World Kid Lit Month: Retranslating a Classic

Pinocchio. The Little Prince. The Little Mermaid. All of these stories have been translated into English not once, but many times (from Italian, French, and Danish, respectively). Children’s literature includes an array of classic works available in multiple translations, perfected at different times by different translators for different audiences. 

Multiple translations are a bounty for readers, who can explore and compare their favorite books in various forms. This translation might be quieter, that one more dramatic, another one set at a brisk tempo, and still another one more andante.

I have learned that actually performing a retranslation gets me a bit, well, nervosa. As I was translating Sachiko Kashiwaba’s Kiri no mukō no fushigi na machi as The Village Beyond the Mist for US release in 2025, I thought constantly about a predecessor: The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist, translated by Christopher Holmes and published in Japan in 1987. 

The Holmes translation published by Kodansha. Note the translator cover credit!

Though never distributed internationally before going out of print, this translation has become a collector's item available both abroad and at home. I owned a copy myself before giving it to an editor more than ten years ago, when I was pitching Kashiwaba’s work for publication in the US. The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist was then the only full translation of a Kashiwaba novel from Japanese into English.

After my pitching succeeded and I translated two of the author's relatively recent novels, Restless Books asked me to retranslate Village, Kashiwaba-san's debut work from 1975. I was flattered and excited to work with the book that is easily her best-known in Japan; I had seen Japanese readers approach her at events in Washington, DC and Hong Kong, asking her to sign their childhood copies. This past summer, I saw the same scene unfold in New York.

With Sachiko Kashiwaba (left) and a reader holding her long-treasured copy of Kiri no mukō no fushigi na machi, Japan Society, New York, 27 June 2025

But as I translated, I felt wary of being compared to Holmes and found wanting—or worse, derivative. I loved the title of his translation, and I didn’t know if I dared reread the rest lest I be influenced. I completely missed that I was influenced already—for throughout my translation, I used the word mist for kiri 霧, when this could just as correctly be translated as fog.

The thought did not even strike me until months after publication, so strong was the Marvelous magic!

I do invite readers to compare the Holmes translation to mine now, partly to appreciate how no two human translations are alike. For seven iterations of a Translation Day event in SCBWI Japan, we also conveyed this through a workshop; the resulting translations show how a passage in the hands of six or nine or ten translators turns into as many faithful interpretations.

In this sense, translation is akin to illustration. Next week, I will share about the illustrators I have encountered along the path of translating Sachiko Kashiwaba.

Avery Fischer Udagawa’s translations include the 2022 Batchelder Award-winning novel Temple Alley Summer, the 2024 Batchelder Honor book The House of the Lost on the Cape, and new release The Village Beyond the Mist, all authored in Japanese by Sachiko Kashiwaba. Avery works in international education north of Bangkok and volunteers as SCBWI Global Translator Coordinator.

World Kid Lit Month: Taking a Translation on Tour

We don’t often associate translated children’s books with book tours—or at least I didn’t, until going on tour this year!

In New York at the Japan Society, 27 June 2025. From left: moderator Peter Tatara, myself, author Sachiko Kashiwaba, interpreter Mari Morimoto

So much may seem to stand in the way of a tour for a translation: The author may live a hemisphere away, or not speak the local language, or both. The book may have been published by a small or specialized press with limited marketing funds. Internationalism itself may be under attack in the new market.

Seen another way, of course, these are excellent reasons to launch a translation with a series of in-person events—both to help the book stand out and to affirm in the public square that "we are not alone on this globe," to quote Betsy Bird. There is nothing like real-life interaction to bring #worldkidlit and readers together.

At the Japan Society, 27 June 2025

The middle grade novel Kiri no mukō no fushigi na machi (霧のむこうのふしぎな町) by Sachiko Kashiwaba has been a fixture in Japanese bookstores and households for fifty years. Published in 1975, it both launched the author’s career and found an enduring place in the cultural zeitgeist. Hayao Miyazaki’s 1995 film Whisper of the Heart includes a scene where a character reads the book, and its influence is subtle yet unmistakable in the 2001 blockbuster Spirited Away. 

I was honored to translate this eight-chapter classic on the occasion of its half-century anniversary. It was sobering to consider, however, that this title loved by three generations in its home country is still brand-new in mine. When publisher Restless Books obtained a grant to work with Page One Media and send both Kashiwaba-san and me on a tour of several US cities, I wondered if "my" author would be greeted with empty venues.

At the Japan Society, 27 June 2025

I soon learned, like many before me, that not every venue would be sold-out. Not one was empty, however—thank goodness!—and each offered the chance to connect with a particular set of readers.

`At the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Mass., an event about The Village Beyond the Mist flowed into a showing of Spirited Away, affording interaction with a mixed crowd of bibliophiles and anime lovers, expertly moderated by Kalyani Saxena. At the Chatham Square branch of the New York Public Library in Chinatown, the function room buzzed with young people encouraged to attend by a passionate youth-services librarian. The author Kate Milford took part and asked keen questions of Kashiwaba-san, one prolific fantasy and mystery writer to another.

At the Coolidge Corner Theatre with book critic Kalyani Saxena moderating, 24 June 2025

At the Chatham Square Library with Greenglass House author Kate Milford moderating, 25 June 2025

At the Brooklyn Public Library’s Kensington Branch, we met fellow kidlit creatives, one who even came in cosplay. At the stately Japan Society in Manhattan, a line of Japanophiles including a brand-new graduate stretched across the lobby. 

At the Kensington Library, 26 June 2025

At the Japan Society, 27 June 2025

At the American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia, we met more heroic librarians—and had a surprise visit from author-illustrator Grace Lin, who was there to launch The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon.

In Philadelphia at ALA Annual, with Grace Lin, 29 June 2025

Finally, at the historic Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif., we encountered multiple families with two generations present. This was a present.

At Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, 1 July 2025

The larger crowds helped me feel we had truly welcomed an accomplished author. The smaller crowds afforded more time to take questions, speak with attendees in the signing line, pose for selfies, and otherwise make personal connections. Anecdotally, I would say the smaller events led to more moments when a casual participant became eager to explore not only Village, but also the backlist titles we had on hand—and even to pick up extra signed copies for friends and relatives.

I learned a few other things on tour that may help colleagues on similar adventures.

First, a multi-city junket is intense! Pace yourself. Half-days of downtime are golden!

Second, it’s key for you to boost and spread the word about your appearances—even if, as in our case, the publisher and a PR firm are shouting them out in addition to the venues. If you are the translator, you are more likely than the author to have family, friends, colleagues, friends of friends, family of colleagues, etc. in the target market. Our tour did not include a stop in my home region, but I would like to add one in the future to connect with more loved ones and longtime acquaintances.

Third, as the translator, you may need to prepare to act as the tour operator, so to speak. Though the hotels, flight, and trains on our tour were blessedly booked for us, I needed to create an itinerary for the author and think frequently about our meals, ground transportation, and communication with the venues and lodgings, since the author was new to those settings and faced a language barrier. This might be the kind of work for which a stipend could be proposed in advance.

Fourth, if you work as a literary translator but not as an interpreter (are more versed in writing than extemporaneous public speaking), avail yourself of a professional interpreter’s services at events, if feasible. The interpreter can convey the author's remarks and responses to questions, freeing you to focus on speaking as yourself, a creative partner in the translated edition of the book. My brain worked overtime at the events where I both spoke and took questions on literary translation, and interpreted the author's statements and responses to questions about authorship, which I relayed to her. Referring back to the first takeaway: a tour is intense!

Next Thursday, I will share about another first-time experience: translating a novel that has been translated before.

The tour described in this post was made possible by a generous grant from the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation of the Marin Community Foundation. 

Avery Fischer Udagawa’s translations include the 2022 Batchelder Award-winning novel Temple Alley Summer, the 2024 Batchelder Honor book The House of the Lost on the Cape, and new release The Village Beyond the Mist, all authored in Japanese by Sachiko Kashiwaba. Avery works in international education north of Bangkok and volunteers as SCBWI Global Translator Coordinator.

We're Almost Halfway Through World Kid Lit Month 2023!

Time flies! We’re almost halfway through #WorldKidLitMonth 2023! More and more people and organisations are joining in, and it’s brilliant to see #WorldKidLitMonth on social media, in the news, in the press, on the radio. If you’re new to World Kid Lit Month, we recommend jumping into our website worldkidlit.org and having a good nosy around. When something catches your attention, keep going, follow the links and see where it takes you. Enjoy!

Here’s a quick run through of our blog posts so far this month!

1 Sept: Welcome to World Kid Lit Month 2023

WKL team: However old you are, this is the month to explore the world by the kid lit express. Children’s and YA books are for everyone, and we can think of no better way to explore the world beyond our borders and beyond our own language.

4 Sept: There is a Map in this Book!

Paula Holmes: I always find it interesting what brings joy. For me, maps have that gift. Any type, atlases, historical maps, folded maps, huge maps on floors. I am extremely partial to ones in books. Maybe my love of maps comes from a childhood of seeing the world through library books.  A map in a book, whether based on fact or fiction, brings incredible excitement as it puts me into the story, I am the navigator! A map can tell a story of a journey between two kingdoms, demonstrate the topography of a small city that was devastated by a tsunami, or describe the story of one intersection in Seoul, South Korea through generations of tailors. 

5 Sept: World Kid Lit Art: A Book-smeller’s Perspective

Georgia Wall: I have a vivid memory of Mrs. Mills, my owl-like primary school teacher, telling me in Reception class that the first time you hold a book you should always take time to sniff it out and maybe, secretly, taste it. What a fun, wonderful way to encourage everyone to try picking up a book! In this post I wanted to share a few of my favourite stories that also appeal to a range of senses and I hope, readers: books that invite you to pronounce words in a different language, that encourage you to grab a crayon or come up with your own creative response; books that beg to be touched and smelled and devoured over and over. If you’re also a book-smeller I hope you’ll find something you love!

8 Sept: More than Math

Jackie Friedman Mighdoll: My kids love math – numbers, patterns, logic, coding! Since they were little, I’ve looked for stories that naturally include math concepts. There are plenty of counting books out there, but we’ve found the best math books do more than just count. They provide a variety of ways to engage young listeners and make them think – about the numbers and more. Today I highlight one classic and two new math picture books from Japan, Norway, and India.

7 Sept: Childhood Through the Eyes of an African Child

Ayo Oyeku: Africa is not a country. It's a continent comprised of over fifty countries blessed with different languages, landscapes, rivers, national treasures, cultures, traditions, and shades of brown and black. In the popular tale of the blind men and an elephant, we are treated to a funny yet riveting story of how each blind man described the elephant based on which part they touched. Africa, often times, is like the proverbial elephant. In this review, we will be taking a journey across East, West and South Africa. Leaning on beautifully told and generously crafted stories for children. With the eye of the protagonist, we will explore what childhood means to children across Africa.

11 Sept: Picture Books Teaching Children about Conflict and War

Charlotte Graver: Discussing topics such as war, conflict and societal upheaval with children can be difficult, with many opting to tell their children as little as possible to preserve their innocence and others choosing to ignore the topic all together. Whilst each approach should be respected, the problem with allowing this topic to become a taboo is that it does not reflect contemporary society wherein the effects of war are ever present. // It is therefore a good idea to gently introduce the topic to children from a young age, and literature can be the perfect vehicle to help achieve this. From autobiographically reflecting upon the events of war to hypothetically outlining its causes, books can help guide us in raising such a complex topic.

12 Sept: Girl Power!
Catherine Leung: My daughter has always enjoyed reading stories with strong female characters, even from a very young age, and one of her early favourites was the story of Chinese legendary folk heroine Mulan, who she admired in a picture book long before ever watching the Disney film. Even before she could read, she looked at the pictures so much the pages are now all falling out! // Strong female protagonists – whether they challenge stereotypes, are powerful, dreamy, funny, clumsy, flawed, independent thinkers, or possess an unusual talent – all have the power to inspire the next generation of readers as soon as they are old enough to hold a book!

Pinned to the top of the blog throughout the year is:

The 2023 List: Children’s and YA Books in Translation

WKL team: Here at Project World Kid Lit, we keep track of published translations for young readers. Here’s the 2023 list. // We compile this list to help readers find translated children’s & young adult books from around the world, whether it’s for a school or family reading project, or to celebrate #WorldKidLitMonth in September. It's arranged by publisher. // This year, so far, we know of over 200 books translated into English from 26 languages: Arabic, Bengali, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. // If you know of any titles we’re missing, please send us the details. (We’re looking for children’s and YA titles publishing in 2023, that were translated into English from any language, anywhere).

This is the second of four posts by the World Kid Lit team this September! Read all four posts!

It’s September! Welcome to World Kid Lit Month!

We're Almost Halfway Through World Kid Lit Month 2023!

A World of Ways to Explore World Literature for Young Readers

World Kid Lit Month 2023 - September is such a full month!

Helen Wang is a UK-based translator of children's literature from Chinese to English. Her best known translation is the novel Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan, winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, 2016. She runs the blog Chinese Books for Young Readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#UkrainianKidLit and #UkrainianLit Picks

As all eyes turn to Ukraine, many of us find ourselves seeking Ukraine-born books for children, ourselves, or both. Two hashtags and two groups can help.

On Twitter, #UkrainianKidLit leads to a selection of children's books authored in Ukrainian, translated into English, and published by the likes of Chronicle, Enchanted Lion, and Tate, posted by (especially) Project World Kid Lit—the collective behind World Kid Lit Month in September. Standout Ukrainian titles not yet published in English are also viewable. 

Stars and Poppy Seeds by Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv, translated from the Ukrainian by Oksana Lushchevska, published by Tate (UK) and Abrams (US).

Also on Twitter, #UkrainianLit leads to books authored in Ukrainian and translated into English for adults, some of which may interest teens, posted by (especially) the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative—the collective behind the GLLI Translated YA Book Prize.

Further reading can be found, and shared, by slotting other nations into the hashtags and visiting:

Project World Kid Lit

Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

My name is Avery Fischer Udagawa, and I am honored to be blogging global reads this month on Thursdays. I serve as SCBWI Translator Coordinator (see Translation in SCBWI) and SCBWI Japan Translator Coordinator (see Ihatov). I live near Bangkok.

On Men in Translation: A Guest Post by Avery Udagawa

#WorldKidLit Month image (c) Elina Braslina 

A #WorldKidLit Month and International Translation Day post. 

Earlier this year, I published a post called On Women in Translation, which showed that

• Prominent translations for US children feature women authors, from western cultures; and
• Translations for US children are vanishingly few.

To find out about prominent translations for US children, I had looked at winners of the ALSC Batchelder Award, which for fifty years has garlanded translations for children published in the US.

In today’s post, I would like to share findings about a group I could not introduce fully in that post: male authors of prominent translations for US children. Here is what I found.

Prominent Translations for US Children by Male Authors Also Tend to Come from Western Cultures

Using exactly fifty years’ worth of Batchelder data, I found (click to enlarge):

Authors of Batchelder Award Winners by Gender

Languages of Male Authors of Batchelder Award Winners, by Region

Over fifty years, 1968-2018, 46% of Batchelder Award titles were authored by men. Of these, 83% were written in European languages.

Note: Language can belie culture of origin. Rafik Schami, author in German of A Hand Full of Stars, 1991 Batchelder winner, grew up in Syria and set his story in Damascus.

Looking at Batchelder Honor Books:

Authors of Batchelder Honor Winners by Gender

Languages of Male Authors of Batchelder Honor Winners, by Region

Over twenty-eight years (1991-2018), 38% of Batchelder Honor titles were authored by men. Of these, 67% were written in European languages.

What I learned: as with women, men writing in languages of cultures that contrast highly with the US were under-represented.

As I noted in my last post, most of the world’s languages have been absent entirely from the Batchelder lists, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (China), Croatian, Hindi, Hungarian, Korean, Malay, Nepali, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Swahili, Thai, Ukrainian, and Urdu. These are all languages of countries with national sections of IBBY, suggesting that children’s literary scenes exist.

Translations likely to be accessed by US children that have male authors, were also predominantly authored in European languages.

Will New Batchelder Award Criteria Change this Picture?

When I combined all genders of authors of Batchelder Award and Honor books over time, I found:

Languages of All Authors of Batchelder Award and Honor Winners, by Region

In the next fifty years, will the balance among the bars in this graph change?

One factor that may affect the answer is a change in Batchelder Award critera. Recently, an award evolution committee determined that books originally published in a language other than English, published in English translation overseas, and then subsequently published in English in the US, will be eligible for the award. (Previously, books published in English translation abroad and subsequently published in the US were ineligible.)

This could conceivably bring greater prominence in the US for books written by authors in non-western cultures. Books written in non-European languages are often a risk to publish Stateside due to the work needed to translate, edit and market them for US readers. If a book from, say, Asia, gets published with success in the UK, a US publisher could find it easier to risk publishing it, since it now has a sales record in an English-reading country and is translated. The fact that such a book could now win a Batchelder might mean that more such books attain prominence in the US—because Batchelder books are likely to be stocked in school libraries.

In the last Batchelder Award cycle, the novel Bronze and Sunflower by Chinese male author Cao Wenxuan, translated by SCBWI member translator Helen Wang, was ineligible due to having been published first in the UK. Now a work like this could win the award.

Read more about Bronze and Sunflower and the author here.

Will the new criteria bring about a change in where our children’s books are written? Time will tell. Meanwhile, it’s up to US consumers and publishers to notice how translations—all translations—remain a tiny sliver of our children’s publishing output.

Data source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Translated Book Logs and overall book counts

What Three Percent Looks Like

To promote world literature, SCBWI welcomes not only international writers and illustrators, but also translators, who in 2014 became the third professional category of members. Translators are now part of 60 SCBWI regions, including 38 US regions. Reach out to translators to learn more about the world of world literature. Info: itc@scbwi.org

Avery Fischer Udagawa serves as SCBWI International Translator Coordinator.