A JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
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A JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 2017, vol. 55, no.3
The Journal of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People Copyright © 2017 by Bookbird, Inc. Reproduction of articles in Bookbird requires permission in writing from the editor. Editor: Björn Sundmark, Malmö University, Sweden. Address for submissions and other editorial correspondence: bjorn.sundmark@mah.se. Bookbird’s editorial office is supported by the Faculty of Education, Malmö University, Sweden Editorial Review Board: Peter E. Cumming, York University (Canada); Debra Dudek, University of Wollongong (Australia); Helene Høyrup, Royal School of Library & Information Science (Denmark); Judith Inggs, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); Ingrid Johnston, University of Alberta (Canada); Michelle Martin, University of South Carolina (USA); Beatriz Alcubierre Moya, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (Mexico); Lissa Paul, Brock University (Canada); Margaret Zeegers, University of Ballarat (Australia); Lydia Kokkola, Luleå University (Sweden); Roxanne Harde, University of Alberta (Canada), Gargi Gangophadhyay, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan (India); Tami al-Hazza, Old Dominion University (USA); Farideh Pourgiv, Shiraz University Center for Children’s Literature Studies (Iran); Anna Kérchy, University of Szeged (Hungary); Andrea Mei Ying Wu, National Cheng kung University (Taiwan); Junko Sakoi, Tucson, AZ, (USA). Board of Bookbird, Inc. (an Indiana not-for-profit corporation): Valerie Coghlan, President; Ellis Vance, Treasurer; Junko Yokota, Secretary; Evelyn B. Freeman; Hasmig Chahinian. Advertising Manager: Ellis Vance (vev40@comcast.net) Production: Design and layout by Mats Hedman. Printed by The Sheridan Press, Hanover, Pennsylvania, USA Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature (ISSN 0006-7377) is a refereed journal published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall by IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People, and distributed by The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Baltimore, Maryland, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Bookbird, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Journals Division, 2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363 USA. Canada postmaster: Bookbird, Publications Mail Registration Number 40600510. Send address corrections to The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363 USA. Subscriptions to Bookbird: See last page IBBY Executive Committee 2016-2018: Wally de Doncker (Belgium) President; Mingzhou Zhang (China), Vice President; Evelyn B. Freeman (USA), Vice President; Anastasia Arkhipova (Russia); Carole Bloch (South Africa); Hasmig Chahinian (France); Zohreh Ghaeni (Iran); Ferelith Hordon (UK); Sunjidmaa Jamba (Mongolia), Serpil Ural (Turkey), Maria Cristina Vargas (Mexico). Non-voting Members: Patricia Aldana (Canada), Hans Christian Andersen Jury President; Elizabeth Page (Switzerland), Executive Director; Ellis Vance (USA), Treasurer; Björn Sundmark (Sweden), Bookbird Editor. IBBY may be contacted at Nonnenweg 12 Postfach, CH-4009 Basel, Switzerland, tel: +4161 272 29 17 fax: +4161 272 27 57 email: ibby@ibby.org Bookbird is indexed in Library Literature, Library and Information Abstracts (LISA), Children’s Book Review Index, Web of Science, and the MLA International Bibliography. The front and back cover illustrations is from Djur som ingen sett (“Animals Never Seen”) by Ulf Stark (text) and Linda Bondestam (illustrator). The illustration is reproduced by permission of the illustrator, Linda Bondestam.
Contents
Editorial by Björn Sundmark 2
Articles
Critical Fictions of Transnationalism in Latinx Children’s Literature by Carol Brochin
and Carmen L. Medina 4
Patronizing the Reader in Picturebook Translation: Peter Rabbit in the Garden
of Terror by Anne Ketola 12
Female Empowerment and Undocumented Border Crossing in Bettina Restrepo’s
Illegal by Cristina Rhodes 20
Authors & Their Books
“I Am a Writer on the Nomadic Journey”: An interview with Dashondog Jamba
by Sunjidmaa Jamba 28
“I’ve Got a Story You Haven’t Heard”: A Conversation about the Art and Craft
of Nonfiction with Candace Fleming by Teri Suico 31
Children & Their Books
The Nordic House in Reykjavík, Iceland: A House with a Big Heart for Children
and Literature by Marloes Robijn 37
Review essay
Three Times in Wonderland by Anna Kerchy 42
Letters
Perception and Reception of Nonfiction for Children and Youth in Slovenia
by Tina Bilban 46
Interview with Nizar Ali Badr by Margriet Ruurs 49
Books on Books
Reviews collected and edited by Christiane Raabe and Jutta Reusch, IYL 54
Focus IBBY by Liz Page 62
Postcards edited by Barbara Lehman 27, 52-53, 69
I B B Y. O R G 1 55.3–2017
Editorial
M AY B E I A M J U S T A N O D D E D I T O R ,
but I art by Elizabeth Marshall and Theresa Rogers, and Cristina Rhodes’ analysis of Bettina Restrepo’s has the subheading: “A House with a Big Heart for
like to read errata lists. I take innocent pleasure I inadvertently changed “culture jamming” to Illegal, which focuses on female empowerment Children and Literature.” Finally, Sunjidmaa Jamba
in perusing lists of corrections and emendations. “cultural jamming” and also used too low resolution and “undocumented border crossing.” These two has contributed an interview with Mongolian writer
Some publications, like The New York Review of Books, in one or two of the images. I also claimed that the texts are indicative of the rise of critical articles in Dashondog Jamba, under the title “I am a Writer
can turn the errata list into a genre in itself—and cover images (front and back) by Lisbeth Zwerger English on Latin American children’s literature. on the Nomadic Journey.” Sadly, Dashondog Jamba
make it a learning experience. I also find that the had never been published before; well, they Among the feature articles, we also find a passed away while this issue was in preparation,
corrections found in local newspapers often provide had, exactly forty years ago in the book that was study of the Finnish translation of Peter Rabbit. which increases the poignancy and relevance of the
quaint and interesting details of relevance to the Zwerger’s debut as an illustrator. The illustrations Furthermore, Anna Kerchy has contributed a review interview. An obituary, penned by Liz Page, of this
local community. Moreover, in my experience, a published on the inside back cover, however, had essay on several recent studies of Lewis Carroll and extraordinary writer, can moreover be found in the
forbidding academic tome can suddenly appear not previously been published; they can be seen his Alice books. And Marloes Robijn provides a Focus IBBY-section.
friendly and inviting as soon as it (or rather its in color in the electronic version of the journal. description of The Nordic House in Reykjavik in
author) admits that a mistake has been made, Finally, I wrote that the cover illustrations showed the section “Children & Their Books”; her article Björn Sundmark
say, on page 432, second line. Note that it is not a fairy tale by Heinrich Hoffman—wrong again!—it
the fault in itself that is commendable in any of should of course be E. T. A. Hoffman!
these cases but rather the willingness to admit the In the present issue of Bookbird, we try again.
error, coupled with the readiness to always wish There are two texts on the topic of nonfiction
to improve the text and, ultimately, increase our for children: a Letter from Tina Bilban about
shared knowledge. Errata and truth are the opposite Slovenian nonfiction and an interview with
of alternative facts and Newspeak. For truth, Candace Fleming by Teri Suico about the art and
trustworthiness, and admitting error are not central craft of nonfiction. When we advertised a call for a BJÖRN SUNDMARK is Professor
concerns for politicized, ideology-talk. The errata special nonfiction issue of Bookbird, I imagined that of English Literature in the Faculty
list, on the other hand, acknowledges imperfection we would get a huge response from writers since it of Education, Malmö University,
while striving for improvement. I think that is a very is a major publishing genre for children and youth. Sweden. He has published
numerous articles on children’s
human and humane approach. It is interesting, too, But it was not to be. However, these two articles literature, and is the author of the
that the root meaning of “err” is to wander or to eloquently show the relevance of the topic and study Alice in the Oral-Literary
stray. When we say that to err is human, we admit the centrality of nonfiction as a form of writing for Continuum (1999) and co-editor
that we make mistakes but also that we wander and children and youth. of The Nation in Children’s
Literature (Routledge 2013). He is
explore, and try our best Two of the feature articles in this issue deal editor of Bookbird–Journal of
Having said that, I am now ready to admit with Latin American themes. We have Carol International Children’s Literature.
that there were some mistakes in the last issue Brochin and Carmen Medina’s discussion of
of Bookbird (55.2). In the fine article on street transnationalism in “Latinx” children’s literature
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Articles CR IT ICAL FICT IO N S O F T R AN S NAT IO NALIS M IN LAT IN X CH ILDR EN ’S LIT ER AT UR E
S
pend time talking to any Latinx child to- Theories of Transnationalism
Critical Fictions of day from the United States, Puerto Rico,
Mexico, or any other Latin American
country and they can talk about family
In her essay on children’s literature in a global age,
Clare Bradford writes, “transnational identities
are formed when individuals and groups negotiate
Transnationalism in Latinx
members or friends who live in another between and across cultures and languages” (23).
country, who have lived in another country and re- These identities are often shaped by geography and
turned, or who have considered the possibility of spatial locations. Our own experiences as members
Children’s Literature
leaving. Their complex social networks transcend of transnational communities are grounded in nego-
national borders, cultures, and languages. Sadly, tiations that cross multiple borders. Carol Brochin
however, the children’s books used in schools rarely (first author of this article) grew up in the border
reflect the complex transnational identities of chil- towns of Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Tamau-
dren and their families. In this essay, therefore, we lipas, Mexico; crossing the international bridge was
Carol Brochin and Carmen L. Medina provide an overview of theories of critical transna- part of her daily childhood experiences. As a child,
tional perspectives in literacy and literature as they she read children’s books and magazines in both
relate to children and children’s literature, and we English and Spanish and watched popular Mexican
ask how we can reframe our teaching pedagogies to television shows alongside Sesame Street. Her ability
engage transnational literature in our classrooms and to cross the international border was made possible
what insights an analysis of Latinx children’s litera- by US citizenship and a US-born father. She grew up
ture can offer theories of transnationalism. We then learning about the politics of crossing and the priv-
apply key theoretical perspectives to the analysis of ilege afforded to her. Many of her Mexican family
transnational literacies and literature to discuss the members could not cross the border as easily.
book A Cafecito Story (2001) by Latina feminist author Carmen L. Medina (the second author), was
Julia Alvarez, who depicts the lives of children and born in Puerto Rico and has lived in the United
families impacted by global markets and internation- States for twenty years. Puerto Rico, a colonial ter-
al borders. ritory of the United States for over a hundred years,
has a complicated migration history that has conse-
quences in both the United States and Puerto Rico.
”Transnational literature transformed the Given the current economic and social conditions in
Puerto Rico, migration to the United States is high.
nature of the locations we study, and focused our attention Furthermore, transnationalism is also evident not
on forms of cultural production that take place in the just in people’s migration patterns but in the ways
US goods are imported and have come to dominate
liminal spaces between real and imagined borders.” the island economy. Throughout her life as a grand-
(Paul Jay) daughter of a local farmer, Medina has witnessed the
shift from sustainable local economy to an economy
largely dependent on imported goods.
In this essay, we provide an overview of the theories of transnationalism and We come together to reflect on Julia Alvarez’
work for young audiences. Her books make visible
critical fictions as they relate to children and children’s literature. We define the complex dynamics and consequences of transna-
“critical fictions of transnationalism” as texts that position readers across tionalism in diverse Latinx communities in the US
locations and times, making visible contemporary overlapping politics of and across the US borders. This is in line with our
border crossing, global markets, and cultural production across spaces and belief that children’s books about the Latinx trans-
national experiences must reflect this reality, and if
its implications for transmigrant communities. We then apply key theoretical understood as critical fictions, they can be identified
elements of transnational literacies in literature to discuss the book Cafecito as powerful literary texts enabling us to make sense
Story (2001) by Latina feminist author Julia Alvarez. Her books depict of and critically reflect upon important social issues
in contemporary society.
children and families whose lives are impacted by transnational markets Sociolinguist Jan Blommaert has made a signif-
and international borders. icant contribution to our understanding of literacy,
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texts, and research in contemporary times. His no- Transnational Perspectives in the Study of Transnational Critical Praxis social conditions of migrant farmworkers in the Unit-
tions about diversity, mobility, and transnationalism Young Adult and Children’s Literature: In the following, we focus on writings by Latina ed States in books like Return to Sender (2009).
help us understand the complex dynamics of how Identifying Key Elements feminist author Julia Alvarez. In her books for chil- Moving across nations in Before We Were Free
people, texts, and power travel across spaces. Ac- The study of transnational literature is an emerging dren and young adults, the politics of gender and (2002), Alvarez presents the reader with the story
cording to him, we need “a new grid on our analysis: field in literary studies (see, for example, the Trans- globalization are central. In our reading, we apply of a family living in the Dominican Republic during
we are now facing the task of designing an ethnog- national Literature eJournal). This body of work focuses the following critical concepts: transnational critical Trujillo’s dictatorship. The story is told from a young
raphy, not locally but of transfer, of mobility, not of on the study of “the historical, social, and political praxis, critical fiction, and transnational networks. girl’s perspective, and within the portrayal of a coun-
product but of process, and not in one ‘ecologically’ forces at work shaping personal and cultural identi- This enables us to articulate the implications and try’s battle to survive an oppressive regime, there are
described community but across communities” (6). ty in transnationalized spaces” (Jay 8-9). One of the possibilities of these texts for contemporary multi- significant aspects explored about growing up as a
Thus, this lens when applied to looking at texts for important contributions from studies of transnational cultural and multilingual literacy research and teach- woman in the Dominican society (See Brochin and
children can help inform how teachers and teacher literature is a new understanding and reframing of ing. Julia Alvarez’ work as a Latina feminist writer Medina, 2016). Across Alvarez’ trajectory of work
educators select texts that represent multiple per- literature beyond national borders. Transnational foregrounds the complex social conditions of differ- both for adults and young audiences, there is a rich
spectives across communities. The key is not simply writers construct narratives across spaces that repre- ent Latinx transmigrant communities with a special sense of interconnectedness that denotes her work
to map how people and texts move but to under- sent complex intercultural relations outside of one emphasis in Dominican communities, among other as a transnational writer. A Cafecito Story/El Cuento del
stand the new forms of marginalization, unfair redis- native homeland or community (Dagnino). From a Latinx communities. As a contemporary Caribbean/ Cafecito (2001) is one of those texts that once again
tribution of wealth, and re-segregation that emerge social justice perspective, commitment towards eq- Latina feminist writer, Alvarez embodies a cosmo- resituates Alvarez as a transnational Caribbean au-
specifically for transmigrant communities (Anzaldúa, uity and justice is perceived as efforts across nations politan and decolonialist view in her writing. Inter- thor and will be further analyzed in the next sec-
1987). and places “living inside outside all existing cultures” connectedness is foregrounded in her textual moves tions.
Theories of transnational literacies inform the (Epstein 333). In our interpretation of transnational across communities and countries, and she empha-
ways in which we understand the practices of chil- literature studies, we have identified some key ele- sizes issues of equity and justice. Some of her highly A Cafecito Story: Situating the Text as a
dren and their families (Brochin; de la Piedra and ments that help us better understand important his- regarded work for adults maps complex identity and Critical Fiction
Guerra; Medina). We build on the work of Robert torical and literary aspects of this literature. Across social politics across Dominican immigrant experi- In A Cafecito Story, Alvarez takes a more contem-
Jimenez and his colleagues who define transnation- our analysis of Julia Alvarez’ work, we find the fol- ences of oppression, marginalization, and liberation. porary perspective on the politics of sustainability
al literacies as “written language practices of people lowing aspects from her writing relevant to the theo- In texts like her autobiographically based novel How and transnational relations. This autobiographically
who are involved in activities that span national ries of transnationalism: the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), Alvarez ex- based story is inspired by her and her husband’s ex-
boundaries” including both the production and in- plores the sense-making process of a Dominican periences organizing an organic coffee farm that also
terpretation of written texts (17). Over the past de- • She foregrounds mobility and displace- family whose history is marked by the horrors and integrates a literacy school project in the Dominican
cade, we have seen an emergence of transnational ment and its consequences. Mobility consequences of living under a dictatorial regime Republic.
texts in contemporary Latinx children’s literature and displacement are not limited to just and the redefinition of a new life and identity as an
that depict the complex social networks and lived people but also to local goods, languages, immigrant family in the United States. In addition,
realities of communities who live in-between and and social capital. she constructs political narratives that make visible We now live together on this mountain farm,
across nations, states, and borders—including phys- • She represents histories and trajectories historical accounts of oppression in the Dominican surrounded by the trees Jow planted and by
ical, cultural, linguistic, and gendered spaces (Sem- of colonization and decolonization. From Republic in books such as In the Time of the Butterflies our campesino family. The coffee is thriving.
ingson). We argue that this transnational literature a critical perspective, transnational litera- (1994)—which presents the story of the Mirabal sis- The farmers are thriving. Everyone is reading.
depicts counter-stories to the metanarratives about ture makes visible the complex relation- ters, who were political activists during Trujillo’s bru- And I am writing!
immigrant children and disrupt notions of a linear ship that exists between the cultural and tal dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and who (37)
path of migration while centering global politics of political forms of colonization (past and were murdered by Trujillo’s military government.
power. present) to the circumstances that push The political themes explored in Alvarez’ nov- When reading this text as a critical fiction—where
Theories of transnationalism of childhood pro- away or that have as consequences the els for adults also permeate her writing for younger the authors’ politics are embedded in their imag-
vide insights into the ways in which children main- deterritorialization of people and social audiences. The Tía Lola series—Tía Lola came to Vis- inative writing—the space between what is written
tain communication across nations, languages, and goods. it (Stay) (2001), How Tía Lola Learned to Teach (2010), in the main fictional text and what the author in-
currencies; they also include cultural practices in- • She makes visible the forces of globaliza- How Tía Lola Saved the Summer (2011)—narrates the cludes in the afterword is blurred but also intentional
volving people, labor, goods, information, languages, tion (both cultural and economic), which experiences of Tía Lola, an older woman with some (hooks).
stories, religion, traditions, and advice. These com- provide opportunities for some and special magic, who moves from the Dominican Re- The protagonist, Joe, similar to Alvarez’ hus-
municative cultural practices flow in various, non-lin- marginalization for many others. public to live with her family in the United States. band, is a white American male farmer. Joe comes
ear directions across households (Sanchez). Central • She shows that agency is perceived as Woven into the magic of this character are themes from a family of farmers in the United States, but
to these theories is the premise that “children are ac- happening in nepantla, the liminal space about the meanings of being a Latinx immigrant his family had to let go of the farm as a result of the
tive cultural agents” (Gardner 894); thus, we feature in-between and across borders (Anzaldua). child in the United States. Furthermore, in her work establishment of multinational farming businesses in
texts that represent them in these ways. for young audiences, Alvarez has also explored the the local community that made it financially too dif-
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ficult for local farmers to survive. In Alvarez’ depic- to a company who has the newest technology: ship the cooperativo coffee to the United America and the Caribbean.
tion of global markets, she resituates the struggle on States. (25) Through her books, Alvarez complicates the
local sustainability as an issue impacting more than La compañía has the mercado, Miguel immigrant narrative. She shows how immigrants are
one country or community. Very much a reflection explains. If we work for them we will get Miguel and Joe join forces to save the farm; Miguel not just people who arrive in a place without a his-
of her transnational identity navigating realities and 80 pesos a day, 150 if we are willing to teaches Joe about coffee harvesting, and Joe offers to tory. She takes us back and forth to connect stories
politics as a Dominican immigrant, Alvarez explores spray the poison. I get 35 pesos for a caja begin a local literacy project to help families learn of marginalization across places. Understanding the
sociopolitical and socioeconomic issues across loca- of beans, Carmen can pick two cajas a to read and write. In this example, you also get in- social conditions of the Dominican Republic pro-
tions in the USA and Dominican Republic. Speaking day. It takes three years for me to get a sight into the voice of Julia Alvarez and her husband vides us with a bridge into understanding politics of
from this multiplicity of locations, as it relates to her coffee harvest. On the plantation, with talking about the work they are doing in a local farm globalization and immigration in the United States.
border crossing identity positions, she is a cosmopol- their sprays, they have coffee in a year. (17) in the Dominican Republic. Specifically, we see incredible value in works such as
itan author who engages in seeing her experiences as The following example is from a note that Al- A Cafecito Story in social studies classrooms. For im-
a “world” citizen. Border crossing is then a productive At the core of the story, the reader can hear the cry varez’ husband wrote in the book’s afterword about migrant children engaging with transnational texts
way to depict a broader sense of the world versus the of the farmers and their struggle for survival. The their farming experiences. He wrote, in classrooms, teachers can make explicit the ways
conservative deficient views of immigrants as lacking corporate global markets and their non-sustainable, in which students can draw from their own reper-
intellectual, historical and cultural knowledge in one non-ecological practices ground on quick mass pro- I had not realized that the same kind of toires of transnational literacy practices. Students
particular place. duction make it more beneficial for the farmers to technification that had eliminated sea gulls can understand more deeply places that immigrants
As a result of his family farm loss, Joe decides produce coffee faster. Furthermore, as the corpora- and family farms in Nebraska was now call home outside of the United States. They can
to take a trip to the Dominican Republic, where he tions provide more products faster, the possibilities doing a job on traditional shade-coffee build critical understanding of transnational funds of
initially goes to stay at an exclusive resort: of alternative ecological and economically sustain- farms in the tropics. Julia and I saw first- knowledge and foster cultural flexibility across bor-
able farms are represented as becoming a challenge. hand how globalization was changing the ders (Sanchez and Landa). At a time when more and
The beach resort is surrounded by a high Local farmers, due to their need for survival, are put campo, or countryside, that we had both more people become less mobile between the Unit-
wall, guards at the entrances, checking in a position to either join corporations or disappear. known as youngsters. (40) ed States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other Central
ID cards. No natives are allowed on the and Latin American countries, it is critical to discuss
grounds except the service people who Transnational Networks of Praxis Julia Alvarez has been working with coffee farmers these pressing issues with children.
wear Aunt Jemima kerchiefs and faux- An interesting perspective in A Cafecito Story is the in the Dominican Republic, and they started a large We suggest that explorations into the complexi-
Caribbean costumes and perpetual, way the author—both in the fictional work and in her literacy project there. Through this analysis, we be- ties of transnationalism can be examined as an exist-
desperate smiles of welcome. real work—sees the role of literacy education in rela- gin to see that in writing A Cafecito Story, she is creat- ing set of texts that represent a variety of experiences
(Alvarez, A Cafecito Story 9) tion to the local support for farmers and their fami- ing a critical fiction of the work she has already done. and a multiplicity of voices, not as a single, linear
lies. From a social consciousness perspective, such as What becomes important for us is how the work narrative. By looking at these issues from broad and
No “natives” are allowed on the grounds except the the ones explored by Paulo Freire, empowerment is of Julia Alvarez as a transnational writer is situated multiple perspectives, we can expand curricular un-
service people, who wear Aunt Jemima kerchiefs and not acquired just by having someone advocate for the at the intersection of political realities and fictional derstandings of migration and immigration to reflect
faux-Caribbean costumes and perpetual desperate rights of marginalized communities, but it is achieved narratives. Her critical fictions provide spaces for al- the complex, dynamic lived realities of children and
smiles of welcome. Here Alvarez exposes the politics by foregrounding sustainability and agency within the ternative transnational feminist narratives to emerge their families.
of the emerging approach to local tourism that per- community. Literacy in this sense plays a key role. In in ways that could serve in classrooms.
petuates the clear divide between native and tourist. the story, while simultaneously creating new social Julia Alvarez’s Transnational Texts focusing
This divide is constructed to support contemporary conditions for the local farms to survive, such as a co- Reflecting on the Value of Transnational on Social Justice
servant/master relationships that are also related to op, a literacy project is established to teach people in Author Studies PICTUREBOOKS
the complex racial divide that exists in society, not the community to read and write. The following sec- By opening up the conversation about transnational- The Secret Footprints (2000)
just in the United States, but in other places as well. tion from the novel is an example of praxis: ism in the work of particular Latinx authors for chil- The Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia (2005)
The emergence of this kind of resort and this kind of dren and young adult literature, we looked within The Best Gift of All: The Legend of La Vieja Belen (2008)
CHAPTER BOOKS
work in the Dominican Republic is presented in the Miguel and Joe’s idea spreads. Many of the borders and across borders to find texts that support
How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay (2001)
book as a major economic force for the local econo- small farmers join them, banding transnational identities of children who often speak Before We Were Free (2002)
my—but a force that does not eradicate the divide be- together into a cooperativo and building both English and Spanish as well other languages in Finding Miracles (2004)
tween the rich and poor and that has multiple conse- their own beneficio for processing the their homes. It is our hope that teachers and teacher Return to Sender (2009)
quences on immigration and transnationalism where beans rather than having to pay high fees educators will engage in deep conversations about How Tia Lola Learned to Teach (2010)
How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over (2011)
the ultimate benefit here is only for the corporate. to use the compañía facilities. They can Latinx authors work. When we had an opportunity
How Tia Lola Saved the Summer (2011)
Joe decides then to visit a local coffee parlor, where now read the contracts the buyers bring to look across Alvarez’s work, we found it to be an NON-FICTION
he meets the owner of the parlor, Miguel. On his visit, and argue for better terms. Joe buys books incredible insight into the past and present, especial- A Cafecito Story, (2001)
he finds out that they are about to sell their coffee parlor in the ciudad where he goes periodically to ly in the context of current immigration across Latin Once Upon a Quinceañera, (2007)
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WORKS CITED SECONDARY SOURCES
CHILDREN’S BOOKS Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New
Alvarez, Julia How the García Girls Lost Their Accents Mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books, 1987. Print.
Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 1991. Print. Barnard, Rita. “Fictions of the Global.” Novel 42.2
—. In the Time of the Butterflies. Chapel Hill, N.C.: (Summer 2009): 207-215. Web 26 June 2015.
Algonquin Books, 1994. Print. Blommaert, Jan. Grassroots Literacy: Writing, Identity
—. The Secret Footprints. New York: Knopf Book for and Voice in Central Africa. New York, NY: Routledge,
Young Readers, 2000. Print. 2008. Print.
—. How Tía Lola Came to (Visit) Stay. New York: Knopf Bradford, Clare. “Children’s Literature in a Global Age:
Book for Young Readers, 2001. Print. Transnational and Local Identities.” Nordic Journal of Child
—. A Cafecito Story. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Lit Aesthetics 2 (2011): DOI: 10.3402/blft.v2i0.5828
Publishers, 2001. Print. Brochin, Carol and Carmen Medina. “Chicana/Latina
—. Before We Were Free. New York: Knopf, 2002. Print. Feminist Methodologies of Embodiment: Testimonies
—. Finding Miracles. New York: Knopf Book for Young in the Young Adult Novel, Before We Were Free.”
Readers, 2004. Print. Methodologies of Embodiment. Eds. Mia Perry and
—. The Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia. New Carmen Medina. New York: Routledge Research
York: Knopf Book for Young Readers, 2005. Print. Series, 2015.
—. Once Upon a Quinceañera. New York: Viking, 2007. Dagnino, Arianna. “Global Mobility, Transcultural
Print. Literature, and Multiple Modes of Modernity.” Trans-
—. The Best Gift of All: The Legend of La Vieja Belen. cultural Studies 2 (2013): 130–160.
Santillana/Alfaguara Infantil, Bilingual edition, 2008. Davila, Denise. “Pat Mora: Transcending the Continental
Print. Divide One Book at a Time.” Bookbird: A Journal of
—. Return to Sender. New York: Knopf Book for Young International Children’s Literature 52.3 (2014): 1–12.
Readers, 2009. Print. De La Piedra, María Teresa and Juan Guerra. “The Literacy
—. How Tía Lola Learned to Teach. New York: Knopf Practices of Transfronterizos in a Multilingual World.”
Book for Young Readers, 2010. Print International Journal of Bilingual Education and CAROL BROCHIN is an Assistant Professor of Bilingual/ CARMEN MEDINA is an Associate Professor of Literacy,
—. How Tía Lola Saved the Summer. New York: Knopf Bilingualism. 15.6 (2012): 627–634. Multicultural Education in the Department of Teaching, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University.
Book for Young Readers, 2011. Print. Epstein, Mikhail N. “Transculture: A Broad Way between Learning, and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Her research interests are literacy/biliteracy as social and
—. How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over. New York: Globalism and Multiculturalism.” American Journal of Arizona. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as critical practices, critical performance/drama pedagogies,
Knopf Book for Young Readers, 2011. Print. Economics and Sociology 68.1 (2009): 327-351. a language arts and literacy teacher in her hometown and Latino/a (bilingual) children’s literature. Recently
Gardner, Katy. “Transnational Migration and the Study of Laredo, Texas, located on the US/Mexico border. It was in she has been working on a research project examining
Children: An Introduction.” Journal of Ethnic and this transnational, multilingual context that she cultivated Latino/a children engagement and interpretive literacy
Migration Studies, 38.6 (2012): 889-912. her research and teaching interests in preparing teachers practices at the intersection of global/local landscapes
Hooks, Bell. “Narratives of Struggle.” Critical Fictions: The to develop pedagogical practices that affirm the literacy and networks. She is a co-author with Dr. Karen
Politics of Imaginative Writing. Edited by Philomena practices of diverse students across educational settings. Wohlwend of the book Literacy, Play and Globalization:
Mariani, Washington: Bay Press, 1991: 53-61. Her research interests include teacher education and Converging Imaginaries in Children’s Critical and Cultural
Jay, Paul. Global Matters: The Transnational Turn in preparation, LGBTQ and bilingual literature for youth, and Performances (Routledge Research Series). A co-edited
Literary Studies. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University multimodal literacies. She has published research articles volume with Dr. Mia Perry entitled Methodologies of
Press, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 13 January 2016. and book chapters on young adult literature, bilingual Embodiment is currently in press (Routledge Research
Jimenez, Robert T., Smith, Patrick H., and Brad L. Teague. teacher preparation, and transnational literacies. Series) and a book in the making on Puerto Rican children
“Transnational and Community Literacies for Teachers.” literacy practices.
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 53.1 (2009):
16-28. Print.
Mariani, Philomena, (Ed.). Critical Fictions: The Politics of
Imaginative Writing. Washington: Bay Press, 1991. Print.
Sanchez, Patricia. “Urban immigrant students: How
transnationalism shapes their work learning.” The
Urban Review 39.5 (2007): 489-517. Print.
Sanchez, Patricia and Maite Landa. “Cruzando Fronteras:
Negotiating the Stories of Latino Immigrant and Trans-
national Children.” Multicultural Literature for Latino
Bilingual Children: Their Words, Their Worlds. Ed.
Ellen Riojas Clark, Belinda Bustos Flores, Howard
Smith, and Daniel Alejandro Gonzalez. Maryland:
Rowman & Littlefield, 2016. 69–82.
Semingson, Peggy. “Poets, Artists, and Storytellers:
Bilingual, Bicultural, and Transnational Narratives.”
Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s
Literature 51.3 (2013): 88–90.
BOOKBIRD 10 I B B Y. O R G I B B Y. O R G 11 55.3–2017
Articles P ET E R R A B B I T I N T H E GA R D E N O F T E R RO R : PAT RO N I Z I N G T H E R E A D E R I N
P I C T U R E B O O K T R A N S L AT I O N
Peter Rabbit in the Garden
of Terror: Patronizing the
Reader in Picturebook
Translation
Anne Ketola
B
eatrix Potter originally wrote The Tale penter concludes that the journal revealed an image
This study set out to compare Beatrix Potter’s classic picturebook The of Peter Rabbit in 1893 for Noel, the son of the author as a covert rebel, displaying a vigorous
Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) and its Finnish translation from 1967. The of her former governess. The story was contempt for the accepted values of her time (“Ex-
analysis showed that the Finnish translator has added various elements published as a private edition in 1901 cessively Impertinent Bunnies” 279). This, inevita-
which make the story considerably more frightening for child readers; the and by Frederick Warne the following bly, also changed the (grown-up) interpretation of
year (Whalley and Chester 164). The book tells the The Tale of Peter Rabbit. As discussed below, the story
translator has, for instance, described Peter’s adversary, Mr. McGregor, as tale of a young rabbit who ventures into a farmer’s has since been interpreted as actually encouraging
a bogeyman and added descriptions of how afraid Peter supposedly was garden against his mother’s orders. He helps himself the child reader to question the rules of the soci-
at different stages of the story. The reason behind these modifications to the delights of the garden, almost gets caught, but ety and demonstrating the rewards of disobedience.
then manages to return home unharmed. For de- As early as 1907, Potter’s publisher considered
could well be that the translator interpreted the tale as a moral lesson cades, the story was interpreted as a cautionary tale, the possibility of translating the story into French
aimed to frighten children. This, indeed, was a common interpretation of urging its child readers to behave well. While the in- and German. Potter herself supervised the first trans-
the story even among children’s literature scholars before the discovery terpretation might seem plausible from the point of lations, which—as the author was not convinced of
view of adults reading the story, it is considerably less their quality—were never published. The first pub-
of Potter’s personal journal, which brought about a new interpretation of convincing when considered from the perspective of lished translation was written in Dutch in 1912, and
the author as a covert rebel who encouraged her young readers to socially the child audience. As Elizabeth Nesbitt remarks, French translations soon followed (Linder 264). The
nonconformist behavior. However, the Finnish translation does not offer children, as a literary audience, are intolerant of con- Tale of Peter Rabbit was Potter’s first story to be trans-
its readers the possibility to interpret Potter’s message in this fashion. The descension (318). Why would children, generation lated into Finnish. The translation, made by Riitta
after generation, adore a story that talks down to the Björklund, was published in an anthology of stories
study concludes that the process of translating for children can, at its worst, reader? Yet, the discovery of Potter’s journal changed for children in 1967 and as a picturebook in 1979.
add an air of patronage to the story. the way Potter’s work is perceived. Humphrey Car- While the original book and its translations to oth-
BOOKBIRD 12 I B B Y. O R G I B B Y. O R G 13 55.3–2017
P ET E R RABBIT IN THE GARDEN OF TERROR: PATRONIZING THE READER IN P ET E R R A B B I T I N T H E GA R D E N O F T E R RO R : PAT RO N I Z I N G T H E R E A D E R I N
PICTUREBOOK TRANSLATION P I C T U R E B O O K T R A N S L AT I O N
er languages continue to enjoy a phenomenal suc- interpretation of Potter’s character also inevitably interpretation, Peter Rabbit—even after facing the As children’s literature is written by adults, it
cess, with over two million Beatrix Potter books sold changes the interpretation of her literary work. As giant and nearly losing his life—is not afraid of his ad- always contains some proportion of adult comment.
across the world every year (Frederick Warne & Co), Carpenter asserts, there is nothing in Potter’s work versary. Instead, he is impertinent and intrusive. As Yet, as Fisher remarks, this must be “delivered as from
the Finnish picturebook was never reprinted. In the that illustrates a moral attitude: Nesbitt describes, much like many others of Potter’s one intelligent individual to another” (18). Nesbitt,
present article, I set out to offer an explanation for characters, Peter Rabbit is a small rebel (325). The too, affirms that the child audience is intolerant of
the poor reception of the Finnish translation. The In fact it might be argued that she is rabbit is, after all, a burglar. Instead of encouraging condescension (318). As the present article aims to
Finnish publisher does not have a record of the trans- writing something pretty close to a series the child readers to good behavior, Carpenter con- show, the process of translating for children can add
lation commission—explaining, for instance, why of immoral tales; that voice we hear again cludes, the narrator of the tale is definitely on the a layer of adult comment to the story. Translators are
they chose this particular translator, how the transla- and again in her stories is not that of the side of the transgressors (“Excessively Impertinent always affected by how they understand the needs
tor was instructed to carry out the commission, and late Victorian spinster decorously instruct- Bunnies” 287). Peter Rabbit is a disobedient child of the receiver of the translation (see, for example,
how the translation was marketed—so these consid- ing her nieces and child-friends in accept- who does the very thing his mother has forbidden Suojanen, Koskinen, and Tuominen). When
erations are left outside the analysis. able social behavior, but of a rebel, albeit a him from doing—empathizing with him gives the translating for children, the question of the receivers’
I will start the discussion by introducing how covert one, demonstrating the rewards of child reader a chance to be naughty by proxy. supposed needs gains an even greater significance.
Potter’s books have been interpreted in different de- nonconformity. As Riitta Oittinen describes, the translators of
cades. In particular, I will emphasize how the chang- (“Excessively Impertinent Bunnies” 279) Writing—and Translating—for Children children’s literature are guided by what they believe
ing image of Beatrix Potter as an author also changed While a children’s story must be written in a is best for the child (41–60).
the interpretation of her work. I will then discuss Beatrix Potter’s whole life was dedicated to rebel- language that is intelligible for young readers, it must When evaluating translations, one should
what writing for a child audience entails—what ap- lion. As Carpenter affirms, Potter’s books reflect simultaneously be written with high literary quality always bear in mind what translation truly is—and
plies to writing for children should also apply to trans- the same unconventionality that is recorded in her (Nesbitt 318). As Margery Fisher writes in her what it is not. Translation does not entail producing
lating for children. After all, translation is re-writing. journal (280). While Potter’s books seemingly warn classic Intent upon Reading, intelligible language, from sameness or rendering the exact same story in
I will then move on to introduce my analysis of the against disobedience, Julia Briggs suggests that the the perspective of a child audience, “does not mean a different language. In his classic essay, André
Finnish translation of the book. The analysis delves writer’s apparent sympathy with the adventurous, short, blunt sentences and it does not mean short, Lefevere views translation not as a reflection of the
into translation shifts—notable textual changes that naughty child frees them from all moral judgment blunt words” (28). Further, even the most simple original text but as a refraction of it; by refraction, he
have taken place during translation. I will discuss (187). Exactly as their creator, Potter’s subversive sentences must have “a good shape”: picturebooks refers to “the adaptation of a work of literature to a
how these shifts change the overall tone of the book, characters rebel against most accepted values of will be read aloud—often time and again—and they different audience, with the intention of influencing
making the story scarier for the Finnish child reader. their time: religious rigidity and bourgeois values, therefore depend on easy, musical sentence-rhythms the way in which that audience reads the work”
I will propose that while Potter’s original story en- such as tidiness, as well as the rigorousness of the (Fisher 26). The style of Beatrix Potter’s writing is (205). According to Lefevere, a writer’s work is
courages the child reader to adventurous behavior, class system (Carpenter, “Excessively Impertinent renowned for being deceptively simple: As Joyce always understood through “misunderstandings and
the Finnish translation warns the child reader against Bunnies” 279; Briggs 187). Yet, while Potter’s books Whalley and Tessa Chester describe in their History misconceptions” (205). A translation, therefore, is
disobedience. regularly introduce rebellion to point of danger and of Book Illustration, even though “each word is concise always a refraction of the source text because the
hazard (Nesbitt 325), the child reader is always com- and controlled, her phrases are full of nuance” (165). text is processed through the understanding (and
Interpreting Potter forted in the end by a secure, satisfying conclusion Nesbitt praises “the music of well-chosen words” misunderstanding) of the translator. Building on this
Carpenter proposes that Potter’s biography written (Townsend 156); Nesbitt aptly remarks that while and “the lilt of the rhythm” in Potter’s writing (326); idea, a translation of a children’s book can be claimed
by Margaret Lane in 1946 led the public to regard small children want suspense, they will not tolerate Briggs admires “the elegance and wit of her prose” to be a refraction of the original, processed through
Potter as a lonely, introverted individual who, unable tragedy at the end (325). (186). Analyses of Potter’s writing also often praise the understanding (and misunderstanding) of what
to achieve normal human relationships, resorted to As Potter’s literary work in general, The Tale of Pe- the dry, shrewd humor common to all of her stories the translator believes is best for the child reader.
the company of animals (“Excessively Impertinent ter Rabbit, too, has frequently been interpreted as an (e.g., Townsend 156; Briggs 186; Nesbitt 325). As Gillian Lathey writes, translators are often
Bunnies” 279). For decades, Potter’s work was con- intimidating, cautionary tale. For instance, Charles One of the many reasons behind the continuing considered to be “invisible” in the literary field (1),
sidered as a shining example of children’s stories with Frey refers to the tale as “a fearful process” in which allure of Potter’s writing could be that she genuinely and the translators of children’s literature appear to
moral attitudes (278). However, the general interpre- “[l]ife becomes a losing” (108, 111). However, Potter’s aimed her words for a child audience. Nesbitt be the most invisible of all. Yet, Lathey continues,
tation of Potter’s character was drastically changed own interpretation of the tale and the mindset of its describes that Potter had thorough knowledge of the translator is always present in the translated work,
after her personal journal—written in code—was main character are well reflected in, for instance, a small children’s experience of the world and a perfect displayed in the additions, omissions, and adaptations
deciphered by Leslie Linder in 1958. The journal, letter she wrote after the book had been published. sympathy for their sense of wonder (320–327). Further, that have taken place during translation (2). The
kept by Potter between the ages of fifteen and thirty, Potter used to write miniature letters that represent- Potter often subjected her writing to the criticism of following analysis aims to show that the Finnish
presents a determined young woman full of firmly ed correspondence between her book characters. the children in her life before it was published. In fact, translator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Riitta Björklund, is
held opinions (Carpenter, Secret Gardens 138, 142). Pot- The letters were then sent to children she knew. In even Potter herself has suggested that the success of eminently present in the translation, to the extent that
ter contemned the norms of the society into which one of these tiny letters, Peter Rabbit writes to Mr. The Tale of Peter Rabbit could well be due to the fact that the entire story appears to be presented to the new
she was born; being a girl, she had no opportunity McGregor, asking him if his spring cabbages were it was written with an actual child in mind—not made target audience via a filter of patronizing comment.
to create a life of her own (Nesbitt 319). This new ready (Emerson 61). It is obvious that in Potter’s own to order for a publisher (Emerson 14).
BOOKBIRD 14 I B B Y. O R G I B B Y. O R G 15 55.3–2017P ET E R RABBIT IN THE GARDEN OF TERROR: PATRONIZING THE READER IN P ET E R R A B B I T I N T H E GA R D E N O F T E R RO R : PAT RO N I Z I N G T H E R E A D E R I N
PICTUREBOOK TRANSLATION P I C T U R E B O O K T R A N S L AT I O N
Analysis of the Finnish Translation retrieved from Potter’s detailed images and coming content has been added). Simple “wandering about” translation. The name of Mr. McGregor has been
The method of analysis followed in the study involved up with translation solutions that corresponded to has become “cautious skipping” (modulation; change translated into Finnish as herra Mörökölli (Mr. Bogey-
analyzing the data—Potter’s book and Björklund’s the illustrations rather than the verbal story (see in semantic content) and “looking for an escape man). It is reasonable to suggest that this translation
translation—for translation shifts. Translation shifts, as Ketola). Other modulations and mutations were route” (mutation). Further, in Example 3, the Finnish solution will affect a child’s overall impression of the
defined by John C. Catford, are “departures from related to adding elements of fear to the story. Table translation does not only mention that Peter is safe story; after all, entering into the garden of a farmer
formal correspondence” in the process going from 1 presents five example sentences that contain after exiting the garden but adds a dramatic impact is quite different from entering into the garden of a
the original text to its translation (73). In other words, such shifts. The column on the left introduces the to the scene by stating that he now was “far from bogeyman. The Romanian translation, on the oth-
translation shifts are notable differences between the original phrase of the source text in English, the the terrors of the garden” (mutation). Moreover, in er hand, has maintained the English surname (Co-
two texts. The present analysis was interested in column in the middle introduces its translation into Example 4, the English original simply states that cargeanu 220). The character’s name in the original
finding two different types of shifts: Finnish, and the column on the right shows its back- Peter did not look back while running home— book most likely does not carry specific narrative
translation into English (translated by the author of perhaps emphasizing the speed of his scamper. significance. When asked about the name of the
• Words in the translation that differ from the article). The translation shifts are highlighted However, the Finnish translation claims that “he was character, Beatrix Potter concluded that she does not
their counterparts in the original, either in the examples: Modulations (changes in semantic too frightened to stop until he got home” (mutation). remember how she came up with it. Yet, it has since
semantically or stylistically (referred to content) are in bold, while mutations (additions) are In the end of the story, Potter describes how the been established that Potter actually wrote the story
as modulation by Kitty van Leuven-Zwart in bold and underlined. rabbit mother prepares some chamomile tea for her in a summer house that had been sub-let from of a
[159–64]) As may be seen from the examples, the Finnish son. Ellen Handler Spitz introduces an interesting gentleman called Mr. McGregor in 1893 (Emerson
• Words that have been added to the translator has added repeated comments about how comparison of two different ways in which the 37); the choice of name might have been subcon-
translation, or words in the translation frightened the main character supposedly was during ending may be interpreted: scious.
that do not have a counterpart in the his adventure. In Example 1, a mutation (an addition) The translation shifts may well stem from the
original text (referred to as mutation by has taken place. In the translator’s interpretation, Is chamomile tea a punishment for Peter? translator’s interpretation of the moral of the story;
van Leuven-Zwart [168–9]) Peter did not simply forget the way back to the gate; Was it a soothing remedy administered to after all, at the time the Finnish translation was pro-
he forgot it “because he was frightened.” Example the shivering little bunny in order to calm duced, the story was still generally interpreted as
Some of the modulations and mutations in the 2 includes instances of both types of shifts. In the him down and settle his stomach after he a deeply cautionary tale. These shifts bring about
data were related to adapting the translation to the Finnish translation, Peter did not just look around in had been so frightened and had consumed moral attitudes. One could claim that by telling the
illustrations of the book: both adding information the garden; he looked around “with fright” (mutation; so many lettuces, beans, and radishes? Was Finnish child reader how afraid Peter Rabbit was
Mother Rabbit’s behavior disciplinary and during his adventure, the translator is telling the
depriving or kind and restorative? (1–2) child readers that they, too, might end up at the mer-
TABLE 1. EXAMPLES OF TRANSLATION SHIFTS IN THE DATA cy of a bogeyman—unless they do what they are told.
Original Phrase Finnish Translation Back-translation into English The Finnish translator of the story appears to have
interpreted the beverage as a punishment for the Conclusions
[H]e rushed all over the garden, for Se alkoi säntäillä sinne tänne etsien He started rushing here and there young rabbit, as a notable addition has been made A picturebook, when translated, no longer
he had forgotten the way back to the porttia, jonka se pelästyksissään oli looking for the gate, which he, being into the translation (Example 5): “Go ahead and necessarily conveys the exact same story for the
gate. kerrassaan kadottanut näkyvistään. frightened, had lost from sight.
guess if Peter liked chamomile tea! No, he did not.” new audience. The translation of picturebooks
After a time he began to wander Hetken kuluttua se alkoi etsiä After a while he began to look for As discussed above, after introducing danger and may involve manipulation of the text according
about, going lippity – lippity – not pakotietä varovasti hypellen ja an escape route, skipping about hazard, Potter’s stories always end with a satisfying to how the translator perceives the needs of the
very fast, and looking all around. pälyillen pelokkaasti ympärilleen. cautiously and glancing all around conclusion. The Finnish child reader, however, is child reader. Examining the Finnish translation by
him with fright.
deprived of an ending that could be interpreted as Riitta Björklund of The Tale of Peter Rabbit offers an
He slipped underneath the gate, and Se pujahti portin alitse – ja viimeinkin He slipped under the gate – and at satisfactory. Interestingly, similar observations have illustrative example of what Lefevere refers to when
was safe at last in the wood outside se oli turvassa metsän siimeksessä, last he was safe in the wood, far from been made by Dana-Mihaela Cocargeanu, who has talking about translations as refractions: Potter’s
the garden. kaukana puutarhan kauhuista. the terrors of the garden. examined the translation of The Tale of Peter Rabbit into story has been processed through the translator’s
Peter never stopped running or Mutta Petteri juosta vilisti taakseen But Peter ran without looking back Romanian. Cocargeanu reports that when translating misunderstandings and misconceptions of the moral
looked behind him till he got home katsomatta yhä syvemmälle metsään deeper and deeper into the wood and “and she gave a dose of it to Peter” into Romanian, of the story. Further, the translation has been written
to the big fir-tree. eikä se uskaltanut pysähtyä ennenkuin he was too frightened to stop until he the translator has replaced “Peter” with the words with the intention of influencing the way in which
kotona suuren männyn alla. got home to the big fir-tree “her mischievous son.” As Cocargeanu concludes, the Finnish child audience reacts to it. By adding
His mother put him to bed, and made Rouva Kaniini pani sen vuoteeseen Mrs. Rabbit put him to bed and this reflects the addition of an “emotional attitude elements of fear to the story, the translator adds a
some chamomile tea; and she gave a ja valmisti sille lääkkeeksi prepared him some chamomile tea to from the part of the narrator” (228–229). layer of adult comment. Unlike the original story, the
dose of it to Peter! kamomillateetä. Ja arvatkaapas, medicate him. Go ahead and guess Apart from the modulations and mutations in- translation is delivered in a spirit of condescension.
pitikö Petteri kamomillateestä! Ei if Peter liked chamomile tea! No, he troduced in Table 1, the name of Peter’s adversary Producing children’s literature with such intentions
pitänyt. did not.
has also gone through a modulation in the Finnish cannot be said to be typical in Finland. Since
BOOKBIRD 16 I B B Y. O R G I B B Y. O R G 17 55.3–2017You can also read
