered feelings, motivations and acts. The characters in contemporary children’s fiction are not drawn in black-and-white, nor are they confined to simply changing these opposite sides. The prevalence of linear time and the problematised Arcadian surroundings are clearly linked with that development. One could claim, without the wish to generalise, that the end of the 20th century has brought the merging of two models of Arcadia in children’s literature: the religious and the Rousseauist. The landscapes are ever bleaker, the utopias more and more precarious and endangered,

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dystopias have entered the safe realm of children’s literature – although, so far, mainly with the expected turn for the better and a happy ending (even Lindgren and Pullman endings discussed here can be viewed as such, to an extent). The ecological accents are very strong and almost commonplace, with the revived use of the ‘noble savage’ – from Native Americans to Pullman’s Mulefas; Arcadia has survived into the age of science fiction, but with a radical change of meaning.

References Ariès, Philippe (2000) Geschichte der Kindheit (trans Caroline Neubaur and Karin Kersten) Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag. Originally published as L´enfant et la vie familiale sous l´ancien régime Paris: Plon, 1961 Bakhtin, Mikhail (1989) O romanu (trans Aleksandar Badnjarevic´) Belgrade: Nolit. [This is a Serbian compendium of Bakhtin’s texts and no single original source is available.] Curtius, Ernst Robert (1948) Europäische Literatur und lateinisches Mittelalter Bern: Francke Frye, Northrop (1973) Anatomy of Criticism Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press Mattenklott, Gundel (1994) Zauberkreide.Kinderliteratur seit 1945 Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Nikolajeva, Maria (2000) From Mythic to Linear. Time in Children’s Literature Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Richter, Dieter (1987) Das fremde Kind. Zur Entstehung der Kindheitsbilder des bürgerlichen Zeitalters Frankfurt am Main: Fischer

One of the world’s leading children’s book illustrators, Michael Foreman of London is the recipient of many international awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Kurt Maschler Award. In an author’s note Foreman explains his inspiration for this tale of Mia and her family at their home in a bleak little village in Chile. Travelling from Santiago, Chile into the Andes Mountains, he tells how he ‘came upon what appeared to be a wasteland, a landscape of trash from the city. But a man who lived there, Manuel, showed me that it was MICHAEL FOREMAN the opposite of a wasteland. For Manuel and his fellow villagers, the trash was a crop to be harvested, recycled MIA’S STORY: A SKETCHBOOK OF and made useful once more. This book is dedicated to HOPES AND DREAMS their spirit and inspiration.’ and pencil illustrations Glowing full-page watercolour Cambridge, MA, USA: Candlewick Press 2006 with captioned sketches and brief text to tell combine 32pp ISBN 0763630632 the uplifting story of resourceful Mia, a village child (picturebook, 7–10) who helps her hardworking family by cultivating the white flowers she finds on the mountain and selling them in the marketplace. Glenna Sloan

28 / BOOKBIRD T F C h h i e i l

n d D r e e v d n e ’ l s o i

L p n i m t e e r g a n t t u

o r a e f

, M

P V e a x r t i

o c I a

In the second of a two-part series, Evelyn I n

Arizpe outlines the positive transformation i

that has occurred in Mexican children’s c

literature in the last 25 years and highlights e the outstanding books produced

n order to fully appreciate how children’s literature in Mexico has developed in the last 25 years, I will look more closely at Isome of the texts which have been considered outstanding by two institutions that list exceptional literature for children: IBBY Mexico and the Spanish section of the International Youth Library (IYL) in Munich. IBBY national sections continuously review new children’s publications and every two years they make a nomination based on the quality of text and illustration for the IBBY Honour List. The IYL publication, The White Ravens, is compiled by language area specialists in the library.They select recently published books which stand out in terms of literary style and artistic design.1 by EVELYN ARIZPE For the purposes of this article, I have examined books from both lists, starting from 1980 when the world of Mexican children’s literature began to change. For many years, children’s authors had patronised their young readers presenting them with didactic texts that were meant to transform them into virtuous and patriotic citizens. In the last two decades of the 20th century,writers began to prioritise

entertainment rather than instruction and, more importantly,the adult Evelyn Arizpe is a lecturer in children’s literature at narrator’s voice looked to address the child reader rather than to please the Faculty of Education, an adult audience. The IBBY and IYL lists provide a representative University of Glasgow FINDING A VOICE

For many years, children’s Given the impossibility of discussing all books authors had patronised that appear on the lists, I have grouped the titles in their young readers with terms of genre and tried to give a general idea of each group with a few more detailed examples.2 didactic texts sample of books from the last 25 years and Non-fiction, history and poetry include over 70 authors and illustrators – many of whom have received national and international All the non-fiction/information entries on the prizes. However, while some of these texts do lists are set firmly within the context of Mexican indeed reflect exciting new developments in culture, history and geography.Topics covered by narrative form and content, not all succeed in these information books include, for example, the offering themes of significance to children or environment, native animals and prehispanic arts abandoning the condescending tone. In my and crafts as well as Mexican food and the life of a examination of genres, themes and styles, I have child in a particular indigenous community.These tried to listen out for new voices, not in terms of books present the young readers with information authors new to the scene, but in terms of in a clear and interactive manner and their colour- attempts to communicate with young readers ful illustrations are for the most part dynamic and which are natural and playful and, at the same eye-catching.One artist who has been successfully time, serious and respectful of the child. illustrating science and other non-fiction books One critic of children’s literature, Victor for children is Claudia de Teresa, IBBY Mexico’s Watson, argues that writing for children requires nominee for the illustration category in 1998. ‘finding a voice’, a way of telling a story that is in ‘sympathy with the young mind’ and which The non-fiction entries on includes an awareness not only of a particular the lists are set within the level of language and syntax but also of the child context of Mexican culture as subject and as a developing reader. He and their illustrations are believes it is because of children’s inexperience dynamic and eye-catching – in life and as readers – that some writers assume a story for children must be childish and Several books revisit events from the history of their voice takes on a patronising, sentimental or Mexico, using narrative and design to make facile tone. Watson concludes that the best them more attractive than previous books for books for children are those in which a conver- children on this topic. De lo que contaron al fraile sation is held between the author and the reader [What they told the monk] by Krystyna Libura, that takes the child’s inexperience into account Claudia Burr and María Cristina Urrutia repro- but at the same time does not compromise the duces images from an original prehispanic author’s adult ‘integrity’ or ‘intelligence’ (Watson codex to tell the story of the Aztecs. (The rest of 2005). These requirements are similar to the the books in this series are equally well- ‘subtleties of address’ that Barbara Wall describes designed, cleverly merging texts and images as defining children’s literature: the ‘narrating from historical sources.) Another book, Historia voice’ must ‘adjust language, concepts and tone verdadera de una princesa [The true story of a to the understanding of a child without loss of princess] retells the story of the historical char- meaning, significance, or dignity’. (Wall 1991) acter ‘La Malinche’. It presents an alternative

30 / BOOKBIRD FINDING A VOICE perspective to the image of this young Indian woman, who became the mistress of and interpreter to the conquistador Hernán Cortés, as a traitor to her people.The author, Inés Arredondo, employs a formal but evocative language to tell her story:

Next to the seat of her father, silent, embroidering or pretending to embroider, the little princess listened to the affairs of state that were brought before the king, in the different languages of all the surrounding landlords.With great joy,the king found himself talking to his daughter about the politics of the entire region and was able to prove that she mastered the dialects of neighbours, friends and enemies.

Of the three books of poetry that appear on the lists, one is part of an illustrated series for children that includes poetry written by well-known Mexican poets such as Octavio Paz. También los insectos son perfectos [Insects are also perfect] contains short poems about different insects by the poet Alberto Blanco. In four lines he manages to capture some essential quality of each insect. Here, for example, is the cricket’s poem:

‘El grillo’ ‘The cricket’ La noche tiene su brillo, The night has its own music su música y su silencio… Its own silence, its own light pues cada estrella es un grillo Because each star is a cricket entre la hierba del cielo. In the grasses of the sky.

There is no room here to refer to the tradition of poetry for children in Mexico which has slowly been finding its way into books and anthologies, except to say that, although the literary qualities of this poetry cannot be denied, most of it is written with a view to fulfil adult expectations of this genre. Poetry for children that reflects the experience of contemporary Mexican childhood, with its own themes, language and humour, has not yet made its presence felt.

Voices of tradition

Several books on the lists represent the genre which has dominated literature for children in Mexico since Most Mexican children’s the previous century: traditional tales and legends.The poetry is poetry written best example of these is Teresa Castelló Yturbide’s with a view to fulfil Cuentos de Pascuala, a collection of tales written in the adult expectations resonant language and popular rhythms of Pascuala, the author’s storytelling nanny. Also by ‘Pascuala Corona’, El morralito de

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ocelote [The little ocelot bag] is dramatically illus- by ‘He Who Knows Everything’, he fills it with trated in the warm colours of the rainforest by a pair of animals from the lands he lives in: Fabricio Vanden Broeck. Set in Chiapas, it is the pumas, vicuña, condors, toucans, iguanas and story of a boy and his spiritual companion,a young boas.As they float around, Itzá’s ark bumps into ocelot, whose destiny is to live and die together. It another four arks with animals from different also describes some of the beliefs and customs of parts of the world and their patriarchs, including the indigenous community in this area of Mexico. Noah himself. The families wonder at each other’s animals, enjoy each other’s company and Retellings of tales and finally, sail peacefully away. One of the arks, legends reflect the exuberant however, seems to have got lost somewhere as colours of summer flowers the animals that it carried – dragons, unicorns, and fruit but also show the centaurs and mermaids – have never been seen again. Cárdenas’ text is not only an inventive characters engaged in take, full of gentle humour, on a familiar story,it everyday tasks such as also invites the reader to consider aspects which picking mushrooms and have significant implications for children growing making tortillas up in a multicultural world.

Other texts, such as Cuento de junio [Tale of Magic and magic realism June] by Susana Mendoza and El huevo azul [The blue egg] by Silvia Jaeger Cordero, also build on Most of the books on both lists fall within the ancient indigenous beliefs while incorporating genre of the fantastic. However, there are subtle characters that bring these stories closer to differences as to the ways in which fantasy modern readers.The illustrations for the former mixes with reality. In his exploration of the reflect the exuberant colours of summer flowers presence of magic realism in children’s literature, and fruit but also show the characters engaged in Ian Rudge (2004) distinguishes between texts everyday tasks, such as picking mushrooms and in which secondary worlds are clearly different making tortillas. Both use language to evoke a from the realist world and texts in which strong sense of place, such as, for example, the fantasy objects are described in such a manner beginning of El huevo azul: that they are accepted as part of the realist world. Many of the stories written for Mexican It is now time that the children play with the gods. children tend to fall within the latter, perhaps I’m going to tell you a story… because of the influence magical realism has … a story inspired by another story that a story- had in literature for adults in Latin America in teller from the land of the Mayab once told me… general. …a story that tastes of peanuts, smells of the Even when traditional fantastical creatures rainforest and is quetzal green in colour… such as witches and elves make an appearance, they remain anchored to the ‘real’ world which, A European myth is approached in an entirely in both cases, is an urban, contemporary one. unexpected manner by Magolo Cárdenas in For example, in El zurcidor del tiempo [The time Noé no era el único [Noah was not the only one]. mender] by Alicia Molina, a little girl must After Itzá finishes building the ark as directed travel first to her past and then to her future to

32 / BOOKBIRD FINDING A VOICE find an elf who will help get her out of trouble at school.This text is one of the rare examples of time travel in Mexican children’s literature. One ‘magic-realism’ text, written for very young readers, is the picturebook Pájaros en la cabeza [Birds on my head] by Laura Fernández, where three little birds perch on a small girl’s head for a day. Both text (narrated in the first person) and illustration depict this extraordinary situation as a delightful but acceptable occurrence: Mother combs her daughter’s hair into the shape of a bird’s nest to make them more comfortable and one picture shows the school- teacher petting a bird. The result of this Even when traditional combination of realism and magic is that the readers fantastical creatures such can immediately empathise with the everyday life as witches and elves make of the child protagonist as well as bringing their an appearance, they imagination into play. remain anchored to the Another particularly humorous and inventive ‘real’ world situation is created by Emilio Carballido (one of Mexico’s best playwrights for adults who is equally at home when writing for children). In El pizarrón encantado [The enchanted slate], Adrián is sent to live with his old-fashioned uncle and aunt while his parents are away.Carballido uses the description of the ancient house to reflect the child’s feelings of powerlessness:

The house was very big, with a high hallway and a large, rickety door. Adrian couldn’t reach the bell so he used the knocker and heard it boom three times.The knocker was in the shape of a dog’s head which gave him a grumpy look as if saying ‘Knock more gently’ … The house was full of wardrobes with mirrors, it had more stairs than seemed necessary and a huge cellar.Also many corners, bathtubs with animal legs, a forest of plants in the corridors and a bad-tempered parrot…

Adrián plays with a slate he finds in the cellar, changing the meaning of words by substituting one letter for another, sometimes with hilarious consequences (for example, ‘gatos’ [cats] become ‘patos’ [ducks]!) but also with the result that the lives of all the members of his family take a turn for the better. However, just beneath the fantasy is a reference to the reality of many Mexican children, as Adrián’s father has been unjustly sacked during a worker’s strike and has had to find work as an illegal immigrant in another country. For older readers, Los cuatro amigos de siempre [Four friends forever] by Gilberto Rendón Ortíz, is the story of Manuel, a disabled boy, and the adventures he has with his four friends. The author skilfully includes Manuel’s ‘reality’ within his escapist fantasies; for example, his

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wheelchair smashes to pieces on a rock when they use it as a husky sledge. There is no miracle cure and the book ends when his friends take him with them forever, leaving behind his broken body.The more experienced reader may recognise the intertextual references which provide clues as to who ‘the four friends’ really are: Jules Verne, Emilio Salgari, Jack London and Karl May. Rendón Ortíz’s use of fantasy to deal with disability and death brings the reader closer to these difficult subjects but leaves them with a sense of joy and a recognition of the power of books to transcend reality.

Picturebooks and illustration

The ‘voice’ of the illustrator in Mexican children’s literature has undergone a slightly different development from that of the writer. Even before the 1980s, when limited resources meant In Julieta y su caja de design was often crude and illustrations badly colores a little girl tries to reproduced, there were a handful of illustrators capture and transform who had already been reaching out to children by reality through painting experimenting with humour, irony and fantasy. Their success was perhaps due to the fact that the artists felt less constrained by a didactic mission, leaving that to the written text.While examples of infantilised images can still be found in cheaper, mass-produced books, the art forms, designs, colours and motifs of both European and modern Mexican art are reflected in serious illustration for children. With only a couple of exceptions, all of the books on the IBBY and IYL lists are illustrated. In most cases, the images mainly act as support for the written narrative; however, in some picturebooks, new narratives are created by a complex interaction between text and image. Unfortu- nately,there is not enough room here to do justice to all the illustrators and describe the diversity of styles and the innovative use of collage, photography and paper engineering, among other techniques, all of which reflect the artists’ energy and dedication. It must be noted that (like some of the authors) not all of the artists are Mexican. Angela Lago, Enrique Martínez, Isol, and Agustín Comotto, among others, are from other Latin American countries but have collaborated with Mexican authors or published in Mexico. One Mexican artist whose cubist-style images enhance the poetry in his texts is Carlos López Pellicer. His picturebook, Julieta y su caja de colores [Julieta and her colouring box], describes the way in which a little girl tries to capture and transform reality through painting. Julieta experiments with bold colours, shapes and patterns to paint a green

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Literature about growing up is still a very new field in Mexico donkey, birdsong and dreams. Felipe Dávalos is another prize-winning illustrator and for Vicky Nizri’s Un asalto mayúsculo [A capital assault] he creates a surreal world in which letters and numbers battle it out on a background of textured collages crowded with a miscellany of curious objects. Three of the picturebooks on the lists – Trucas [Trucas], Morado al cubo [Sticking to the dice] and Desde la enredadera [From the creeper] – are wordless. They are all by Juan Gedovius, a prolific young illustrator who brings strange creatures to life against black or white back- grounds. Each minimalist spread focuses on one step in a sequence of events with the boldly coloured, clearly delineated figures contrasting with the blank spaces. One of his most endearing creations is ‘Trucas’. This little green hairy both these books are also about learning about monster is determined to make his artistic mark ‘real’ love, loyalty and courage.They are among despite baths and dragons. The picturebook the first few books that have begun to fill the speaks directly to children and their impulsive gap in literature for teenagers in Mexico, creativity. particularly for boys. Literature about growing up is still a very new field in Mexico and finding a voice that Other genres: science fiction and realism deals with issues in a way that reaches readers El profesor Zíper y la fabulosa guitarra eléctrica still eludes many authors. One of the books on [Professor Ziper and the fabulous electric the list illustrates the difficulties. Lección de piano guitar] by Juan Villoro and El Club de la Sala- [Piano lesson], by the mainly adult writer Felipe mandra [The Salamander Club] by Jaime Garrido, is about the first time a young boy falls Alfonso Sandoval are the only two books for in love.The story takes the form of a conversa- older readers on the lists.The latter is a longer, tion with a friend whose ‘voice’ must be more complex novel, but both are fast-paced supplied by the reader: science-fiction fantasies with male protagonists on a quest, aided by clever, pretty and rather Stop interrupting me. Let me tell you … she has mysterious girls. Both contain mad scientists, short, untidy hair, like a stormy night, and her strange inventions, impossible geographies, forehead is like the moon and her eyes are a villainous pursuers and plenty of fun. However, short circuit and she laughs like waves crashing

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and one feels like biting her neck and her shoulders … Don’t laugh. I’m not a vampire. It’s just that I get all anxious, because I don’t know how to tell how pretty she is … She moves like a peach tree full of flowers that the air rocks all the time, very softly,from one side to the other…

Although the narrator’s rhetorical questions and short sentences are presumably meant to imitate a dialogue between young boys, the adult writer’s language and rhetorical forms frequently intrude, creating a poetic voice that adult readers recognise but which clashes with that of the narrator.The flowing, pastel-tinted illustrations that accompany the text are delightful but again, they reflect the poetic view of the author rather than that of the young protagonist. The fact that many of those who write for children in Mexico are also authors of ‘adult’ books (far more than in the UK or the United States, for example), is perhaps significant in the development of the ‘rhetoric of voice’ in children’s literature because the dividing line between writing for adults and children is less clearly defined (particularly in the case of poetry). In some cases, authors seem more concerned to demonstrate their skill rather than searching for the language, narrative forms and humour that appeal to young readers.The ‘rhetoric’ of writing for this particular audience has yet to be made more conscious and distinct.

Conclusion

The analysis of the two lists of outstanding books reveals the positive transformation that has occurred in Mexican children’s literature in the last 25 years. During this period, overtly edifying intentions have been abandoned in favour of a more playful and open-ended approach.There has been a clear move away from traditional narrative structures, with writers and illustrators showing an increasing awareness of the potential of humour, irony and perspective and of a lively relationship with the reader. While rural ways of life and the historical past continue to be revisited, many texts now reflect the urban experience of most children and contemporary issues, such as social inequalities, disability, sexuality and the environment. Although it is true that there are still few books for certain age groups, such as very young children and Many of those who adolescents, and that in some cases authors are slightly write for children in off the mark when it come to addressing their intended Mexico are also authors audience, Mexican children’s literature has much to of ‘adult’ books offer in terms of both text and illustration – its voice is now issuing a strong call, inviting readers to attend.

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Children’s Books Discussed

Arredondo, Inés (1985) Historia verdadera de una princesa (illus Enrique Rosquillas) CIDCLI Blanco,Alberto (1993) También los insectos son perfectos (illus Diana Radavicˇiu¯té) Mexico City: CIDCLI Carballido, Emilio (1984) El pizarrón encantado (illus María Figueroa) Mexico City: CIDLI Cárdenas, Magolo (1987) Noé no era el único (illus Rafael López Castro) Mexico City: SEP Castelló Yturbide,Teresa (1986) Cuentos de Pascuala (illus Carlos Palleiro) Mexico City: SEP Corona, Pascuala (1998) (Teresa Castelló Yturbide) El morralito de ocelote (illus Fabricio Vanden Broeck) Mexico City: CONACULTA/UNAM Fernández, Laura (1983) Pájaros en la cabeza Mexico City:Trillas Garrido, Felipe (2004) Lección de piano (illus Marie Flusin) Mexico City: CIDCLI Gedovius, Juan (1997) Trucas Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica Gedovius, Juan (2000) Morado al cubo Mexico City:Alfaguara Gedovius, Juan (2002) Desde la enredadera Mexico City:Alfaguara Jaeger Cordero, Silvia (2002) El huevo azul Mexico City: Castillo Libura, Krystyna, Claudia Burr and María Cristina Urrutia (1994) De lo que contaron al fraile Mexico City:Tecolote/SEP Mendoza, Susana (1991) Cuento de junio (illus Felipe Dávalos) Mexico City: CELTA Amaquemecan Molina,Alicia (1996) El zurcidor del tiempo (illus Enrique Martínez) Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica Nizri,Vicky (1985) Un asalto mayúsculo (illus Felipe Dávalos) privately printed Pellicer López, Carlos (1993) Julieta y su caja de colores Mexico City: FCE Rendón Ortíz, Gilberto (1999) Los cuatro amigos de siempre Mexico City: Ediciones SM Sandoval, Jaime Alfonso (1998) El Club de la Salamandra Mexico City: Ediciones SM/CONACULTA Villoro, Juan (1994) El profesor Zíper y la fabulosa guitarra eléctrica (illus Rafael Barajas) Mexico City:Alfaguara

Acknowledgements 2 These books are published in Spanish and, as far as I I would like to thank the library staff at the know, are not available in English translation. With the International Youth Library for all their help exception of Alberto Blanco’s poems, all translations are and Daniel Goldin for endless conversations. my own.

Notes References 1 Although there are close links between IBBY and the Rudge, I (2004) ‘Magic Realism in Children’s Literature: IYL, these lists are elaborated separately.They differ in A Narratological Reading’ New Review of Children’s that the IBBY highlights one author and one illustrator, Literature and Librarianship 10 (2): 127–140. Retrieved whereasThe White Ravens often contains more than one from http://www.metapress.com entry per year. It must be noted that not all publishing Wall, B (1991) The Narrator’s Voice London: Macmillan houses consistently send books to the IYL; this explains Watson, V (2005) ‘Has Children’s Literature Come of the absence of several distinguished authors such as Age?’ New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship Elena Dreser,Aline Petterson or Silvia Molina and illus- 11 (2): 117–128 trators such as Marisol Fernández or Monique Zepeda.

No. 2 – 2007 / 37 In this t imely book, Greenfie ld and Gilchrist pay tribute to the hope fulness of children war. caught up in Seventeen insightful poems, dramatically illustrated, spe ak of wars occurring th over time, among em protests against apartheid in South Wars I a Africa, World nd II and the Iraq W ar. In an author’s n addressed to th ote e children of the wo la rld, Greenfield uds the love of carin g families that empo children wers not to give up in dif ELOISE GREE ficult times. ‘Like t NFIELD children in this he (IL book, you can find LUS JAN SPIVEY th in this love, and in GILCHRIST) e beauty of plants a nd song and play and imagination WH , a way to hold on to EN THE HORSES dreams and hope.’ RIDE BY: The plight of childr CHILDREN IN en is movingly expre THE TIMES OF W simple, ssed in AR rhythmic, intense ve rses. ‘I draw a pictu my land / in pe re of ace, but then, like s New York sw torms of sand, / war , USA: Lee and Low irls and flies and st 40 Books 2006 ings / and tries to s pp ISBN 978158430 precious natch my 2490 picture / from my ha (poetry, 9–12) nd. / But I hold on, on / to dreams.’ hold Glenna Sloan

ANICA IN PRVA LJUBEZEN is the latest in a popular series of books about Anica. The stories are characterised by a deep understanding of the daily life of contemporary children. Anica is an engaging character, loveable and compassionate, who deals with school and family problems such as bullying, death, friendship and personal relationships with goodwill and a positive attitude unusual for an 8-year-old. Her childlike naivety and active compassion make her an DESA MUCK (ILLUS ANA KO‰IR) appropriate role model for her young readers. Lessons are taught through the stories with a light touch mixed as they ANICA IN PRVA LJUBEZEN are with humour. The author avoids preaching, teaching and [Annie and first love] excessive sentimentality even as she deals with sad, even tragic, events. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga 2006 Realistic illustrations are warmly affectionate, helping also 62pp ISBN 8611159802 to temper the educational nature of the stories. (fiction, 7–10)

The Centre for Children’s and Young Adult’s Literature and Librarianship, Slovenia

38 / BOOKBIRD T Following on the Routledge and Cambridge o f guides to children’s literature, this new h

C encyclopaedia, another marker of the maturity e

of children’s literature as a discipline, takes h a wide-ranging and eclectic approach O i x l d

Jack Zipes (editor-in-chief) f o

The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature r

Oxford: Oxford University Press 2006 e r (4 volumes) 1952pp n d ISBN-13: 978-0-19-514656-1

(hbk) £275.00 (library edition) ’ s E

n his introduction to this four-volume encyclopaedia, the editor, L Jack Zipes, acknowledges the enormousness of the enterprise: c ‘Children’s literature has come of age,’ he says, ‘and is in fact so i t I y mature, diverse and complex that it is almost impossible to define, let e

alone describe and explain.’ Since Maria Nikolajeva’s 1995 text, c Children’s Literature Comes of Age:Toward a New Aesthetic, this assertion r l a

of emergence into a fully developed place in the academy, and all o

that goes with it, has been made repeatedly.To what degree has the t p study of children’s literature come of age? And to what degree does u a

this latest encyclopaedia move forward the process of encompassing r e

so much diversity and complexity in a single work? e There are a number of ways to approach these issues. In 2007 in d Japan, the International Research Society for Children’s Literature will

meet for its eighteenth congress. Formal international academic i exchange, then, has quite literally come of age, if we take ‘eighteen’ to a

be significant here. The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne has recently won a suite of postdoctoral fellowships from the prestigious Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awards to further the research facilitated by collaboration with the city’s interactive children’s by AMANDA PIESSE archive, Seven Stories – just one example of the extent to which imaginative and collaborative academic projects in the field are flourishing. If sustained fourth-level endeavour, supported by government funding won in competition against a wide spectrum of disciplines as old as the humanities themselves, is a mark of entering into a kind of academic seniority, this too is highly significant. Over three hundred collections

in the US and Canada and a further 119 in some 40 other countries Amanda Piesse lectures in English literature at worldwide are increasingly realising their potential ‘as the field of chil- Trinity College, Dublin dren’s literature increases in stature’ (Oxford Encyclopaedia vol. I, p324), THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

while digitisation is expanding access and interest still further. Graduate students hold dedicated conferences; taught Masters courses proliferate. The special potential of children’s literature to inform the articulation of nascent multidisciplinary critical practice is clear.‘While globalisation as a discourse is widespread, globalisation as a social reality of human interconnectedness is rare, yet does exist as a possibility in the study of children’s literature’, points out Ann Lunsden (Oxford Encyclopaedia vol. I p274). On the one hand, critical practice in the discipline has engaged unhesitatingly with critical practice in the wider (adult) literary arena; on the other, it symbiotically informs and expands the thinking of that practice. Barbara Wall’s notions of single, double and dual address, for example, or Peter Hollindale’s appropriation and expansion of the term ‘childness’ provide a framework for ‘childist’ analytical practice whose universal applicability bestows the status of a mature discourse upon it. The study of children’s literature, then, is not only growing in stature to equal its more established academic partners; in some distinct areas of multidisciplinarity,it is taking the lead. Alongside this practical and intellectual embedding The study of children’s of the discipline into academic experience and practice literature is not only runs the development of the critical and theoretical growing in stature; in literature that simultaneously expresses and examines some distinct areas of the parameters of the discipline. Since the study and multidisciplinarity, it is analysis of literature and literary practice develops taking the lead and redefines itself continually, any attempt to capture the state of the arts at any given moment ‘is only’ as Margaret Meek points out,‘an inscribed event, which becomes part of the history of ideas and of language’ (Meek 2006). Since what she describes as ‘the ground-breaking brilliance’ of FJ Harvey Darton’s Children’s Books in England: Five Centuries of Social Life, there has been a series of acknowledged markers of the discipline growing into maturity and, in Emer O’Sullivan’s phrase,‘becoming more aesthetically elaborate’ (O’Sullivan 2004), but it is only in the last twenty years that attempts have been made to distil the ‘developing dialogues along many axes’ (International Encyclopaedia vol. I pp xviii) that properly describe the discipline into guides, companions and encyclopaedias. Part of the maturation process in the discipline has been to learn from the groundwork done by the earlier incursions into the field. The Oxford Encyclopaedia has watched and learned.The broad categori- sations of genre, history and nation ambitiously attempted by the first Routledge encyclopaedia (International Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature 1996), and brought to triumphant fruition in essays of sustained insight, clarity and academic richness in the second edition

40 / BOOKBIRD THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF CHILDREN’S LITERATUREBOOKBIRD

(2004), combine here with the painstaking and detailed scholarly analysis that characterises the Cambridge guide to produce a resource that is nearly always as incisive as it is inclusive (Watson 2001).There are the expected succinct and informative accounts of authors and their work, more often than not end-stopped by suggestions for further reading. There are entries by character or by title for the works considered to be most influential, and by type for individual fairy and folk tales, myths and legends, as well as more substantial generic entries for the latter. Entries on publishing houses ancient and modern, influential editors, theoreticians and historians sit alongside substantial sections on radio, television and drama in a manner that represents the intellectual eclecticism of current endeavour in the study of children’s literature. Entries on Piaget and Bettelheim, Froebel and Montessori contribute to the breadth of endeavour in this very rich project, as do the accounts of the major collections of children’s books worldwide, and useful complete lists of the recipients of major national and international awards. The list of contributors in itself reads like a Who’s Who of children’s literature, with a really judicious mix of nationality (given the editor’s own caveat that the encyclopaedia has an unavoid- ably Anglophone bias), sphere of interest, age and The list of contributors in theoretical point of view. itself reads like a Who’s Given the eclecticism of every aspect of the Who of children’s literature project it is not surprising that the entries are sometimes uneven in tone or in what they have to offer. It’s churlish to cavil at detail given the wealth that is on offer here, but particular inconsistencies between similar types of entry are a bit frustrating. For example, entries on Susan Bogert Warner and Sally Watson sit opposite each other on a single spread in volume 4.The former offers a bibliography of ‘primary works’ (perhaps because the texts being mentioned are 19th century and rather less accessible than 20th or 21st-century ones), whereas the latter simply concludes ‘Watson’s first twelve novels were published between 1954 and 1971’, with only two titles mentioned in the seventeen-line entry, most of which is given over to a broad general description of the kinds of character and storyline to be found in the author’s work. Similarly, an entry on Aleksei Tolstoy tantalisingly tells of the fundamental importance of his ‘Russian version of Pinocchio’, The Golden Key or The Adventures of Buratino, describing how the eponymous Buratino ‘is by far the most popular character of Russian children’s literature, a national hero … featured in numerous stage versions, animated and live films, and radio and television plays…’ (Oxford Encyclopaedia vol. 4 p98) but omitting to mention any of these alternative versions by

No. 2 – 2007 / 41 THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

name within the entry and appending no bibliography. Nor is there any cross-referencing to the section on Russia in volume 3, where the same text gets a further mention; perhaps the referencing mechanism failed to pick this up since Tolstoy’s first name is spelled ‘Alexei’ in this section.An entry on Johanna Spyri tells the reader that two additional novels, ‘so- called sequels’ to Heidi, were written by Charles Tritten, who was responsible for translating the original into French, and that they were translated in English as Heidi Grows Up and Heidi’s Precise, incisive accounts Children, but there’s no entry for Tritten nor any rich in bibliographical detail further information about the again tantalising mentions of ‘many abridgements and retellings, as well as film and television versions’. Such omissions might be due in part to confines of space, but a similar unevenness can be observed with the medium-length and full-length entries too, and it seems to be the result of different emphases being given to the task by different contributors, or perhaps different attitudes from different editors.While many of the short author entries – for example on Elizabeth Gaskell, Diana Ross, or Eileen O’Faoláin – follow a more useful pattern in keeping biography, bibliography,description and, most importantly,relevance and contextu- alisation in a tight balance, in too many others precious space is given over to biographical detail, squeezing out more useful reference to the author’s works themselves or brief reasons for the importance of the author in his or her historical and literary context. There is much less variation among the generic, The distinguishing theoretical and national entries. Almost without characteristic of this exception these provide precise, incisive accounts latest mapping of the rich in bibliographical detail.The section on Robin- discipline is its sonnades is awash with impressively international universality of endeavour bibliographical reference and historical detail; the entry for multiculturalism feels like a brief and brisk tutorial, setting up carefully referenced theoretical positions only to beset them with provocative questions, acting out its own dictum that ‘interracial and cross-cultural relations involve complex negotiations between human subjects and between cultures; and increasingly, children’s literature is a site where such negotiations are played out’ (Oxford Encyclopaedia vol. 3, p118). The section on translation similarly is as much a map of the work left to do as it is a clear account of the complexities engaged with from Orbis Pictus to a set of theories that will prove valuable across all aspects of literary translation. The distinguishing characteristic of this latest mapping of the discipline, then, is its universality of endeavour.Where the second edition of the Routledge International Companion Encyclopaedia (2004) offers

42 / BOOKBIRD THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE excellent overview essays but has not the space for minor single author entries, and the Cambridge Guide makes the decision from the outset to limit itself to children’s books in English, the Oxford Encyclopaedia embraces an ambitious eclecticism, but loses out from time to time in terms of economy of expression and consistency of academic usefulness, seemingly beset by a fundamental uncertainty about the focus and function of the work as a whole.

References International Companion Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature (1996) (Peter Hunt ed) London: Routledge International Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature (2004) (Peter Hunt ed) (2nd edn) London: Routledge Meek, Margaret (2004) in International Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature (Peter Hunt ed) (2nd edn) vol. I London: Routledge p1 O’Sullivan, Emer (2004) in International Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature (Peter Hunt ed) (2nd edn) vol. I London: Routledge p16 The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature (2006) (Jack Zipes editor-in-chief) vol I (4 vols) Oxford: Oxford University Press Watson, Victor (2001) (ed) The Cambridge Guide to Children’s Books in English Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Born as a homage to two leading authors whose celebrations coincided – Hans Christian Andersen’s bicentenary anniversary with Pablo Neruda’s centenary – this intriguing book creates a ‘virtual’ communication between Neruda and Andersen. Neruda quotes from his BOOK OF QUESTIONS and Andersen responds with quotes from his tales in prose. Although the texts do not precisely match when displayed side by side, Neruda’s poetry seems congenial with Andersen’s Johannes Mollehave & Karsten Eskildsen poetic prose as there is evident continuity between the (research and text selections) expression of the poems and the themes of the tales. (Danish trans Peer Sibast; Notwithstanding the distances in time and place Spanish trans Enrique Bernardez) which separated them, we witness here a fascinating literary encounter which produces a new linguistic Andersen Responds to Neruda richness as it expresses the writers’ deep understanding of the world they lived in – and the world in which we live today. Santiago: Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs This unique book is half in Spanish and half in (in cooperation with HC Andersen Foundation) 2005 Danish and therefore has two cover photos, depending 120pp ISBN 9567582130 on the half you choose to read. (mixed genres, 12+) Valerie Moir

No. 2 – 2007 / 43 s l d i r a z w a A

r J I L B N

e n h i t

f s o

l s r e a e b Y

o a w t L -

y t r n

i The richness of Brazilian children’s books has h

e been recognised by FNLIJ for over 32 years with T several award categories. Here Elizabeth Serra d

l gives an account of the various award winners for the most coveted award, the Selo o de Ouro, given for the Best Book for Children. G

he Brazilian IBBY section – Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil (FNLIJ) – was created in 1968, and in 1974 T started its selection of the best books for children published in Brazil. In that same year the section first participated at the Bologna by ELIZABETH SERRA Book Fair and organised the 14th IBBY congress, in Rio de Janeiro, (translated by Elda Nogueira) held for the first time outside Europe. In 2004 the section celebrated 30 years of its Best Book for Children Award.The first category to be awarded was the Best Book for Children – Selo de Ouro (Golden Label). Currently,it is known as the Prêmio FNLIJ/FNLIJ Award. Over the years, new categories have been created and now the award is given in several categories, including, young people, non- fiction, poetry, translation for children, young people and Elizabeth Serra works for the non-fiction, drama, books without text, new writer, new illustrator, Brazilian section of IBBY on reading projects editorial project, illustration, secondary literature, and retold story. GOLDEN LABELS IN BRAZIL

Besides the award for the best book in each category,FNLIJ presents the diploma ‘Altamente Recomendável FNLIJ’ (highly commended FNLIJ) for distinguished books in the different categories. Here, however, we will only mention the books awarded the Best Book for Children. The book selection process coordinated by FNLIJ takes eight or nine months; approximately a thousand books are analysed each year, and the process involves more than 30 jury members representing twelve states in the five Brazilian regions. Children’s literature experts, librarians and professors work on this From 1974 to 2005, selection on a voluntary basis. Each year, Brazilian 57 titles have been publishers contribute by sending their books to awarded the Best Book each of the jury members and to FNLIJ. Without for Children by FNLIJ their support, the FNLIJ Award would not be possible. In considering the book as a whole, originality as well as quality of text and illustration are the main criteria that guide our selection. From 1974 to 2005, 57 titles have been awarded the Best Book for Children by FNLIJ.They represent the work of 29 writers, 29 illustrators and 18 publishers.

Award winners from 1974 to 1980

In 1974, O Rei de Quase-Tudo by Eliardo França was the first winner of the Selo de Ouro. With very little text on the white, odd pages and simple illustrations and strong colours on the even ones, this book showed the strength of the author’s work brilliantly. In the new version Eliardo França introduced a small coloured illustration of the king on the odd pages. This book was also awarded by the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava in 1975. In 1978, with the collection Gato e Rato, Eliardo (illustrator) and his wife Mary França (writer) were awarded by FNLIJ and the collection became a classic for young children. Later in 1986 Eliardo França was nominated by FNLIJ for IBBY’s Hans Christian Andersen Award. Over the years Lygia Bojunga has been a frequent FNLIJ prizewinner. Her first book Os colegas was published in 1972 before the creation of the FNLIJ award. Subsequent books, Angélica and A bolsa amarela, won the Selo de Ouro in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Later in 1978 and 1980, her books Casa da madrinha and O sofá estampado received the Selo de Ouro in the category for young people. The Astrid Lindgren Award-ALMA 2004 is Lygia’s most recent international recognition. Ana Maria Machado also started her career in the world of children’s literature in the 1970s. In 1979, her book, Raul da ferrugem azul, received the Selo de Ouro. In 1981 and 1982 her books, De olho nas penas – also

No. 2 – 2007 / 45 GOLDEN LABELS IN BRAZIL

Ruth Rocha in O que os elements, Ruth contests the power of the kings, as a metaphor of the Brazilian dictatorship at that olhos não vêem contests time. She was awarded numerous prizes in Brazil the power of the kings, as a and her books have been translated into many metaphor of the Brazilian different languages. In 2002, she was the Brazilian dictatorship in the 1980s nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Uni Duni e Tê by Angela Lago, writer and awarded the Casa de las Américas Award – and illustrator, was the 1982 winner. In 1992, she was Bisa Bia, Bisa Bel – considered her masterpiece included in the IBBY Honour List and was – won the Selo de Ouro, in the young category. nominated three times for the IBBY Hans She received numerous highly commended Christian Andersen Award in 1990, 1994 and diplomas and many of her books were 2004, respectively,in the illustrator category. considered for the Hors Concours prize Sylvia Orthof (1932–1997) started her career throughout the 32 years of the FNLIJ Award in writing theatre plays for children and in 1983 the children’s and young people’s categories. her book, Os bichos que tive, received the award. Both Lygia Bojunga and Ana Maria Machado In 1985, another book Uxa, ora fada, ora bruxa have gained the most important international was the award winner. She too was included in recognition for children’s literature: IBBY’s the IBBY Honour List in 1986.The book É isso Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1982 and aí, subtitled Poemas-adulto-infanto-juvenis (adult- 2000, respectively, for their complete works. child-youth poems) by José Paulo Paes The 1977 winner was Pedro by Bartolomeu (1926–98), poet, essayist and renowned translator, Campos de Queirós. Bartolomeu also received was the 1984 winner. It was the first book of numerous awards, besides those by FNLIJ, in poems for children to be awarded by FNLIJ. different categories. In 1988, he was included in Ever popular, the new edition is illustrated by the IBBY Honour List and in 1998 nominated by Roger Mello. In 1991 Paes won the award with FNLIJ for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. O menino de olho d’água. The first book of poems Award winners in the 1980s for children to be awarded During the 1980s,the ten books awarded by FNLIJ by FNLIJ was É isso aí revealed new authors that later gained national and by José Paulo Paes international recognition. In this period the works by illustrators were of a much higher quality.Writer In 1986, the Selo de Ouro winner was O and history professor, Joel Rufino dos Santos won menino marrom, written and illustrated by Ziraldo, the Selo de Ouro in 1980 for Apenas um curumim, the journalist and well-known graphic artist. which was a legend about an Indian child. Joel Another book of his, Menino maluquinho, Rufino was also awarded by FNLIJ in different published in 1980, became the most popular categories. In 1980 he was included in the IBBY book in Brazil.Two films have already been made Honour List and both in 2004 and 2006 nomi- based on the book. In 1998 Ziraldo was included nated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. in the IBBY Honour List and was the Brazilian In 1981, O que os olhos não vêem by Ruth nominee for the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Rocha won the award. Using parody and satirical Award in the years 1988, 1990 and 1992.

46 / BOOKBIRD GOLDEN LABELS IN BRAZIL

Award winners in the 1990s

In 1992,FNLIJ introduced the Hors Concours category.Outstanding books by authors and illustrators, who had already received three or more FNLIJ Awards, could now receive the Hors Concours Award, while still leaving the main award open to new writers. Fourteen of these titles were awarded in the 1990s. During this period, the quality of children’s books translations improved significantly thanks to the children’s book award winners. In addition, the quality of editorial projects improved at this time too. Written and illustrated by Cláudio Martins, Eu e minha luneta is a funny book with very little text and delightful features, making use of almost entire pages in the book. It became the 1992 winner. In 1990, it was the turn of Cláudio Martins to be included in the IBBY Honour List in the illustrator’s category. In 1992, O problema do Clóvis by Eva Furnari received the Hors Concours, as she had already been awarded in other categories. Her book presents a funny introduction to the Grimm Brothers’ tale ‘The Frog Prince’. Her collection Peixe vivo, books without text, published in 1981, led to the category Melhor Livro de Imagem (Books without Text) being established. Eva was included in the IBBY Honour List in 1988 and 1996. Another book awarded the Hors Concours was De morte by Angela Lago in 1992. The book Asa de papel – a tribute to those who believe that books are vital to feed the imagination – by writer and illustrator Marcelo Xavier, was the 1993 winner.In his work Marcelo Xavier uses modelling clay to create little dolls and scenarios, which are then photographed and used to illustrate his books. Previously,in 1987, he had received the FNLIJ Award for Best Book without Text for another one of his books.Written by Ziraldo and illustrated with embroidery by the Dumont sisters, O menino do Rio Doce was the 1996 winner. The Dumont sisters were included in the IBBY Honour List for 2000 in the illustrator’s category.The following year, 1997, the winner

No. 2 – 2007 / 47 GOLDEN LABELS IN BRAZIL

of the award was Minhas memórias de Lobato by Luciana Sandroni. In this book, the author presents a collection of Monteiro Lobato’s characters in a delicious invitation to read or reread this great Brazilian writer. In 1999, another of her books, Ludi na revolta da vacina: uma odisséia no Rio Antigo, was the award winner. Further recognition followed in 2000 when Sandroni was included in the IBBY Honour List.The winner in 1998 was Dez sacizinhos, a cumulative story by Tatiana Belinky, who was 79 years old. Of Russian origin,Tatiana was born in Leningrad and came to Brazil at the age of 10. She dedicated her professional life to culture for children and young people. In 1999, two books were awarded the Hors Concours: Fiz voar o meu chapéu by Ana Maria Machado and ABC Doido by Angela Lago.

Award winners since 2000

At the beginning of this century, the renowned artists continued their high-quality work and new distinguished writers also emerged. In 2000, Indo não sei onde buscar não sei o quê by Angela Lago won the Hors Concours FNLIJ in the children’s category. Chica e João, written and illustrated by Nelson Cruz – included in the IBBY Honour List in 2004 – was the 2000 winner of the Best Book for Children. The Hors Concours was won by Roger Mello in 2001 for Meninos do mangue. He had already received the FNLIJ Award in different categories. In 2002 Sete histórias para sacudir o esqueleto by Angela Lago, De carta em carta by Ana Maria Machado and Menina Nina by Ziraldo were all awarded the Hors Concours. O segredo da chuva, by the Brazilian Indian writer, Daniel Munduruku, was the winner in 2003. In the same year, Munduruku received a UNESCO Mention of FNLIJ’s selection is the Honour for Children’s and Young People’s Literature main reference in Brazil in the Service of Tolerance, with another of his for those concerned with books, Meu avô Apolinário. Further recognition quality books in schools, followed when he was included in the IBBY Honour libraries, children’s List in 2006. Até passarinho passa by Bartolomeu Campos Queirós and Abrindo caminho by Ana Maria literature projects and Machado in 2003 received the Hors Concours for families buying award. Pedro e Lua by the writer and illustrator books for children Odilon Moraes was the 2004 winner with a book that is beautifully illustrated in black and white. In 2005, the award expressed the richness of Brazilian children’s books: Cacoete by Eva Furnari, João por um Fio by Roger Mello and Procura-se Lobo by Ana Maria Machado were the Hors Concours winners, and Murucututu, a coruja grande da noite by Marcos Bagno was the winner of the Best Book for Children.

48 / BOOKBIRD GOLDEN LABELS IN BRAZIL

The books awarded by FNLIJ in the different categories over the 32 years of book selection can be found at www.fnlij.org.br For those interested in Brazilian children’s literature, we must mention that before the 1970s Brazilian children’s literature had distinguished writers, among them Monteiro Lobato, who, unfortunately,is unknown outside the country. More information on this subject can be found in Laura Sandroni’s article on Brazilian children’s literature in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature. Besides presenting some results here – just one of sixteen categories – of the FNLIJ annual book selection as well as the Brazilian authors and their books, we would also like to share our experience with other IBBY sections and institutions in order to encourage the work of book selection and awards. In Brazil, FNLIJ’s selection is the main reference for those concerned with quality books in schools, libraries, children’s literature projects and for families when buying books for children and young people.The Brazilian IBBY section believes that with its work of book selection and dissemination of international awards in Brazil, it is accomplishing the ideals of IBBY founder, Jella Lepman.

The first in New Africa Fiction, a newly initiated series of novels for young teens, this novel is the work of a first-time author, appropriately a teacher on the Cape Flats outside Cape Town. Eleven-year-old Farieda’s attempt to make meaningful sense of her chaotic private world is complicated by the larger unrest and instability of a deprived area like Manenberg in the mid-1970s. She befriends Joey, something of a loner and likely MOGAMAT I DAVIDS to be easily sucked into the criminal world of his older brother. inner Events and situations go tragically wrong. Farieda’s own 111 COLLEEN COURT strength and her life’s mantra, ‘If you see a wrong, change it’, help her to pull through bad experiences and to emerge into a Cape Town: New Africa Books 2005 more hopeful world. Dealing with important issues but well written in an 112pp ISBN 1869284720 ll have accessible, uncomplicated style, the book, as intended, wi (realistic fiction, 12+) special appeal for young teen readers. Robin Malan

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n o

s k o o B

Books featured include an account of Bambi edited and compiled by creator, Felix Salten; talented new and young BARBARA SCHARIOTH illustrators from France and one on the (translations by Nikola von Merveldt) childhoods of Tove Jansson, Sigrid Undset and Selma Lagerlöf; four hundred years of Danish children’s literature from renowned scholar Torben Weinreich; a study of reading in the 18th century; a thematic exploration of islands in children’s literature and an analysis Barbara Scharioth is director of the Internationale Jugendbibliothek of picturebooks; and one seeking the existence (International Youth Library) in Munich of Little Red Riding Hood before Perrault BOOKS ON BOOKS

AUSTRIA

ERNST SEIBERT and SUSANNE BLUMESBERGER (ED) Felix Salten. Der unbekannte Bekannte [Felix Salten.The unknown star] (Series: Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung in Österreich 8) Wien: Praesens-Verlag 2006 177pp ISBN 3706903687 ?30.00

Felix Salten, who was born in 1869 in Budapest and who died in 1945 in Zurich, owes his fame as a writer mainly to his novel Bambi, eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde (1923) (Bambi, a Felix Salten owes his fame Life in the Woods as a writer mainly to his 1928), and proba- novel Bambi, eine bly most to the Lebensgeschichte aus dem hugely popular Walde (1923) (Bambi, a trick film adaptation of the story Life in the Woods 1928), by the Disney and probably most to the Studios in 1942. Before his emigration to hugely popular trick film Switzerland, Salten (Siegmund Salzmann by adaptation of the story by civilian name) shared the lifestyle and work style the Disney Studios in 1942 of the ‘archetypal’ Austrian-Jewish intellectual and feature writer who so profoundly marked the Viennese culture of the time. Later in life, his personal acquaintance with Theodor Herzl led him to espouse the Zionist cause, to develop an interest in East European Jewry and Jewish theatre, and to write books for young Jewish readers. But as National Socialism gained ground in Austria, Salten’s work receded into oblivion. The present volume, number eight of the series Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung in Österreich [Austrian research in children’s and young adult literature], is based on the proceedings of a conference on Felix Salten that took place in Vienna in 2005. The contributions shed light on various aspects of his rich life and work, including the reception of his writings for children and the general public.A comparison of Salten’s concept of childhood with that of other Austrian authors writing during the First Republic (1918–1938) is of special interest. Christa Stegemann

No. 2 – 2007 / 51 BOOKS ON BOOKS

DENMARK (1863), established itself around the turn of the last century with artists such as Louis Moe, and TORBEN WEINREICH since 1945 enjoys an international reputation Historien om børnelitteratur. Dansk thanks to Arne Ungermann and Egon Mathiesen, børnelitteratur gennem 400 år among others. [A history of children’s literature. Danish children’s In the 1960s, children’s literature in literature over 400 years] Denmark, as elsewhere, was marked by the København: Branner og Korch 2006 603pp polarisation of conservative and radical leftist ISBN 8741101995 DKK 399.00 ideologies and advocated new ways of looking at childhood and adolescence. In this final This detailed history of chapter,Weinreich pays special attention to the Danish children’s litera- political and cultural context – not without ture is the result and paying tribute to his own contribution to culmination of more Danish children’s literature. than 30 years of scholar- Andreas Bode ship of the founder of the Danish Centre for Børnelitteratur, Torben Weinreich. This chron- FRANCE ology covering a period of 400 years (1568–1967) is geared toward a CENTRE DE PROMOTION DU LIVRE wider public, and the author fortunately saw DE JEUNESSE SEINE-SAINT-DENIS (ED) no need to weigh down the engaging narrative Figures Futur 2006. Jeunes et nouveaux with footnotes. For those who want to know illustrateurs de demain – Young and new more, references to source texts and readily illustrators of tomorrow available research literature are provided at the Paris: Éditions courtes et longues 2006 126pp back of the book along with an author and ISBN 2352900115 ?24.50 title index. Even though the first Danish children’s book, For many years now Børne Speigel [(Moral) mirror for children] was the Centre de published as early as 1568, Danish children’s Promotion du Livre literature remained long dominated by transla- de Jeunesse Seine- tions. In the late 18th century the international Saint-Denis has been influence of the educational philanthropists led brightening up the to a wave of translations from German. The bleak November days 1820s, however, saw a tremendous surge in with its annual chil- genuine Danish children’s literature, further dren’s book fair just amplified by the publication of HC Andersen’s outside the gates of Paris.The fair is accompa- fairy tales beginning in 1835.Weinreich gives a nied by a rich programme of cultural meticulous account of all periods without activities, including noteworthy exhibitions neglecting the development of children’s book featuring the works of internationally illustration – which began with Lorenz Frølich renowned illustrators. Every second year the

52 / BOOKBIRD BOOKS ON BOOKS centre also launches the competition ‘Figures FRANCE Futur – Jeunes et nouveaux illustrateurs de demain/ Young and new illustrators of tomorrow’. SOPHIE VAN DER LINDEN To be eligible, artists must have published no Lire l’album more than three books or contributed regu- [Reading picturebooks] larly to magazines for no more than two years. Le Puy-en-Velay: L’Atelier du poisson soluble 2006 166pp The selected works are showcased at the book ISBN 291374138X ?34.00 fair and published in a bilingual catalogue (French/English).These catalogues offer a good ‘Reading a picture- overview of the current trends in children’s book means more book illustration. than just reading a Since the jury calls for submissions on a text and images.’ specific theme of classic children’s literature, In her book Lire viewers are invited to compare and contrast l’album [Reading different styles and interpretations. Last year, picturebooks], Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and JM Sophie Van der Barrie’s Peter Pan were chosen to inspire the Linden analyses the other factors playing an up-and-coming artists. Forty-eight illustrators important role for a critical reading of picture- were selected for the 2006 exhibition and books. Following a brief outline of the history catalogue from a total of 1416 submissions sent of the picturebook – basically an account of the in from 54 countries. changing functions of images in books from the The 2006 catalogue is divided into five 17th century to the present – she goes on to sections, each dedicated to a common theme expound her reflections in four chapters. of these two classics of fantasy literature: She begins by proposing a definition of the ‘travel’, ‘observe, imagine’, ‘growing up’, ‘play’ genre of the picturebook as opposed to other and ‘waking up’.All illustrations are reproduced illustrated books for children and describing the in the catalogue with the corresponding physical production of the individual images, the quote. The whole format of the competition image sequence and the text. Apart from some makes clear what the jury is looking for: original considerations on image composition and page and innovative ways of capturing the essence layout, the third chapter explains in detail the of timeless tales in images that show both effects of the various inter- and counteractions respect for the text and freedom of interpreta- between text and image and shows that these tion. These essential considerations are what encounters are closely orchestrated. make Figures Futur unique in this field. Van der Linden draws on the practical experi- Barbara Scharioth ence of many picturebook artists and illustrates her way of critical reading with sample analyses of three recent picturebooks. Just like a good picturebook, this volume stands out for its high- quality design and a careful selection of poignant picturebook illustrations. Elena Kilian

No. 2 – 2007 / 53 BOOKS ON BOOKS

IRELAND NORWAY

MARY SHINE THOMPSON AND CELIA TORDIS ØRJASÆTER KEENAN (EDS) Inn i barndomslandet.Tove Jansson, Sigrid Treasure Islands. Studies in Children’s Undset, Selma Lagerlöf Literature [Off into the land of childhood.Tove Jansson, Dublin: Four Courts Press 2006 219pp Sigrid Undset, Selma Lagerlöf] ISBN 1851829415 ?50.00 Oslo:Aschehoug 2005 199pp ISBN 8203189792 NOK 349.00 This second publication of the Irish Society for the Tordis Ørjasæter, well- Study of Children’s Litera- known Norwegian ture (ISSCL) features educationalist and scholar twenty contributions from of literary history,recounts their 2004 conference on the childhoods of three islands in children’s litera- famous women writers ture. The authors explore from three Scandinavian the island as a multifaceted countries with the aim of topos of children’s and young adult literature. tracing the biographical They approach the topic from a variety of impact on their literary production. Instead of angles and analyse texts ranging from Irish treating each author individually, Ørjasæter myths to postmodern novels for children. combines and compares the three different Works by CS Lewis, JM Barrie, Enid Blyton childhoods, thus uncovering surprising parallels. and the great Irish writer, Eilís Dillon, figure The fact that Tove Jansson’s childhood memories alongside the great milestones of island litera- figure more prominently can be attributed to ture, such as Treasure Island or The Swiss Family Ørjasæter’s personal acquaintance with the Robinson. Finnish author. Fact or fiction, the island is a spatio-temporal Readers learn about the earliest childhood microcosm that can take myriad forms and memories of all three writers, about their serve a multitude of functions: desert isle or homes and parents – especially the mothers – utopia, cursed site or yearned-for haven, stage about their fears and dreams, and about their for thrilling adventures or source of nightmares, gradual coming-of-age. Extensive quotes from laboratory for avant-garde socioeconomic autobiographical and fictional writings support experiments or nostalgically transfigured anti- and illustrate Ørjasæter’s argument that these modern retreat. Even though the volume three childhoods did not only nourish the focuses exclusively on children’s literature written women’s literary work but also played a major in English, many of the thorough analyses and role in making them choose the artistic career observations will readily apply to literary islands in the first place. from other linguistic shores. Andreas Bode Jochen Weber

54 / BOOKBIRD BOOKS ON BOOKS

SPAIN UNITED KINGDOM

SUSANA GONZÁLEZ MARÍN EVELYN ARIZPE and MORAG STYLES ¿Existía Caperucita Roja antes de (with SHIRLEY BRICE HEATH) Perrault? Reading Lessons from the Eighteenth [Did Little Red Riding Hood exist prior to Century.Mother, Children and Texts Perrault?] Shenstone: Pied Piper 2006 XXIII + 244pp (Series:Acta Salmanticensia. Estudios filológicos ISBN 0955210615 (hbk) £30.00; 0954638484 (pbk) £20.00 310) Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca 2005 200pp Like many other parents of ISBN 847800484X ?15.00 that time, Jane Johnson (1708–1759), a vicar’s wife Probably no other fairy tale and mother of four, took a has been transmitted as widely, keen interest in her adapted as often, and parodied offspring’s learning. Unlike as variedly as the story of others, however, this creative Little Red Riding Hood, and well-read woman also whose best-known versions played a very active role in it by providing her were written by Perrault (Le children with a unique array of educational petit chaperon rouge, 1697) and material.As the extraordinary nursery library and the Brothers Grimm (Rotkäp- the story A Very Pretty Story – which she created pchen, 1812). Its rich tradition makes it for her children – prove, Jane Johnson was well particularly suitable for comparative analysis and aware that it was necessary to include aspects source studies. Susana González Marín, professor such as references to everyday life, attractive of classics at the University of Salamanca pictures, and opportunities for storytelling in (Spain), does her share in uncovering the early order to make reading lessons worthwhile. sources of the cautionary tale and traces them In this thoroughly researched study, the back to the Middle Ages and Graeco-Roman authors present an abundance of material from antiquity. She convincingly argues that many of the Jane Johnson archives in the Bodleian Little Red Riding Hood’s motives are deeply Library (Oxford) and the Lilly Library (University rooted in European cultural and literary history: of Indiana). They trace the changing world of female initiation rites, cannibalism (as in the reading and the changing tastes in children’s myth of Cronus who devours his own children), literature in the 18th century,discuss the topic of fear of werewolves, or the characteristic piece of women as readers in general and the influence red cloth worn by the girl found in the of Jane Johnson’s own reading on her teaching company of wolves in the Latin story Fecunda methods, and analyse the material she prepared ratis (1023) by Egbert of Liège. for her children in great detail. Thus, they For those who wish to dig even deeper, a provide a unique insight into domestic literacy substantial annex provides extracts from the and the teaching of reading in an upper middle quoted source texts in the original language as class family that will fascinate scholars and chil- well as in Spanish translation. dren’s literature enthusiasts alike. Jochen Weber Claudia Söffner

No. 2 – 2007 / 55 An update on the Books for Children Everywhere

Y Campaign; a report of the Fund for Children in Crisis; the recipients of the 2006 Jella

B Lipman Medal; a poignant farewell to a dear IBBY friend and colleague; and details of the B 31st IBBY congress in Copenhagen I

s The Child’s Right to Become a Reader IBBY’s Books for Children Everywhere Campaign u

ollowing acceptance of the campaign, the IBBY-Yamada Fund c was established with funds to support a number of projects each year. The campaign will support workshop and training o F programmes using IBBY’s international network to help produce and develop a book culture for children in regions that have special needs and F that lack support.The funds will be used as seed money, thus encour- aging interaction and support from other agencies in the region. Every year the IBBY Executive Committee will select from proposals submitted by the members, with a strong emphasis on the development of national book cultures where at present they may be limited or even non-existent. The areas being addressed can be categorised as:

• books where there are no books • introductory workshops on publishing, writing, illustrating, using books in schools, creating a library • advanced workshops to include bibliotherapy and mentoring • policy workshops • advanced opportunities for professionals compiled and edited by The projects chosen for 2007 will take place in India, Indonesia, ELIZABETH PAGE Mongolia, Palestine, South Africa, Uganda and Uruguay. IBBY is supporting each project with seed money of CHF 5,000.

India

Indian IBBY has designed a workshop project to create new libraries, allowing children to have local access to books and reading. Experienced Elizabeth Page is IBBY’s member services, communications members of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children and new projects director (AWIC) will organise the workshops in three schools or community centres.After the successful completion of the workshops, the selected FOCUS IBBY schools or community centres will continue to Cape Town run the libraries. During the 2004 IBBY congress in South Africa, members of IBBY Canada were introduced to an Indonesia important and active NGO working in schools in Indonesian IBBY identified a need for an intro- the townships of Cape Town under the name of ductory workshop for publishing and distribution the Extra-Mural Education Project (EMEP). of quality books for young people.The workshop They were impressed by the work being done was organised by INABBY in collaboration with and subsequently applied to IBBY for funding the Department of Library and Information of for a project designed to encourage children to the Faculty of Adab and Humanities of the Jakarta develop essential writing skills. The project State Islamic University, the Ministry of National involves children gathering all kinds of stories Education, the Ministry of Religion, the National from their parents, grandparents and neighbours. Library and the Society for the Advancement of Volunteers then help the children turn these oral Children’s Literature (SACL).The workshop took stores into written stories, thus preserving stories place in March 2007 at the Syarif Hidayatullah where previously there were very few written State Islamic University. down. The project began in January 2007 and will take place over eleven months. Mongolia Uganda Mongolia is a huge country and the most sparsely populated in the world.The publishing The IBBY section in Uganda is based at the industry is very young and even today there are Ugandan Children’s Writers and Illustrators no publishers specifically for children’s literature. Association in Kampala, making them ideal to IBBY Mongolia submitted a workshop proposal organise an introductory workshop on writing for Mongolian illustrators aimed at helping and illustration skills. Not only is there an acute them present their work better and to further shortage of reading materials for children in the development of children’s literature in Africa that have an African background, but also Mongolia.The section is planning that this first there are very few books with illustrations by workshop will be the first of many promoting African artists that depict landscapes and situa- children’s literature in the country. tions familiar to the children. The four-day workshop is planned to be an introduction to a series of workshops for teachers and civil Palestine servants involved in education. Palestine is not an easy place to be these days, but IBBY Palestine has identified a great need for a Uruguay workshop dealing with editing children’s books. There is currently a shortage of professional IBBY Uruguay, with the support of IBBY editors in the Arab-speaking world in general. Netherlands, will run a teacher-training project The workshop is scheduled for June/July and for children’s and young people’s literature in will be co-organised with the Tamer Institute Montevideo.The project consists of five modules for Community Education. for schools. The selected schools will be visited

No. 2 – 2007 / 57 FOCUS IBBY

five times a month to instruct the teachers and monitor the progress of the modules. IBBY Uruguay hopes to work with three primary schools to begin with and then expand to ten during the first year.The modules have been well thought out and the back-up for the teachers will ensure that the training they receive will be supportive and continuous.

A major role of IBBY These seven projects will take place during 2007 and sections is to be leaders of will be the starting point for further projects, thus asserting the role of the IBBY sections as leaders of reading promotion and reading promotion and the development of book the development of cultures. We shall be following the progress of the book cultures projects very closely and making reports on the IBBY website.

IBBY Fund for Children in Crisis Patricia Aldana, president of IBBY Executive Council, reports

Following on the success of IBBY’s Tsunami Fund and the projects supported through Mr Yamada’s generous contribution, the Executive Committee, which met in September 2006, decided to create a new programme, the IBBY Fund for Children in Crisis. The purpose of this fund is to provide support to children whose lives have been disrupted through war, civil disorder or natural disaster.The two main activities that the fund will support are the therapeutic use of books and storytelling, in the form of bibliotherapy, One of IBBY’s goals is and to create or replace collections of selected appro- to give every child the priate books.We hope the programme will not only right to become a reader provide immediate support and help, but also that there will be a long-term impact in these communities in crisis that will support IBBY’s goals of giving every child the right to become a reader. IBBY will select the communities where these programmes will be funded based on a number of criteria: the existence of a short- or long-term situation of crisis in the lives of the children of the community; the availability of a strong, capable IBBY section either in the affected or a neighbouring country and/or the presence of a capable IBBY partner; the strength of the project and its possible short- and long-term impact in fulfilling IBBY’s goals; and the availability of money. IBBY plans to fundraise for these projects in order to build up the fund.We will also do emergency fundraising as the need arises.

58 / BOOKBIRD FOCUS IBBY

Using money left over from the IBBY Tsunami Fund, we decided to start with an initial project in Lebanon.The Conflict Control Project is designed to help traumatised children deal with issues such as anger, mourning, hate, anxiety and all that comes from living with war and the devastating effect it has on their lives. Using experience gained in previous conflicts in their country, Julinda Abu Nasr and a team of psychologists have designed a comprehensive programme that involves storytelling, drama, puppets, conversation, and art and dance. Teachers are trained to use the programme and the children are actively involved with regular supervision to allow the programme to be sustainable. Shortly a call will go out for funds for a project in the Palestinian Territories.

The Jella Lepman Medals

The Jella Lepman Medal is named after the founder of IBBY and was first awarded in 1991 in celebration of the centennial of her birth.At that time it was given to four persons – most of them founders of IBBY – and six institutions that had made lasting contributions to children’s literature. In 2005, the IBBY Executive Committee decided to reinstate this specific award of recognition as a permanent institution and three medals were presented in 2006 to

• Mr Hideo Yamada, president of the Yamada Apiculture Center Inc., Okayama Prefecture, Japan – for his generous support of IBBY and its projects through the IBBY-Yamada Fund

• The Nissan Motor Co,Tokyo, Japan – as tribute for their longstanding support of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards

• Mr Vincent Frank-Steiner, Basel, Switzerland – for his expert financial advice

For more information about the medals and the recipients of the first medal, visit the IBBY website at www.ibby.org and see the section ‘About IBBY’.

No. 2 – 2007 / 59 FOCUS IBBY

Shigeo will be Missed Shigeo Watanabe (20 March 1928 – 18 November 2006) 1986 IBBY congress chair (Tokyo), honorary member of IBBY

Shigeo believed that children’s books are a bridge linking people. He was always proud of being a member of IBBY, and particularly of having been involved in establishing JBBY in the early 1980s.What he treasured most were the friendships he developed through IBBY across cultural, linguistic and political boundaries. Shigeo began his career in children’s literature as a librarian in postwar Japan in his hometown, Shizuoka. In the mid-1950s he worked for two years at New York Public Library, followed by 20 years as a professor of library science at Keio University in Tokyo. Over the 50 years of his career as a writer-translator of children’s books, he left many significant works, including How Do I Put It On (Bodley Head) and Jeepta, the little fire engine (Fukuinkan). He also introduced to Japanese children hundreds of works created by major American, western,Asian and African authors and illustrators, including the books of Dr Seuss, Robert McCloskey, Hardie Gramatky,Lois Lenski, Margery Sharp and Girma Belachew. Shigeo will be remembered as a kind, gentle father, husband, grandfather and friend. He always had a good sense of humour and interesting stories to tell.After battling an illness (cerebral infarction) for 14 months, Shigeo died in Tokyo. He was 78 years old. He is survived by his wife Kuniko (his first wife Kazue passed away in 1991), three sons Tetsuta, Mitsuya and Kota, and four grandchildren, Coco, Nanaho, Masato and Ringoro. Tetsuta Watanabe

Stories in History – History in Stories

The 31st IBBY congress will be held in Copenhagen on 7–10 September 2008. Pre-congress registration has opened and full registration is scheduled to start from June 2007. The congress theme relates to the various connec- The 31st congress theme tions between history and the stories told to children relates to the various through their literature. The sub-themes running connections between through the programme will include issues related to history and the stories events in history, specific cultures and places. Many told to children through aspects of culture are based on historical events, thus their literature the more we look at our stories and the stories of other countries, the more we understand our

60 / BOOKBIRD FOCUS IBBY differences and are better able to respect each other’s perspective. A full programme is in the process of being planned! In addition to the plenary and seminar sessions, the broad timetable includes the regular IBBY events such as the presentations of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards, the IBBY Honour List, the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Awards, and the IBBY General Assembly. Storytelling sessions and the IBBY Open Forum have also become regular events at IBBY congresses. The renowned Spanish author and professor of philosophy Fernando Savater will open the plenary sessions on Monday, 8 September 2008. Many other activities are being planned, including an exhibition of illustrations depicting Nordic myths and legends, visits to libraries, film events and a guided walk in Hans Chris- tian Andersen’s footsteps around Copenhagen. In addition, pre- and post-congress tours are being organised. For more information please visit www.ibby2008.dk; the site will be continually updated throughout 2007 and 2008. Posters and information brochures are available from IBBY Denmark, Skovlunde Bibliotek, Bybjergvej 8, DK-2740 Skovlunde, Denmark.

When 17-year-old Tal, an Israeli, places a bottle containing a letter and her email address in the waters beside the Gaza Strip, she hopes it will reach a Palestinian girl with dreams – of peace and love of movies – to match her own. Instead, Naim, a 20- year-old Palestinian boy with a sharp and sometimes biting wit, writes back. Despite their being on opposite sides of a war and possessing distinctly different temperaments, a secret friendship via email slowly begins. Tal talks about her hero, Yitzhak Rabin. Naim Válerie Zenatti worries that corresponding with ‘the enemy’ may cause his death. Sometimes they see themselves as Romeo and Une bouteille dans la mer de Gaza Juliet of the Middle East, a boy and girl on opposing sides in a land at war. The end, though not devoid of [A bottle in the Gaza Sea] hope, is bittersweet. Tal’s life and viewpoint are more re Naim’s, possibly because of the developed than a Paris: L’école des loisirs 2005 author’s own experiences in Israel. However, the book holds up because Tal emerges as a believable teenager, 166 pp ISBN 2211072755 (realistic fiction, 12+) one with humour, boyfriend problems and plenty of opinions. This is an obstinately hopeful story that puts a human face on the conflict in the Middle East. Michelle Kuhonta

No. 2 – 2007 / 61 BOOKBIRD

contributions in most major European languages. Please Submission Guidelines contact us first if you have a translation problem. Format:Word for Windows (Mac users please save for Bookbird your document in rich text format – RTF) as an email attachment; send illustrations as JPG attachments. Style and layout:The author’s name and details should appear in the email only,not in the paper itself.A ookbird:A Journal of International Children’s Literature stylesheet is available with more detailed guidelines. B is the refereed journal of the International Board Deadline: Bookbird is published every quarter, in on Books for Young People (IBBY). January,April, July,October. Papers may be submitted Papers on any topic related to children’s literature at any time, but it is unlikely that your paper, if and of interest to an international audience will be accepted for publication, would be published for at considered for publication. Contributions are invited least six to nine months from the date of submission, not only from scholars and critics but also from to allow time for refereeing and the production process. editors, translators, publishers, librarians, classroom Contact details: Please send two copies: one to educators and children’s book authors and illustrators [email protected] AND one to or anyone working in the field of children’s literature. [email protected] Please try to supply illustrations for your article. NB: Please put Bookbird submission followed by (Book covers are sufficient, but other illustrations are your initials in the subject line. also welcome.) Please remember to include your full name and contact details Length: Up to 3000 words (including postal address), together with your professional Language:Articles are published in English, but where affiliation and/or a few lines describing your area of work in authors have no translation facilities, we can accept the body of your email.

Send us a book postcard from your part of the world!

Notices on international children’s books, distributed throughout Bookbird, are compiled from sources around the world by Glenna Sloan, who teaches children’s literature at Queens College, City University of New York.

Have you got a favourite recently published children’s book – a picturebook, story collection, novel or information book – that you think should be known outside its own country? If you know of a book from your own or another country that you feel should be introduced to the IBBY community, please send a short account of it to us at Bookbird, and we may publish it. Send copy (about 150 words), together with full publication details (use ‘postcard’ reviews in this issue of Bookbird as a model) and a scan of the cover image (in JPG format), to Professor Glenna Sloan ([email protected]). We are very happy to receive reviews from non-English-speaking countries – but remember to include an English translation of the title as well as the original title (in transliterated form, where applicable).

62 / BOOKBIRD Bookbird (ISSN 0006-7377) is published quarterly, at the beginning of January, April, July and October. (Issues may occasionally be published early to mark particular occasions.) Annual subscriptions can start at any time of the year, and you will receive the current issue and the next three, after which you will be asked to renew your subscription.

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