Art Appreciation

Up to this point, I’ve tried to be diplomatic in choosing what and how I’m sharing specific books.  Like any reader, I have likes and dislikes and I don’t want that to skew the way that I’m presenting any of these titles.

But finally, it’s my turn to share some of the books that I’ve fallen hard for along this journey!  Over the next three posts, I’d like to share a few of the titles that stood out to me the most.  They are ones that I would offer to anyone as “recommended reading” to show off why we need to give translated titles more respect than they usually receive.  Here’s a quick reminder of what I originally envisioned for this category:

Have you ever read a book, closed the back cover and had this mixed up sense of sadness because it was over, joy because you’d found something that spoke to you for some reason (with a twist of confusion sometimes for the inability to pinpoint exactly what it was), frustration that it’s taken you to this point in your life to find the book in the first place and eagerness to share your discovery with everyone and anyone you can find?  That’s what these books were for me.  Some made me laugh, some made me think, a few touched my heart with their message and a number of them amazed me with their creativity and effort.  The other thing that they all had in common was my sadness that it took me doing this project to even find them in the first place!  But true to form that didn’t keep me down for long and I quickly realized the opportunity I now had to share these titles with others. 

These first three books, what struck me the most was the art, and how it played with what the usual notion of what a picture book is.  So without further ado, here are four titles that earned my personal thumbs up!

Don’t Cross The Line

By: Isabel Minho Martins

Illustrated by: Bernardo P. Carvalho

Translated by: Daniel Hahn

This book that made it’s way to the United States from Portugal in 2016 from co-founders of the publishing house Planeta Tangerina, Isabel Minho Martins and Bernardo P. Carvalho plays with the conventions of picture book format by creatively using the gutter (centerfold) of the book as a story-telling technique.  I wouldn’t quite classify it as a wimmelbook but it has a similar “seek and find” element with its utilization of characters.  All of the characters are represented on the inside cover, their individual journey can be followed through the story, and then they are pictured again on the back cover with their encounters during the journey changing how they are then illustrated.  It’s a unique concept, similar to what I noticed in some of my wordless selections as well as the Welcome to Mamoko series.

While it was the bright colors, unique characters and comic book-like speech bubbles that first caught my eye, the power of the story is perhaps what bumped it up on my “must list.” It has received multiple awards, including its German translation being awarded the 2017 award for Best Picture Book for its ability to be a “critic to authority and highlight, on one hand, its universal subject, and on the other hand the individuality of each character.” The award went on to note it is a “phenomenal parody to the forces of authority and to the abuse of political power.” This is a book that is relevant in today’s world, providing readers with a representation of the power of a peaceful protest against unrestricted power, without being heavy-handed about doing so. Parallels can be drawn without the story becoming purely didactic.

For more information about the features of the book, the creation of the characters, and even a podcast with Martins and Carvalho, check out the website All The Wonders that did an extensive series of posts on Don’t Cross The Line. Additionally, you can check out the Planeta Tangerina website for other titles they have, as they were awarded the 2013 'Best European Children's Publisher' at the Bologna Children's Book Fair and they have many translated titles to choose from.

Lindbergh: The Tale of the Flying Mouse

By: Torben Kuhlmann

Translated by Suzanne Levesque

If you’re a fan of An American Tail, you won’t want to miss this one! You may recognize some of the similarities beyond both the main characters being mice.

From Germany, debut author/illustrator Torben Kuhlmann gave me a book I gushed about to anyone that would listen when I first came across it. It is longer than the average picture book, as well as larger size-wise. Kuhlmann breaks the book into “Chapters” that are each separated by gorgeous two-page spread illustrations. The story begins in Germany, which an observant reader may notice not only in the text but through posters and newspapers being written in German, then shifting to English when the story transitions to America. It was these important details that made me linger over the pages of this book.

The story is that of a little mouse, who in fear of the forces of evil (owls!) invading his homeland, decides he has no choice but to flee. He crafts his own flying machine (which seem to owe at least part of their inspiration to Da Vinci, a reader may note) to escape. Landing on the shores of America, his trans-Atlantic flight earns him a hero’s welcome. The last illustration is of a young boy reading one of the posters about the mouse’s journey, and a reader is left to wonder if this young hero may grow up to be the first human to solo across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh.

There is so much going on in this book and so many ideas to explore further. The use of light and dark play in the illustrations, the historical context, the idea of having to leave your home behind, flight, adventure and inspiration all jump to mind right away as ways of sharing this book with young readers as what’s there beyond the story. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but Kuhlmann brought the mouse back in 2016 with a follow-up adventure, Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon, and I imagine it may offer another unique perspective on history through a different set of eyes.

Drawing from the City

By: Saalai Selvam for original text, based on the oral stories of the Illustrator

Illustrated by: Tejubehan

Translated by: V. Geetha and Gita Wolf

Published in Iran by Tara Books in 2012, this story was originally written in Tamil based on the oral stories of the life of the illustrator, Tejubehan. The book itself is exquisite, larger than an average picture book. I loved being able to run my fingers across the black and white drawings to feel the ink on the pages on the handmade pages of paper. I was hooked after one look at the bright orange cover filled with Tejubehan’s unique drawings which are so intricate and detailed, composed mostly of a line and dot style which Tejubehan taught herself.

The art is accompanied by a simple, straight-forward text telling the story of young Teju’s early life in her village, where she grew up very poor. Her family leaves their village for the city, hoping to find work. For three years she lives on the outskirts of the city, in a tent community, until her family marries her to a man named Ganeshbhai, a singer. Her new husband encourages her to sing with him, even though women do not sing in public. Together they earn money singing together, eventually moving to Mumbai. They are eventually forced to move back home, where Ganeshbhai learns drawing, which he then also encourages Teju to try, which she finds liberating and she begins to draw scenes of the city and women around her.

The end pages of the book also contain actual photographic images of Tejubehan and Ganeshbhai, giving further details of their story and the inspiration behind Drawing from the City. In addition to the art, what really stood out to me was the sense of female empowerment. This is incredibly noteworthy, especially given the culture that Tejubehan comes from which is represented in the text through details such as “Ma and Pa decide that it is time to get me married” and “women in our community don’t sing in public.” As the blog, Brainpickings notes “the story is really a feminist story — a vision for women’s liberation in a culture with oppressive gender norms and limiting social expectations. In envisioning the woman of the city — biking, driving, flying — Tejubehan is really envisioning what it might be like to live in a world where to be female means to be free to move and free to just be.”

This may be a difficult book to get your hands on (Tara Books has it listed as out of print, but you are able to order it through Amazon currently) and it is a tad pricier than an average picture book, but in terms of the beautifully made book and empowering story, it was a must to add to my bookshelves. I have actually been awed by quite a few books that I’ve read published by Tara Books, (The Peacock With A Fiery Tail and Kanchil stories by Nathan Kumar Scott are up there among my favorites as well) so if you’re looking for other suggestions you may check out their website.

In addition to these favorites of mine, here are a few others that I think are worthy of Honorable Mentions in terms of their art:

The Big Adventure of a Little Line

By: Serge Bloch

For more details about this French book, check out this great interview with the author, Serge Bloch, courtesy of one of my favorite websites about international picture books, Picturebook Makers.

My Two Blankets

By: Irena Kobald

Illustrated by: Freya Blackwood

Though not technically translated since it came from Australia, the use of color to tell the story of Cartwheel, who must move to a new country due to war in her homeland, is just one of the details that moved this one up near the top of my list.  The story itself, tackling issues such as cultural displacement, loneliness, and friendship, makes it a great choice to share with kids in today’s world as well.

A Blue So Blue

By: Jean-François Dumont

Translated by: Michel Bourque

This is a far departure from the barnyard animals we encountered in Dumont’s other works in the controversy category. The little boy in the story’s quest to find the perfect shade of blue he dreamt of is accompanied by gorgeous illustrations from locations around the world.

I honestly could go on as I have found so much beautiful art from around the world, much of it representative of the culture it was created by.  While I know I originally thought that using picture books would make this whole project easier to tackle, I have been overwhelmed by how many different ideas it made me consider.  I have gained an entirely new level of respect for the picture book industry as not just being intended for young readers.

Now that we’ve had a chance to look at some of my favorites for their artwork, I’ll be back here on Friday to discuss a few storylines I loved.  See you then!