October Web Round-up

Welcome to October’s web round-up of all things World Kid Lit. As always, if you see anything we’ve missed, please get in touch to let us know: worldkidlit@gmail.com

News

Daniel Hahn receives OBE for services to literature. Find out more about initiatives Daniel Hahn has been involved in on our blog post here.

POEMS THE WIND BLEW IN by Karmelo C. Iribarren, translated by Lawrence Schimel wins Highly Commended Award in the The Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA) – the first translated title to be nominated for the award.

Batchelder Award Call for Submissions
The Batchelder Award is awarded to a United States publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originating in a country other than the United States and in a language other han English and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States during the preceding year. Please consider suggesting a title to the committee for consideration. Visit the Batchelder Award page for more details.

Applications for the new Acción Cultural Española grants are open until 15/11. The grants promote Literary Translation from Spanish into English, German, French, Dutch and Italian. It was confirmed at the Frankfurt Book Fair that funding is available for children’s and young adult books, including graphic novels and illustrated books.

Amazon Crossing Kids acquired Magic Candies, written and illustrated by 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Baek Heena and translated from Korean by Sophie Bowman (Publishers Weekly)

White Ravens 2020 – the International Youth Library in Germany published its annual selection of the best of international children’s and youth literature

Articles, books and interviews

Children’s Literature in Translation: Texts and Contexts, edited by Jan Van Coillie and Jack McMartin (Leuven University Press). Spanning the disciplines of Children’s Literature Studies and Translation Studies, this book brings together established and emerging voices to provide an overview of the analytical, empirical and geographic richness of current research in this field and to identify and reflect on common insights, analytical perspectives and trajectories for future interdisciplinary research. Free download available.

Reading Outside Your Comfort Zone by Laura Simeon, including a selection of YA books that will give many readers a chance to explore and grow beyond their usual parameters.

Kirkus Reviews author interview: Laura Simeon interviews Marjorie Agosín, Chilean author of The Maps of Memory: Return to Butterfly Hill (translated from Spanish by Alison Ridley and illustrated by Lee White; pub. Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum, Sept 2020)

Chinese Books for Young People: interview with translator Nicky Harman about her translation of Huang Beijia’s novel Flight of the Bumblebee [Originally published in China]

Chinese Books for Young People: Li Dongxiang on young female characters in Chinese children’s literature

Book Reviews

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands by Sonia Nimr, trans. from Arabic by Marcia Lynx Qualey (Publishers Weekly)

Honey on the Page: A Treasury of Yiddish Children’s Literature ed. & tr. Miriam Udel, ill. Paula Cohen (New York University Press). Reviewed by Achuka and the Atlanta Jewish Times

Global Literature in Libraries Initiative (GLLI) #WorldKidLitWednesdays:

• The Sages of Chelm and the Moon, written by Shlomo Abas, illustrated by Omer Hoffmann, translated from the Yiddish by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann (Green Bean Books). Review by Nanette McGuinness
• Maresi Red Mantle (Pushkin Press) / Red Mantle (Abrams), written by Maria Turtschaninoff, translated from the Swedish by A. A. Prime. Review by Nanette McGuinness
• Piglettes written by Clémentine Beauvais, translated from French by the author (Pushkin Press). Review by Laura Taylor
• The Casket of Time Written by Andri Snær Magnason, Translated from the Icelandic by Björg Arnadóttir and Andrew Cauthery (Restless Books). Review by Nanette McGuinness

Some Days by María Wernicke, translated by Lawrence Schimel (Amazon Crossing Kids). Review by The Children’s Book Review. Also reviewed by Outside in World.

The Girl from the Sea and Other Stories by Sophia De Mello Breyner Andresen, translated from Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa & Robin Patterson (Young Dedalus). Review by Outside in World

Middle Grade and Chapter Book Reading Recommendations Reviews by Claire Storey

INK KNOWS NO BORDERS: POEMS OF THE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE EXPERIENCE
Edited by Patrice Vecchione and Alyssa Raymond (Seven Stories Press). Review by Claire Storey

Welsh YA in Translation – three books by Myrddin ap Dafydd, translated by Susan Walton (Carreg Gwalch). Reviews by Claire Storey

Every Color of Light by Hiroshi Osada, illustrated by Ryoji Arai, translated from Japanese by David Boyd (Enchanted Lion). Reviewed by Susan Dove Lempke at Horn Book.

The Clever Mouse, written and illustrated by Anahita Teymorian, translated from Farsi by Azita Rassi (Tiny Owl Books). Review by The Library Mouse Tales

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap, translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson (Charlesbridge; also published in UK as Lampie by Pushkin Press). Review by Publishers Weekly 

Planet Picture Book: Laura Taylor reviews three books by authors from Jamaica

Virtual events: recordings of past events

The e-book launch of Water Birds on the Lakeshore Afro YA Short Story Project
Zukiswa Wanner in conversation with Fatma Shafii, Howard Meh-Buh and Yamikani Mlangiza with readings in English and kiSwahili.

Never Grow Up: Dutch Children’s Books in Translation
Join award-winning authors Annet Schaap, Edward van de Vendel and Jef Aerts, along with translator Laura Watkinson, moderated by Carmen Boston, Children’s Librarian, DC Public Library.

American Literary Translators Association Conference (ALTA43)
Children’s Literature in Translation: Beyond Three Percent 
Daniel Hahn, Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, and David Jacobson will discuss efforts to promote the translation of children’s literature, as well as the challenges that remain. Chaired by Mia Spangenberg.

Mother Tongue Twisters #Translation Thursday Mohini Gupta in conversation with Dipa Chaudhuri & Puneet Gupta talking about the translation of the Asterix comics into Hindi.

Folktales Sans Moonlight: Writing for Today’s African Children
Aké Books and Art Festival 2020
On this panel, Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi explores how writers can continue to feed the imagination of African children, in an environment that is evolving technologically. Deborah Ahenkorah, Sarah Odedina and Victoria Inegbedion will look at ways to rebuild the children’s book industry.

Off the Shelf Festival – Little Wise Wolf with Hanneke Siemensma, Gijs van der Hammen and Laura Watkinson. Recording available until 7 November

CLPE Podcast Ep2: The importance of Poetry in schools & CLiPPA 2020 with Zaro Weil & Lawrence Schimel (translator of POEMS THE WIND BLEW IN which was awarded a Highly Commended prize)

Yiddish Children’s Literature Today: discussion of Honey on the Page and contemporary Yiddish children’s writing at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Romania Rocks: Illustration workshop with Axel Scheffler based on a short story by Romanian writer and translator Florin BicanAvailable on the #RomaniaRocks Youtube channel.

Upcoming Events

YA Studies Around the World
2-6 November 2020
The YA Studies Association’s first biennial conference explores recent critical developments in YA Studies from around the world. Particularly of note is the round-table on YA in Translation on 3 November at 18:00 GMT, involving Reham Almutairi, Lawrence Schimel, Marcia Lynx Qualey, Claire Storey and Nanette McGuinness. Free to attend by registering here.

Picture Book Week in Spain and virtual FÓRUM EL ÁLBUM EN EL AULA 2020 (in Spanish)
12-14 November 2020
Una oportunidad para descubrir todo lo que el álbum ilustrado puede aportar en la educación de la sensibilidad artística y literaria así como en el fomento de la lectura.
Más info aquí.

World Kid Lit LIVE #3: Arabic children’s books and YA in translation

25 November 2020: full details to follow on this blog and our @worldkidlit social media (twitter, FB, instagram)

For translators

The Voyage YA Journal. A journal dedicated to inclusive Young Adult writing. Editor Raquel Henry has confirmed translations will be considered – be sure to check your permissions first!

John Dryden Translation Competition Prizes will be awarded for the best unpublished literary translations from any language into English. Literary translation includes poetry, prose, or drama from any period. Confirmed that submissions of texts for children and young adults will be accepted. Closing date 8 February 2021.

New releases for November

Children’s and YA books in translation:

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins, translated by Larissa Helena ~ Scholastic USA ~ Ebook available [Originally in Brazilian Portuguese]

The Day Saida Arrived by Susana Gómez Redondo, illustrated by Sonja Wimmer, translated by Lawrence Schimel ~ Blue Dot Kids USA [Originally in Spanish]. Watch Lawrence Schimel reading online here.

Grandparents by Chema Heras, illustrated by Rosa Osuna, translated by Elisa Amado ~ Greystone Kids Canada [Originally in Spanish]

Bigger Than a Dream by Jef Aerts, translated by David Colmer ~ Levine Querido [Originally in Dutch]

The Elevator by Yael Frankel, translated by Kit Maude ~ Tapioca Stories [Originally published in Argentina in Spanish]

Some Days by María Wernicke, translated by Lawrence Schimel ~ Amazon Crossing Kids [Originally in Spanish]