Thinking about Bambi: Or, why I became a librarian

One of the things that attracted me to librarianship was the possibility of learning something new every day. How could I be surrounded by so much knowledge without picking some of it up? And I have one of those minds that's great for remembering the trivial (although I find that I forget more and more important stuff as my head becomes more crowded.) Anyways, today I learned that Felix Salten was not American! Yes, like the art history teacher who tried to convince me that Christopher Columbus was, in fact, English--she was working on the fact that his name was "Christopher Columbus." As opposed to "Cristoforo Colombo"?--I assumed that the author of Bambi was an American on no sturdier platform other than that I myself am American.

Well, that's embarrassing to admit, but there you have it.

I made my discovery while weeding this morning, and I noticed on the title page of our rather tatty copy of Bambi, that the book had been translated. A quick check on Wikipedia informed me that Felix Salten was in fact Austrian. Well I suppose they have woods in Austria, too. But in reading the subtitle: A Life in the Woods, I just assumed that those woods were in New Hampshire. Disney certainly made them look like American woods. And shame on me. Because anyone who has read Bambi (and I have, many years ago) knows that the book is nothing like the film. In fact, my copy here has an introduction by John Galsworthy, of Forsyte Saga fame. Which then begs the question--is Bambi even a children's book? Galsworthy's intro is gushing in his praise. He calls Salten a poet. He calls Bambi "a little masterpiece". Yet no where does he theorize about how much children will enjoy this book. In fact, he ends his introduction to the book with "I particularly recommend it to sportsmen."

Wow. When Disney gets their hands on a thing, it really takes on a life of its own.

What I am Reading Today--Vasco Leader of the Tribe

The success of Erin Hunter's Warriors series no doubt paved the way for the publication of Vasco: Leader of the Tribe, which is more of a poor man's Watership Down than a compelling animal drama. Vasco, a wharf rat, is one of the few survivors of a calculated campaign by Man to exterminate all rats from human habitats. Vasco finds himself the unexpected, but not really unwilling, leader of a rapidly expanding tribe of rats, also on the run from extermination. As he leads them from their homes, through a perilous sea journey to an unknown land, and eventually to settlement in a foreign jungle, Vasco's skills as a diplomat and rat of change are constantly called into use.

As an advocate for rats, I had great hopes for this book. But it was dire. There is none of the mythic purpose that grounds the Warrior books, where well organized clans of feral cats coexist. There's not even the genuine force of evil that propels the struggle in the Ga'hoole series. The rats of "Vasco" are all at odds with each other seemingly because they are fueled by constant panic and a diet of garbage. Vasco is a visionary in his wish to establish a stable life, rather than simply survive, but his is the lone voice of reason or optimism. And at 300+ pages, shifting from one rat fight to another is exhausting and tiresome.

As with any book that has been translated (in this case from French to English) there is always in my mind the thought that perhaps something has been lost in the process. But it's hard not to believe that the nihilistic tone of the book is thoroughly Continental. There are plenty of vicious battles in the Warriors books, but we also see the cats at play, exhilarated by their sense of purpose, and encouraged by their belief in the spirits. The rats in "Vasco" only exist to breed and eat. When I think of Ratatouille, where an ambitious rat also wanted to do more than just survive, I wish that "Vasco" provided more bright spots and less cruelty.

Bedtime Stories

Little Red Riding Hood (Pinkney, Jerry)
At Night (Bean, Jonathan)
Chilly Charlie (Rau, Dana Meredith)
Millie Waits for the Mail (Steffensmeier, Alexander)
Alligator Boy (Rylant, Cynthia and Diane Goode)

A fabulous bunch this evening! I've had my eye on Pinkney's Red Riding Hood since it made its way through Tech Services. It has a very Christmasy feel, with snow covered woods and cardinals to match the tell-tale hood. Pinkney has had a particularly stellar year, IMHO, with Little Red Hen and The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll (which he illustrated) also seeing release in 2007.

But the stand out title for me tonight was Millie Waits for the Mail, about a cow who takes great delight in frightening the mail carrier each day. The unexpected canine behavior reminded me of My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World by Gilles Bachelet. And why is the cat so silly? Because he's an elephant! I love it when reality is thoroughly turned on its head, yet it still makes sense. And following up on yesterday's post about the success of translated books for children, I'd like to point out that both titles are imports: "Millie" from Germany and "Cat" from France.

I've been asked by a loyal reader (so nice to know you are there!) to keep a running list of all the picture books mentioned in this blog. Look for it in the new year.

Translated treasures

Recently, both the Guardian and Publisher's Weekly have run articles about the dearth of translated literature in the English speaking market. Sara Nelson, in her Op Ed piece for PW went so far as to say..."like moviegoers turned off by subtitles, most Americans would rather read about Americans in the American idiom. A function of fear or arrogance? You decide?"

I think that perhaps the deciding factor is neither fear nor arrogance, but perhaps it is more an issue of age. Children's Literature has a rich tradition of bona fide translated hits, from Pippi Longstocking to Tintin to Rainbow Fish to The Thief Lord. 2006 saw the release of the excellent Beyond Babar: The European Tradition in Children's Literature by Sandra L. Becket and Maria Nikolajeva (I particularly liked the chapter on Tove Jansen's Moomintrolls.) And over the past four to five years I have noticed some fantastic picture books coming out of the Far East (yes, it's not just Manga over there!) Writers from Japan and South Korea have created some gems that have no problem crossing the language divide. I've even had the dubious pleasure of reviewing some translated works that were, in my opinion, not worth the effort. But at least their presence shows that there is room for translated books in the Children's market. Children know a good story when they hear one, and it is nice to know that the prejudices which may affect adult literature are overcome for the younger readers.

Some titles of note---

Japan:
Emily's Balloon (Sakai, Komako)
Chester (Imai, Ayano)

South Korea
While We Were Out (Lee, Ho Baek)
My Cat Copies Me (Kwon, Yoon D--a former Book of the Week)

Taiwan:
On My Way to Buy Eggs (Chen, Chih-Yuan)

In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Ayano Imai was born in England and moved to Japan, where she resides still. However, there are a number of high profile children's writers who have moved from Japan to the West: Satomi Ichikawa, Satoshi Kitamura, and Alan Say. Say's books often depict life in Japan, or reference Japanese life and culture. Clearly, this is not a road block for his young readers. Chalk it up to the flexibility of kids!