Hear the "Call", "Press Here" then follow the "Rainbow" to Translated Success!

When my kids were little story time at the library was where it was at. We were quickly on a first name basis with the local children’s librarians and if we missed a story time or activity our absence was noticed and wondered over during our next visit. It was at story time that I learned to love having a “Silly Dance Contest” with Jim Gill, all about the groovy buttons and dirty shoes of Pete the Cat and how circles on a page with the very simple instructions of Press Here can captivate the attention of a room full of three year olds.

Imagine my shock, when a few years later as I began digging through materials for this project when I discovered that the captivating dot book is actually a translated text.

Press Here

By: Herve Tullet

Translated by: Christopher Franceschelli

Written by French author, Herve Tullet, Press Here has that certain magical “it” factor that has made it a best seller with little or no recognition that the text originated in another country. In fact, it has spent 251 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list for Children’s Picture books since being published in the United States in 2011. 251 weeks! If that’s not enough, he’s won a whole slew of awards from places like Publisher’s Weekly, the American Library Association, Amazon and Kirkus Reviews. AND it was named #49 on the School Library Journal’s Top 100 Picture Books list. If all that doesn’t qualify it for “The Hits” category I’m not sure what else might.

So then as I mentioned the other day, we’re back to the question of why. What has made Press Here, it’s simple illustrations in bright primary colors and easy to follow instructive text, a smashing success?

 One of the most obvious answers is the interactive nature of the book and how that appeals to readers. This wasn’t lost on Tullet, who when asked how he manages to do this in an interview with the School Library Journal, responded:

“It started with my first book, Comment Papa a recontré Maman (Seuil Jeunesse, 2002). I can explain all of my books through this one. When I created this book, I understood that [there were three elements]: the book, someone who can read it (an adult), and the child. The book will talk to [both] of them. I used to say that I create empty books, or books with blanks. I knew that everybody would be able to add something. What is interesting is what they will add, the child or the adult.”

One detail that struck me about the text was that yes, it is instructional, but almost in a conversational tone. When the reader turns the page and therefore “accomplishes” the task on the previous page, they are rewarded with “Perfect” and “Well done.”

 Instead of feeling as if you’re reading the instructions to assemble a toy, it’s more as if some wise person is standing over your shoulder, allowing you to do it for yourself and encouraging your progress every step of the way. This gentle encouragement is appealing and leads to a desire to succeed, especially in children. I felt that this took the interactive nature of the book one step further than most and could possibly contribute to its overall appeal.  To draw a theater analogy, this type of interaction "breaks the fourth wall," allowing the reader to become part of the text in a completely different way than most books.

If you’re a fan of Press Here, Tullet has other titles that have been translated that are similar in nature to his original splash into the American market. There’s a good chance you may come across one of them in you attend a local story time and now you’ll know that they’re part of a translated success story!

Another author, this one from Switzerland, has had massive success not just in America, but worldwide. According to his website, 49 books of his have been published and they have been translated into more than 50 languages with the total number of published copies exceeding 30 million. Similar to Press Here, I bet there’s a good chance you may already be familiar with this and have no idea that it was a translated text. In fact, I have a few teacher friends that have used this in their classroom that were stunned when I clued them in that The Rainbow Fish had to swim across the Atlantic Ocean before making a splash in the United States.

The Rainbow Fish

By: Marcus Pfister

Translated by: J. Alison James

Marcus Pfister’s book was first published in 1992 (recently celebrating its 25th birthday!) and has since produced additional titles and even an animated series. And while the publisher touts the importance of the “universal message at the heart of this simple story about a beautiful fish who learns to make friends by sharing his most prized possessions” not everyone feels that is the true “moral” to the story. The book has had more than its fair share of critics who feel the need to contend the book promotes Socialism, a claim that Pfister has denied on his website.

Controversy aside, the book has sold millions of copies and so we’re once again at that point of asking why. While some claim it is the message of sharing and being selfless, the more obvious answer to me is bright, shiny and catches your eye immediately.

Like Press Here, there is an interactive element with The Rainbow Fish; the shiny scales that the Rainbow Fish is so proud of are actually made of holographic foil. If you do any bit of browsing through the comments of most readers on sites like amazon or goodreads, one thing they almost all have in common is praise for the book’s artwork. The technique of using the foil was something Pfister was familiar with from his early career as a graphic artist and which he told Publisher’s Weekly in a 2013 interview cost double what it normally would to produce a book, but that he felt very strongly about it being part of the book. It seems that sales would reflect that to have been a wise choice.

To that end it is worth noting that part of the success of Tullet and Pfister’s translated works may be due in part to the fact that the book had already proven successful in their native country. Not all books that do well at home translate into American sales, (as we’ll see in some of the series on Tuesday) but if nothing else those are the books that American publishers are probably more willing to take a risk to purchase the translation rights. Being able to promote the fact that it won awards or was a “best seller” is an additional incentive, one that will often earn it a greater marketing push.


The last book that I want to share in this category, unlike the other two has not been met with widespread sales and mass market appeal. Instead, I wanted to share a title that has earned global recognition. Interestingly, it’s not even the most prominent title of the author, who became the first African writer to be awarded the Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature in 2015. Born in Ghana, author Meshack Asare has written stories based there as well as Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which earned him the reputation of being a storyteller of the continent according to his Neustadt nominating committee. While his earlier works such as Tawia Goes to the Sea (the first African book to be translated into Japanese) and Kwajo and the Brassman’s Secret earned him much acclaim, I had a hard time tracking down copies (given that used ones were selling for near $500, it was slightly out of my budget).

I was, however, able to find at Eastern’s library and eventually get my hands on my own copy of his 1997 book, Sosu’s Call.

Sosu’s Call

By: Meshack Asare

(Kristi's Note: Like some other titles I'm including, this is not a true translation.  The book was first published in 1997 in Ghana, where the official language is English.  But, must of Asare's books have been translated into other languages and the fact that it was first published in Ghana and those rights were then picked up by an American publisher for a US edition made me feel strongly about including it.)

If the fact that it was named one of Africa's 100 best books of the 20th Century (only one of four Children’s books to be given the honor) by the African Studies Center isn’t enough to make it one to add to your “must read” list, consider that it also won The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature in the Service of Tolerance in 1999. The award is given to “published works for the young that best embody the concepts and ideals of tolerance and peace and promote mutual understanding based on respect for other peoples and cultures.”

 It is also worth noting that Asare serves not just as writer, but illustrator of his works as well and his work pays tribute to his African heritage. The boy in the story, Sosu, is disabled and cannot work, but without giving away too much of the story, I’ll borrow a review from African Publishing who called it “positive story of empowerment and overcoming limitations.”

So my question then for this book, in opposition to the first two, is why not? If so many others (Asare’s work has been translated into numerous African lanugages as well as Danish, Dutch, German, Swedish, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian) have seen the “hit” in Asare’s work, why has it not been as well received in the United States as the other two books I’ve already mentioned? 

While I can only speculate, I think there’s probably a few things to take into consideration. First, just because it was translated into all those languages does not mean that it was well-received or popular there either. Secondly, I think we already experience a shortage in translated works from Africa (again, for a number of reasons) and even the best of those tend to be overshadowed by their commercially more appealing counterparts from countries that publishers are more inclined to translate from (think France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark at the top of that list). I’m sure there are other causes as well. For example it doesn’t have “the look” of a more commercially successful book, meaning it may earn that “otherness” label translated books are sometimes saddled with. Whatever the case may be, Asare has proven to be successful around the world and I would strongly lobby for promoting his works to more American readers to make it “the hit” that it deserves to be.

I’ll be back on Tuesday with another set of “hits” this time looking at successful series from around the world that have been translated and published, to varying levels of success, in the United States.

Introducing.... "The Hits!"

Heidi

Pippi Longstocking

Emil and the Detectives

Inkheart

The Little Prince

Quick, someone tell me what these all have in common!

If you’ve been following along for the past few weeks, hopefully my little pop quiz was easy – they’re all titles that were translated into English and then published in the United States. What they all also have in common, which is not the case with the majority of translated books (or honestly, most books) is that they all were critically well received and successful.

So here’s my somewhat rhetorical question – why? Why do some books (translated or not) fair better than others? Yes, there’s plenty to be said about who publishes them, the marketing machine behind the project, the buzz it receives from the literary world, the media and now social media as well. But there still has to be something there in the first place. I don’t have the answer (remember Disclaimer #1) but the titles above are proof positive that translated titles can and do succeed in the American market.

To begin with, it’s important to remember the role the publishing industry has in selecting books to be translated in the first place. In a September/October 2006 article that appeared in The Horn Book, editorial director Arthur A. Levine shared some of his insights on what makes a “good” translated book. When considering a book for translation, he says it really comes down to “If two books are equally brilliant, enjoyable, amazing… does one of them have that “extra” quality of truly having gained something from its national or cultural source?” While “good” could represent a myriad of different possibilities from literary quality to actual sales, I’d venture to guess that some publisher saw something in the tiles I’m including in this category to qualify them as “good” for publication by their house. Faith from a publisher can lead to better marketing, which can mean more exposure and perhaps the possibility of successful sales.

It also doesn’t hurt if they get a little push from the literary world in the form of an award. In the United States that comes in the form of the Batchelder Award, given by the American Library Association for “the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.” Additionally, the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) produces an annual Outstanding International Book list that has their picks for books that represent the best of children’s literature from other countries. On a grander scale, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) biannually awards the Hans Christian Andersen award to “an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature” and they also produce their own Honour List which is “one of the most widespread and effective ways of furthering IBBY's objective of encouraging international understanding through children's literature.” Like the United States Newberry and Caldecott medals, most other countries also have individual awards for children’s writers and illustrators. Receipt of any of these prizes, or one from their own country that attracts the notice of a publisher looking to purchase the rights to a book, could increase the likelihood of a title being translated. Add a sticker to the front noting that it’s an award winner and it may even increase sales. (Though in my opinion basing a book on the awards it has or hasn’t won doesn’t always net you the greatest reads.)

I will readily admit that these lists and award winners were the first place I turned to start tracking down titles. Not because I thought that they’d be the best, (because trust me, quite a few of them left me wondering why it had been published, let alone translated. Another things we’ll get back to…) but because they were a large source of materials. It was a good launching point, so there is something to be said that awards and acclaim from the literary “powers that be” may be one of the reasons some translated books fair better than others. Fortunately, I found that it also opened plenty of other avenues to explore once I found this source of material; authors may have other books, you learn of a publisher that specializes in translated material, an article on one of those books mentions similar titles – plenty of examples out there if you’re willing to look!

So once a book has actually been translated and published, we’re back to taking a closer look at the ones that made those award lists or have found a strong following otherwise. We’re still back to that “why” question which we'll be taking a much closer look at with all the books in this cateogry.  For my purposes, “The Hits” as I'm calling this grouping was described it as follows:

“While the translated market only makes up a very small percentage of the United States’ publishing market (and the picture book genre only a fraction of that) there are some translated books that have been incredibly successful. What is even more interesting to consider is if the average reader (and parent) even realizes that some of these are translated books. From personal experience, I can’t begin to recall how many story times I attended that featured Press Here during which I have no idea the book hailed from France. I also have multiple teacher friends that included The Rainbow Fish in many lesson plans who were shocked when I told them the story was written by Swiss author Marcus Pfister. Both these books have been translated into numerous languages and produced follow-up titles. The question then becomes, why these? And one step further, if these do so well (and setting aside the argument if it’s good or bad that people aren’t even realizing they’re translated) why not others?

Similar to single titles that have made a splash in the US publishing market are series that were created in one country, reached massive popularity there and then have been translated into many different languages and distributed worldwide. Some of the series that I looked at dated back almost fifty years and were translated into English well after publication in their country of origin – why?”

You can see that this category has raised more questions than answers for me. No promises, but I’ll try my best to answer at least a few of them in some capacity over the next few posts. On Friday I’ll be looking at a few singular titles that have fared well in translation and next Tuesday will be a closer look at a few series that are beloved in their home countries but have received varying levels of success here in the United States. I’m keeping this category brief because as much as I think the “why” of these books is worth asking, I’d much rather put the effort into sharing and promoting some of the lesser known works I've found. Who knows, maybe that’ll even make me part of the “why” if I encourage enough of you to go out and check out some of these titles!

See you Friday!

A Hero's ( and Trickster's ) Worldwide Journey

As I’ve noted a few times in the last couple of posts in the fairy tale and folklore category, one good thing about starting here with this project is that this type of tale is universal and common story lines, tropes and themes can be seen in variations of what is essentially the same story told around the world. Another element they all share is the type of characters that commonly make an appearance. These types of characters are known as archetypes, or what my friend Webster defines as “a very typical example of a certain person or thing”

Without diving too deeply into some of the various methods of literary critique and analysis (because to this day I am still scarred by Bettelheim’s interpretation of the elements in Hansel and Gretel) in this specific instance it’s worth mentioning American mythologist Joseph Campbell and his work The Hero With A Thousand Faces. His work largely influenced what is commonly referred to as The Hero’s Journey a twelve-step pattern that is seen throughout storytelling, mythology and works of literature (It’s worth noting that Maureen Murdock is responsible for proving us with a blueprint for The Heroine’s Journey, a contemporary response to address the feminine aspects of being a heroine). The ins, outs and relevance of Campbell’s works is another blog for another day, but it’s relative to the works I’m highlighting today because Campbell notes the importance of certain archetypes in mythology, suggesting that these types of characters exist around the world. While lots of stories could potentially fit in this category, I wanted to highlight two specific archetypes in a couple of books I found; the trickster and the hero.

Love the Weasley twins from Harry Potter? Familiar with the Br’er Rabbit stories from the Southern United States? Ever heard of Anansi the spider from Western Africa? What about the Chinese Monkey King? (mad love shout out for Gene Yang’s American Born Chinese!) All of these are well-known examples of a trickster, or as mythology.net says, “a character who uses wits, rather than strength or authority, to accomplish his goals” As can be seen in all the examples I listed, there is no shortage of trickster figures from around the world, but unless you’re well-versed in mythology I’d say that there’s a chance that the average American may not be familiar with Kanchil, (Kristi’s note, there are multiple spellings, Kancil is also common if you want to look into it further, but I am using the spelling that appears in the books herein), the central character in the books Mangoes and Bananas and The Great Race by Nathan Kumar Scott.

 

Mangoes and Bananas by Nathan Kumar Scott

Illustrated by Theertham Balaji

The Great Race by Nathan Kumar Scott

Illustrated by Jagdish Chitara

Published by Tara Books in India, the reason that I wanted to include Scott’s works is because he uses traditional tales of the mouse-deer Kanchil, a figure that has origins in Indonesian and Malaysian folklore, and presents them with traditional styles of art from India. These books are beautiful and the care and effort that went into their creation is evident, each featuring a different illustrator/artist and the style they work in. (Kristi’s note, there is a third book, The Sacred Banana Leaf, but I was unable to track down a copy.)

Mangoes and Bananas is the story of Kanchil and his friend Monyet the Monkey and Scott’s version was illustrated by Theertham Balaji. The artwork is Kalamkari, a style of art that is entirely worked by hand, that is printed on cotton textiles. An interesting note on Scott’s website states Balaji “did the original illustrations for Mangoes and Bananas on fabric. These then had to be transferred paper in order to be published, but if you look carefully you can see the weave of the cloth in the book’s illustration.” 

  Additionally, in the back of the book there is a two page spread with more information on Kanchil and Kalamkari art, including instructions on how to create your own!

The Great Race, without spoiling the story, finds Kanchil being the recipient of the trick instead of the trickster.  The art in this is a stark contrast to Mangoes and Bananas¸ as the entire book is in shades of reds, browns and blacks a feature of the art of the Waghari people of Gujarat province in India, the home of illustrator Jagdish Chitara.  (That link will give you information on his other book from Tara Books “Cloth of the Mother Goddess” – the first textile book from an Indian publisher!)  

While the artwork is different styles the quality of the printing, the attentive attention to detail and the character of Kanchil (even though his appearance varies in both texts) links the books together, an idea that is fortified by featuring the trickster in both.

Similar to what I felt about John Kilaka’s work, I am most excited about the preservation of these stories/art for the people they originate from and then the ability to have them shared globally. (Further information about the art style of Chitara is included at the end of this book as well.)  The unique idea of blending the folklore of one culture with the art of another adds a layer to these books that made them a “must” on my share list. Scott’s website indicates that he’s been collecting materials from South America for his next work and I’ll be excited to see what comes of it!

(Kristi’s disclaimer: In full disclosure, Mr. Scott is American though he was born and raised in India.  He is currently living in Colorado, but if you check out his bio you’ll see that he’s lived and traveled extensively globally his entire life.  Considering the books were published in India and the inclusion of Indonesian, Malaysian and Indian cultures I felt that I was justified in including them.)

For my second archetype think Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Hercules, Matilda, Superman, Bilbo Baggins, Katniss Everdeen, Beowulf, Paul Bunyan…

That’s right, heroes! If you buy into Campbell’s theory, there are some common traits that our heroes tend to share; unusual circumstance surrounding their birth, they often leave their families to live with others, a traumatic event usually leads to their quest, they have some type of special weapon and they receive supernatural help. Go ahead, I’ll give you a minute to think about your favorite hero and see if they fit the archetype 😊

While it could be argued that quite a large percentage of the books I’ve already mentioned have a hero figure (heroes are all around us!) I decided to focus on just one translated book that I found in this category based on a beloved Japanese folk tale, The Adventure of Momotaro, The Peach Boy.

The Adventure of Momotaro, The Peach Boy

As retold by Ralph E. McCarthy

The story is a retelling by author Ralph E. McCarthy and the inside cover clearly states that the English text (the Japanese also appears) is not a direct translation of the Japanese, but rather a retelling of the same story in verse form. McCarthy goes so far to include extensive notes in the back to explain the changes in the versions, something that I found honest and open in the world of translated literature.

As someone who doesn’t read or speak the language the text originally appeared in, we as readers are completely at the mercy of the translator in some regards. (A point I will get back to as this project goes on, trust me) It’s also worth noting that the illustrations were not created for the text, but according to the book were selections from volume 203 of Kodansha no ehon (Kodansha Picture Books) series. (Including two full frontal nude images of young Momotaro, something not often seen in American picture books)

  

The openness of the translation process, the inclusion of actual artwork that was used in Japanese picture books to tell Momotaro’s tale and the popularity of Momotaro as a character in Japan were the driving factors behind my desire to share this book. It seems that Momotaro is one of the most well-known heroes in all of Japanese folklore, inspiring songs, films and countless tales. According to our friends at Wikipedia, “Momotarō is one of the most famous characters in Japan, as an ideal model for young kids for his kind-heartedness, bravery, power, and care for his parents.” Sounds like a hero to me!

(The fact that he eventually, with the help of his friends the pheasant, dog and monkey, defeats the Demon King doesn’t hurt, either).

Additionally, he shares the spotlight with another well-known hero in Japanese folklore, our friend from the other day, Issun Boshi! Like with others in this category, I think the true power of these books is two fold; in the preservation of the tale and the ability share it both in the place it originated and now globally through translation. See, I told you fairy tales and folklore were the best place to start!

And while I can’t include them all, here’s a few more of my favorite translated titles that I would place in this category if you’re interested:

A Well-Mannered Young Wolf by Jean Leroy (especially if you’re a fan of Jan Klassen) 

Mamy Wata and the Monster by Veronique Tadjo (this has been translated into a TON of different languages) 

 

One Stormy Night and One Sunny Day by Yuichi Kimura (this is two books, read One Stormy Night first! Personally I would only “recommend” the first one, but would love to chat about this if anyone else is familiar with them.) 

Silly Mammo: An Ethiopian Tale by Gebregeorgis Yohannes 

The Dance of the Eagle and the Fish by Aziz Nesin (oh my goodness, the artwork!!)

Alright, I think that I’ve hopefully covered plenty of information to flesh out the world of fairy tales and folk lore beyond what we’re so often exposed to. I think one of the reasons that it’s easiest to appreciate these books is because we can see how important they are to the culture they stem from because we have our own versions that are important to us. The use of art and pictures in these books takes that cultural influence one step further, an attribute unique to the picture book genre.

If you’re still with me so far, don’t worry we’re not going to jump right in too far outside of anyone’s comfort zone with our next category. Next up is what I refer to as “The Hits” – stories that have been successful in their originating country and here in the United States via translation. We’ll take a look at both series and individual stand alone books and try determine why some books do better than others. I’ll be back Tuesday to launch a whole new category!

The Art of Folklore Worldwide

One piece of this project that will play a prominent role in nearly all of my categories is the importance of the artwork. We are talking about picture books after all! In a way the art in these books represent a language all their own, one that can also take a little bit of translating sometimes.

To look at the importance of artwork in my section on fairy tales and folklore, I’ve picked multiple books by two different authors. Their approaches and actual art are vastly different which is one of the reasons I felt strongly about sharing them. I’ll admit that on my initial browse the first had me a bit perplexed while the second I adored. After closer inspection and research, the waters were a bit muddied though. I had so much more respect and appreciation for the first, and while I still loved the second it raised more questions than answers. But perhaps I’m getting a bit ahead of myself and should just dive right in!

The Amazing Tree and True Friends by John Kilaka

When I first picked up my copy of John Kilaka’s, The Amazing Tree and then True Friends the art work jumped off the page. It is full of bright bold drawings of animals decked out in bright bold clothing that at first glance made me wonder if perhaps the book had been produced in the late 60’s as I’m pretty sure that’s the only place I’ve ever seen some of those patterns and colors before. 

I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it other than the fact that it definitely got my attention and made me want to read the book and then figure out where it came from and what that might say about the book and its art.

It didn’t take me too long because when I got to the back cover, there was a note from the author that read:

“This story comes from the Fipa tribe of southwest Tanzania. It was told to me and recorded in the Fipa language (my native tongue) on July 2, 2007. I then translated it into Kiswahili. From Kiswahili my son, Kilaka Kenny translated it into simple English. It was then adapted into reading English by North South Books. “ (The Amazing Tree, John Kilaka)

Part of the mystery was solved! Kilaka was born in Tanzania and has spent a good deal of his life traveling the country collecting folk tales from various tribes. If you have a few minutes I highly recommend this article in which he discusses his experiences collecting tales. He notes that the oral nature of these tales means he has to actually find someone who knows the tale which can be challenging and doesn’t always end in a story. The effort by Kilaka, though, now means that these once oral tales will be preserved not just for the people of Tanzania but around the world. That Kilaka further pinpoints the exact tribe the story comes from is important because as the African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania notes “Each ethnic group has a store of myths, legends, folk tales, riddles, proverbs, and sayings that embody culture and tradition and are an important element in Tanzanian cultural heritage.”

While this information gave me a new appreciation for the words of the page it still didn’t quite explain those colorful creatures. 

I quickly discovered that Kilaka had been trained and worked in a specific art style that had originated in Tanzania, Tinga Tinga. It was created by Edward Tingatinga in the late 1960’s and is known for using enamel colors and highly decorative patterns. After Edward’s death, his family created the Tinga Tinga Cooperative to train artists in the style. Only artists that have trained at the cooperative are allowed to be considered Tinga Tinga artists, a list which includes John Kilaka! In this way not only is Kilaka recording the Tanzanian tale but is preserving a style of art with origins and importance to the country as well.

A second and all subsequent read throughs have been strikingly different than my initial impressions because of this understanding. Every time I stop and consider how many hurdles these books had to overcome to end up in my hands I’m a little blown away. No road to publication is easy, but if Kilaka hadn’t stumbled across that one story teller on July 2, 2007 the tale may have never made it outside of that village.

And as I said at the beginning of this post, the artwork is what really brings each of the books to life. It’s also worth noting that Kilaka’s work as a children’s author has twice won him the Peter Pan Silver Star, awarded by IBBY Sweden.

My second author has had his own share of success, winning the Sankei Children’s Book Award, exhibiting at the Bologna International Picture Book Exhibition on multiple occasions and having his work translated into more than half a dozen languages – everything from Polish to Taiwanese! Japanese author and illustrator Taro Miura has thirty-six different books to his credit listed on his home page, including seven that have been translated and published in the United States. It’s his book Tiny King and it’s prequel (which was written and published later), The Big Princess, that fall squarely into my fairy tale category.

The Big Princess by Taro Miura

The Tiny King by Taro Miura

(Kristi's Note: I did a lot of searching but was not able to find the name of the translator for either of these two titles.  This isn't uncommon, unfortunately.  I spoke to one publishing company that told me that it's just translated "in house" so no one is credited.  It's an issue we'll get back to, I promise)

Unlike Kilaka’s work, Miura’s stories are unique, borrowing from common fairy tale elements and tropes (I personally saw quite a few connections to Rupunzel in The Big Princess and the stature of the King could be likened to Thumbelina or Tom Thumb, similar to what we saw in Issun Boshi the other day) that more liken the story to a fairy tale rather than adapt an existing tale. What’s interesting is that there is a connection between the two stories but there is no need to read them in a specific order and you don’t gain any insight by doing so. In fact, I tracked down my copy of The Big Princess only to realize after, when I was adding it to my list and starting some research that Miura had any other titles in English.

Either way, there are commonalities between the two books, most notably the style of the artwork. Both books are decidedly geometric, with the characters almost appearing to be cut-out shapes put together to make one brand new shape. That’s at first glance, but upon closer inspection the nuances are what make all the difference. The swirl on the princess’ dress – the Letter P! (Which changes to the cursive letter “Q” for Queen when she arrives in The Tiny King.)

From Princess

To Queen

 The King is also marked with a letter (K) but it is his left pant leg that’s worth a second look as it is actually a piece of his wedding announcement to the Big Princess. Miura also mixes his cut-out shapes with actual images of objects and black and white sketches in both books. Also especially striking in The Tiny King is the use of color. Until The Big Princess shows up in the Tiny King’s life, everything is dark, all the backgrounds are black and the King himself is usually the most insignificant detail on the page. This shifts dramatically with the future Queen’s arrival to whites, pinks and oranges with the King engaged in the action instead of alone. With these details Miura adds layers to the story without actual words – a rather sophisticated technique that makes this an appealing read for any age.

If I haven’t made it clear with my gushing, I’m definitely a fan of Miura’s work in these two books, and I don’t want to give away too much of the story because these are definitely ones I would suggest reading. Multiple times in fact as I’m still finding new and interesting things to note every time I pick either of them up. But one thing has been gnawing at the back of my brain since I first read both of these books that I want to at least mention. While the geometric figures reminded me vaguely of the paperfolding art, origami, to me there was a decidedly Western feel to the characters represented in the stories. The Princess/Queen struck me as the stereotypical blonde and all the people, from her parents to the children she and the King have white skin. 

There is no diversity and no nod to the culture it hails from. I discussed this with a few of my classmates who are more familiar with Japanese literature and art in the form of anime and they told me that, in their experience, this was somewhat common. After a little further thought on my part I also reasoned that perhaps this was Miura’s nod to the stereotypical representation of characters in modern fairy tales. 

I was almost willing to let it go without mentioning it here, but when I took a look at some of the other examples of Miura’s work via his website I noticed that many of the human characters he depicted were very similar to those in The Tiny King and The Big Princess. What struck me even further was that many of Miura’s books are board books, meaning their very simplistic, with very few words and are mostly pictures, intended for non-readers as a learning tool. It didn’t sit quite right that the earliest exposure some Japanes children might be having via these books would appear to be lacking any form of diversity. Again, I am no expert period but my knowledge of the Japanese publishing industry and what is the norm for the diversity in board books there is pretty much non-existent. I'm in no way suggesting this is "wrong" it just caught my attention.  This could very possibly be par for the course in books published there or maybe I just haven’t seen enough of Miura’s work beyond what I’ve read (I was able to get my hands on two other books of his, Tools and Bum Bum and found similar representation, though there are far fewer human elements in either of these books period.) – I honestly don’t know and as much as it piques my curiosity that is another blog for another day. I do know though that part of this project of mine is to push me to ask questions, think outside the box and sometimes be OK with not having all the answers.

So take my little side note there for what it is – a rabbit hole that I’m not suggesting any of us need to tumble down, just to be aware that it’s there to possibly come back and explore some time in the future. In the meantime, I highly suggest getting your hands on copies of The Tiny King and The Big Princess and see what else you can discover in Miura’s work.

I’ll be back on Friday with the last post in the fairy tale and folklore category where I’ll be taking a closer look at some books that highlight common types of roles we often see characters play in these types of stories.