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Our Own Little Paradise by Marianne Kaurin tr. (from Norwegian) Olivia Lasky

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Apr 2022
2021 German Youth Literature Prize for Best Children’s Book

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“Hints of the Norwegian setting come through in this translation that sheds light on socio-economic disparities. The resolution is satisfyingly happy. Absorbing relationship drama with a convincing protagonist.” KIRKUS

Ina has no plans for the summer. Suddenly, she finds herself lying in front of the entire class, telling them she is going to the Mediterranean for three weeks. And then the lie keeps growing and growing via social media. The only problem is that the new boy in class has moved to Ina’s neighbourhood and he will easily find out that she is not in the Mediterranean. Perhaps the best summer holiday is the one you thought would be the worst?

A warm, believable story about friendship, first love, and social media from Norwegian author Marianne Kaurin.

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The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest by Felix Salten tr. and introduced by Jack Zipes ill. by Alenka Sottler

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Feb 2022

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“We hope this translation will lead a new generation of readers to discover Salten’s book. It’s certainly accessible to children, but adults are more likely to fully appreciate the book’s moving and carefully observed depictions of the natural world, the cycle of life and death, and the threat humans pose to animals.” Anne Savarese, publisher
“It is… firmly lodged in the boomer brain as a child’s tale, which is precisely why this new translation from Princeton University Press is so welcome. Because it turns out that “Bambi” is quite remarkable: a meditation on powerlessness and survival told with great economy and sophistication.” New York Times
“Zipes, a professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota, who has also translated the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, maintains in his introduction that Chambers [original translator]  got “Bambi” almost as wrong as Disney did. Which raises two questions: How exactly did a tale about the life of a fawn become so contentious, and what is it really about?” New Yorker

Most of us think we know the story of Bambi—but do we?

Listen to an interview with the translator, Jack Zipes:

This new, illustrated translation of a literary classic  presents the story as it was meant to be told. For decades, readers’ images of Bambi have been shaped by the 1942 Walt Disney film—an idealised look at a fawn who represents nature’s innocence—which was based on a 1928 English translation of a novel by the Austrian Jewish write,r Felix Salten. This  new translation gives contemporary readers a fresh perspective on a moving allegorical tale and provides important details about its creator.

Originally published in 1923, Salten’s story is more sombre than the adaptations that followed it. Life in the forest is dangerous and precarious, and Bambi learns important lessons about survival as he grows to become a strong, heroic stag. Jack Zipes’ introduction traces the history of the book’s reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution.

With captivating drawings by award-winning artist Alenka Sottler.

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Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba ill. Miho Satake tr. Avery Fischer Udagawa

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 31 Jan 2022
2022 Batchelder Award Winner

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“This imaginative tale, enchantingly written and charmingly illustrated by veteran Japanese creators for young people, has a timeless feel. Its captivating blend of humor and mystery is undergirded with real substance that will provoke deeper contemplation. Udagawa’s translation naturally and seamlessly renders the text completely accessible to non-Japanese readers. An instant classic filled with supernatural intrigue and real-world friendship.” KIRKUS
“In recent years, children’s and young adult fiction have increasingly focused on bleak and dystopic futures, where characters often face nearly insurmountable hurdles and their hard-won victories often feel bittersweet. Temple Alley Summer is a refreshing break from all that, operating on the dreamy and poetic logic of magic realism. The lack of any pop culture references adds a semi-timeless quality to the tale, set in a world where adults can still learn from their mistakes, where kindness and compassion can work the strangest miracles, and where everyone gets a second chance if they believe in themselves.” Strange Horizons
“[The] story-within-a-story is really the key of Temple Alley Summer. It reads more like a Western fairytale than the story of a Japanese elementary schooler. The narrative voice is also completely different from Kazu’s, an impressive feat by Kashiwaba and translator Avery Fischer Udagawa.” Asian Review of Books

The Batchelder Award* is given to the most outstanding children’s book originating 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. The novel was published in the UK last summer but it has taken this award to bring it to ACHUKA’s attention.

From the writer of The Mysterious Village Veiled in Mist, said to have influenced Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away, comes this fantastical and mysterious adventure filled with the living dead, a magical pearl, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko.  The book is beautifully illustrated by Miho Satake.

Kazu knows something odd is going on when — while receiving himself out of an open window — he sees a girl in a white kimono sneak out of his house in the middle of the night. Was he dreaming? Did he see a ghost? Things get even stranger when he shows up to school the next day to see the very same figure sitting in his classroom. No one else thinks it’s weird, and, even though Kazu doesn’t remember ever seeing her before, they all seem convinced that the ghost-girl Akari has been their friend for years!

When Kazu’s summer project to learn about Kimyo Temple draws the meddling attention of his mysterious neighbor Ms. Minakami and his secretive new classmate Akari, Kazu soon learns that not everything is as it seems in his hometown. Kazu discovers that Kimyo Temple is linked to a long forgotten legend about bringing the dead to life, which could explain Akari’s sudden appearance―is she a zombie or a ghost? Kazu and Akari join forces to find and protect the source of the temple’s power. An unfinished story in a magazine from Akari’s youth might just hold the key to keeping Akari in the world of the living, and it’s up to them to find the story’s ending and solve the mystery as the adults around them conspire to stop them from finding the truth.

*Five Batchelder Honor Books also were selected: Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost ; In the Meadow of Fantasies; The Most Beautiful Story”; Sato the Rabbit; The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas.

 

Sato the Rabbit, The Moon by Yuki Ainoya tr. Michael Blaskowsky

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Jan 2021

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“Sato, in text and (gorgeous) pictures, is industrious, curious, experimental, and focused, using the found materials around him to fashion inventions (a curtain made of rain, a rolled-up red carpet made of fallen leaves) that enhance his surroundings and provide an arena for his imagination. In other words, Sato is every child at play.” Horn Book
“The artwork pops with color and texture and depicts beautiful, dreamlike vistas. Sato endears himself to readers; he is inquisitive, clever, and generous… A welcome return.” KIRKUS
“Each episode is over in a few pages, and every one offers kaleidoscopic, pleasingly sensorial images made for dreaming on.” Publishers Weekly

Pastoral and surreal, the seven short tales in this collection are a celebration of the senses, and of the harmony that can exist between a gentle creature such as Sato the Rabbit and the natural world. Whether it’s a pillow of cool, fresh water offered to him for a nap by the spring on a blisteringly hot day, a fragrant floral air float to carry him and his dreams, a hole in his hat, through which he discovers a midsummer forest full of singing cicadas, or a moon basket, nature’s offerings are a bounty to be marveled at and enjoyed. The second book in a whimsical trilogy from Japan, this collection of stories invites readers to embrace the wonders of nature, the transportive power of the senses, and the transformation of the imagination. Because, as Sato shows us, the beauty that we see in the world is actively created by the eyes which perceive it and the imagination that conceives it.

The first Sato The Rabbit title was an ACHUKA Book of the Day last April.

A third, and possibly final, book about Sato — Sato the Rabbit, A Sea of Tea — will be out in the UK this summer.

Follow Yuki Ainoya on Instagram:

Saving Celeste by Timothee de Fombelle ill. Sarah Ardizzone

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“A story that absorbs the reader’s attention.” BfK 5-star review 

In this incredibly moving and powerful story about climate change by one of France’s greatest writers for children, the world is run by !ndustry and the only thing that matters is to buy, buy, buy. People live in crowded cities where cars are stacked vertically and shopping centres run miles into the sky. On the day Celeste starts school on the 110th floor of a tower block, she meets a lonely, young boy. The next day she doesn’t return. Her blood has become as polluted as the seas and rivers. On a mission to save her, the boy battles the forces of !ndustry and takes her far, far away. Will the world realise the truth of Celeste’s disease? Will there be time for her, and the planet, to recover?

The Edelweiss Pirates by Dirk Reinhardt tr. Rachel Ward

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When sixteen-year-old Daniel befriends Josef Gerlach, he feels the old man is haunted by a secret from his past. Sure enough when Josef gives him his teenage diary to read, Daniel discovers a shocking story of rebellion and struggle.

The diary tells how Josef left the Hitler Youth for a gang called The Edelweiss Pirates. Their uniform: long hair and cool clothes. Their motto: freedom!

At first the Pirates are only interested in hanging out and having a good time, but as the situation in Nazi Germany gets worse, they start to plan dangerous missions against Hitler’s regime. Soon they are fighting for their lives.

Sato the Rabbit by Yuki Ainoya tr. Michael & Shizuka Blaskowsky

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Apr 2021

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“In lushly painted, highly immersive vignettes, we’re shown that while Sato wears a costume, his sensory nature has been transformed. The taste of watermelon spreads throughout his body. He cracks a walnut and finds rooms inside. He plucks a cloud from a puddle’s reflection and hangs it over his bed, where he ‘sips stories’ from melted multicolored ice containing the emotions of a fully lived and dreamed life.” NEW YORK TIMES
“Sweet, surreal and contemplative.” KIRKUS
“In a set of seven small vignettes that span the seasons, Sato’s daily activities — watering the garden, doing the laundry, splashing in puddles — turn into magic. Cracking open a walnut reveals an inviting miniature world. Eating a watermelon turns into a seafaring adventure. (“Nothing compares to eating watermelon on the sea.”) Observing a meteor shower leads to a star-collection mission. Paintings in a naive style burst with saturated color — watermelon red, night-sky blue, spring chartreuse.” HORN BOOK

“One day, Haneru Sato became a rabbit. He’s been a rabbit ever since.” With these surrealist, yet matter-of-fact opening lines, we are transported to a world very much like our own, yet one that is imbued with an added dimension of wonder and curiosity. In Sato’s world, ordinary objects and everyday routines can lead to magical encounters: a rain puddle, reflecting the sky, becomes a window that can be opened and peered through. A walnut is cracked open to reveal a tiny home, complete with a bathtub and a comfy bed. During a meteor shower, Sato catches stars in a net, illuminating the path home for a family taking an evening walk. This whimsical tale is the first in a trilogy from Japan.

 

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Yuki Ainoya is Japanese and studied  painting at the Tama Art University Faculty of Art and Design. She was the winner of the the Crayon House Children’s Book Grand Prize in 1990 and the 12th Japanese Children’s Book Award in 2007 for the original Japanese edition of this book.

This translated version is published by Enchanted Lion Books, an independent children’s book publisher based in Brooklyn, New York publishing illustrated books from around the world.

A fascinating and richly illustrated discussion with the book’s translating team:
Part One
Part Two

Agnes’s Place by Marit Larsen ill. Jenny Lovlie tr. Kari Dickson

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Mar 2021

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“The text and illustrations work in tandem to bring the magic of apartment living and new friendship to life. Shapes, lines and colors create movement and a strong visual throughline, helping readers’ eyes navigate detailed illustrations full of the messy, vibrant elements of life. Patterns and textures add another layer of cozy charm…A love letter to new friendships and apartment living.” KIRKUS

Agnes knows she is at home before she even opens her eyes in the morning. The sounds and smells and people swirl around her—she always knows what everyone is up to in the tight-knit apartment building where she lives. But she also knows what it is like to be the only child in a place full of adults who never have time.

So when a little girl moves in to the building, Agnes is excited and sends her a subtle message. But the girl doesn’t respond. Then things start to change around Agnes’s place—and Agnes knows exactly who is to blame. It seems like the girl is interested in everyone except for Agnes!

Will Agnes and the new girl ever meet? And what secrets does the new girl hold? First published in Norway, this is a lovely story about home and belonging and how one person can transform our world.

There are occasional textual stumblings in the way this book has been copyedited but these are more than compensated for by the general drift of the story and particularly by Jenny Lovlie’s splendid artwork.
Find out more about the illustrator: https://www.achuka.co.uk/blog/meet-an-illustrator-7-jenny-lovlie/

Marit Larsen is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. This is her first book.

 

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The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones ill. Joanna Concejo

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ACHUKA Book of the Year 2021
ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Mar 2021

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“In a time of uncertainty, stagnation, and grief, Tokarczuk and Concejo offer consolation—that we too might stop and recognize what is enough, endure our own “peaceful winters,” and possibly let go of the craving for more than that.” World Literature Today
“it was the illustrator’s idea to personify the soul as a young girl, and to represent the growth of the man’s soul in pots full of plants, notably tumbling geraniums.” Guardian

‘Once upon a time there was a man who worked very hard and very quickly, and who had left his soul far behind him long ago. In fact his life was all right without his soul – he slept, ate, worked, drove a car and even played tennis. But sometimes he felt as if the world around him were flat, as if he were moving across a smooth page in a math book that was covered in evenly spaced squares…’

“The tender illustrations offer fine details that sink deep into the memory.” Annie Proulx
“Tokarczuk and Concejo offer their readers another way to see the velocity of days, the grace in waiting, and time itself. Turning Concejo’s pages of wonderful drawings gave me a much-needed pause, and a reassuring perspective on loss, patience, and reward.” Leanne Shapton

The Lost Soul is a deeply moving reflection on our capacity to live in peace with ourselves, to remain patient and attentive to the world. It is a story that beautifully weaves together the voice of the Nobel Prize-winning Polish novelist Olga Tokarczuk and the finely detailed pen-and-ink drawings of illustrator Joanna Concejo, who together create a parallel narrative universe full of secrets, evocative of another time.

Follow Joanna Concego on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannaconcejo/

The Night Walk by Marie Dorléans

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 25 Jan 2021

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Translated from French; the original edition won the prestigious Prix Landerneau in the best children’s picture book category.

Mama opened our bedroom door. “Come on, you two,” she whispered. “We need to go now, to get there on time.” Excited, the sleepy family step outside into a beautiful summer evening. They’ve entered a night-time world, quiet and shadowy, filled with fresh smells and amazing sights. Is this what they miss when they’re asleep? Together, they walk out of their sleeping village. What will they find in the dark landscape? This beautiful and evocative book movingly recalls family trips and the excitement of unknown adventure, while celebrating the awe-inspiring power of the natural world.

Hear Marie read from a previous picture book, The Epic Race, in the original French:

Marie Dorléans studied Art and History of Art at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France. She graduated in 2010 and has worked as a children’s book illustrator since then.