Books in Translation

 
 

Jerome By Heart by Thomas Scotto, illustrated by Olivier Tallec, translated from French by Claudia Bedrick and Karin Snelson

Enchanted Lion Books (April 3, 2018)

  • A 2019 Batchelder Honor Book

  • A New York Times Notable Children’s Book of 2018

  • A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2018

  • A Brain Pickings Best Children’s Book of 2018

  • A 2019 Rainbow Book List Selection

  • A 2018 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids Selection

  • Selected for the 2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices List

    ★ “Some children will see simply two very good friends, while others will see validation of feelings they may not know how to express, particularly if their parents are as hostile as Raphael’s. Raphael gives them the language they need: ‘I say―yes. Raphael loves Jerome. I say it. It's easy.’ Subtle, joyous, affirming.” ―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

    “Originally published in France, this gentle, sweet-spirited story is a testament to the power of childhood friendship and the timeless power of love. The softly colored cartoonlike illustrations by Tallec perfectly capture the mood and spirit of the text, deftly translated by Bedrick and Snelson. The result is a book to treasure.” —Michael Cart, Booklist

    “The sweetest, truest, purest depiction of childhood love.” ―Matthew C. Winner of The Children’s Book Podcast

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At the Drop of a Cat by Élise Fontenaille, illustrated by Violeta Lópiz, translated from French by Karin Snelson and Emilie Robert Wong

Enchanted Lion Books (January 24, 2023)

  • A 2023 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book

  • A 2024 Outstanding International Book (USBBY)

  • A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023

“The dense foliage that twines through the art mirrors the rich thicket of the grandchild’s thoughts and the grandfather’s knowledge as the two spend time together, sharing Luis’s idiosyncratic idioms (‘At the drop of a cat’) and celebrating the child’s success in a lushly produced book that asks where worth really lies.” Ages 6-up. —Publishers Weekly

★ “A dark-haired, pale-skinned 6-year-old adores spending time with their grandfather, whom they call Luis. The sensitively written text reveals Luis’ struggles without presenting him as lesser. The young narrator loves how Luis mixes up idioms, the source of the book’s title. Because Luis fled Spain as a child during ‘a terrible war’ and had to work to support himself in France, he never went to school or learned to read and write. Although early on, the narrator informs us, ‘I’m learning to read and write,’ this does not turn into a story centered on Luis’ illiteracy. The grandchild lovingly details their grandfather’s appreciation for birds, cats, and the natural world as well as his many skills, like gardening, cooking, playing guitar, and painting. ‘Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau,’ the text reads, which provides insight into the artistic inspiration behind Lópiz’s lush, naïve style and flat aesthetic. By book’s end, the narrator can read well, and Luis celebrates this accomplishment with a gift that reinforces their special bond and brings this stunning and tender tale to a satisfying conclusion. Warmhearted and affirming—one to pick up.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

★ “The text is lyrical and lengthy; I would almost describe this as an illustrated short story... This book was lovely, absorbing, and wistful without being cloying. The lack of a name or gender for the child will give the book even more resonance for all readers. The child also describes Luis’s art (‘Dad says Luis is as good as Henri Rousseau and he is a really famous painter’) and I assumed that the beautiful illustrations were, in fact, Luis’s drawings that he and the child work on together in the book. They look to be a mix of watercolor and collage, full of the green leaves of Luis’s garden, naive, and easy to interpret with many fascinating details. The child and the grandfather appear repeatedly, with the smaller human nestled inside the outline of the bald, big-nosed grandpa. This will be a wonderful one-to-one read aloud with an adult. The translators have done a great job here; originally published in French, this English translation flows beautifully. I was fascinated by the author’s ability to present hard truths in such a joyful and plain manner. The book manages to be equal parts moving and funny.” —Susan Harari (Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA), Youth Services Book Review, STARRED REVIEW

“Lópiz shows in lush, dreamy illustrations the magic of the world Luis shares with the boy. A wonder-filled landscape of flowers, birds, aromatic meals, and cranky cats, it is also a world far beyond what can be taught in a classroom. Showing love and admiration across generations, this sweet title can be a guide for the appreciation of the natural world and the quiet love of family. This lovely purchase is a gentle yet effective work; its story and rich, complex illustrations highlight the joy of sharing the natural world that exists between a boy and his beloved grandfather.” —School Library Journal

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You Can’t Kill Snow White by Beatrice Alemagne, translated from French by Karin Snelson and Emilie Robert Wong

Enchanted Lion Books (October 25, 2022)

  • Shortlisted for the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative’s Translated Young Adult Book Prize

“Beatrice Alemagna’s strange, organic paintings recreate the brutal envy that underpins the original Brothers Grimm story. Minimizing the prose — which is lucidly translated from the French by Karin Snelson and Emilie Robert Wong — and maximizing the unsettling emotionality of each image, Alemagna explores the heart and mind of the ‘evil’ queen, from whose point of view this version of the tale is told.” —The New York Times, “The Darkness of Snow White,” by Kelly Barnhill, December 16, 2022

★ “Gr 5-8–Alemagna can make charming pictures, lovely illustrations, sweeping landscapes, and sweet-faced children—but not for this book. Here, she writes and paints from the perspective of the bitterest, most evil of old queens, and so the perspectives are skewed, deliberately ugly, frightening, and Gothic. Snow White’s beauty is left to readers’ imaginations. The dwarves are costumed as bent half-birds, half-root vegetables. The result is a return to the story’s grim origins, so that when the huntsman spares Snow White’s life and brings back the liver and lungs of a wild beast instead, viewers are treated to panel after panel of the queen devouring the bloody mess. This is a picture book for older, ghoulish listeners, but they will be leaning in for every delightful word. The translation is bold, vividly hewing to the harsh actions outlined in both story and illustrations, such as the iron shoes and dance of death that greet the queen when Snow White marries her prince. The paintings, almost primitive, are worked out in a feverish palette, consistent with the narrator’s warped view of events.

VERDICT If there is but one fairy-tale purchase in the budget this year, this one deserves attention. Alemagna is inventive and enthralling.

—School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“A retelling of ‘Snow White’ from the queen’s perspective, this picture-book for young adults... asks readers to understand and sympathize with the desperation and desire that drive villainy. The layered paintings capture emotions in ways that go beyond what is evoked by the text, making the more violent and dark aspects of the tale hit home. Immediately recognizable while reflecting things beyond our world, this fairy-tale universe... pushes at the bounds of the familiar. The queen’s anguish is depicted through close-up images of her stricken face that dare readers to look directly at her. The book’s greatest strength lies in its portrayal of the queen’s fear and rage and the disproportionate cruelty of her punishment... The art captivates: The beauty depicted in the story is almost sinister, and jewel tones are mixed with sickly greens and blacks. Collage and comic-style sequences enhance and add variety to the illustrations... Visceral and surreal.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[T]he second release under Enchanted Lion’s new Unruly imprint, which is devoted to picture books for YA readers, Alemagna’s dark, more authentic take on this classic fairy tale is well suited to the audience... There is a crudeness to Alemagna’s sweeping watercolors, with thick lines bleeding their muted tones into beguiling scenes punctuated by strokes of hot pink or white... It’s a visceral reading experience that those with a penchant for fairy tales’ darker sides will revel in.” —Booklist

“In this unsparing variation on the Brothers Grimm story, Alemagna embraces all the intensity and violence of the original. Narrating in the oft-villainized queen’s voice, … blank verse lines appear sans illustrations, followed by multiple wordless full-bleed spreads in which beauty and horror intermingle. The loose, liquid images employ earth tones and electric pink to spotlight blood and hair, thorny undergrowth, angular rooms, and exaggerated features among the cast, portrayed with varying skin tones. The titular princess is nearly silent throughout, distinguished by flowing dark hair, while the queen is shown taking action: in one scene, the exquisitely coiffed woman devours raw the bloody boar’s heart that she believes is Snow White’s. As Snow White approaches marriage, death offers the queen release: ‘becoming everything, again..../ Becoming nothing’ via blazing hot iron shoes. It’s an artfully produced volume that, per a preface, hints at ‘what is brutal, dark, and feral, as a way of telling the full story of childhood.’” —Publishers Weekly

“The Queen’s narrative perspective spurs an exploration of the pain and desperation brought on by her narcissism, and readers are put in an unsettling place of sympathy and blame: it’s clear this woman is in anguish, but her suffering is self-inflicted. Alemagna is careful not to overemphasize any specific message or moral here, allowing the reader to marinate in whatever they find the most discomfiting. That approach is mirrored in the riotous paintings that strike an appropriate and intriguing balance between the grotesque and the artistic. Figures are distorted and demented, palettes and textures clash, and perspectives are offkilter, all of which invite viewers to pore over the captivating details and imagery. Picture books for older readers don’t always land with their target audience, but this will be an absolute draw for fans of dark fairy tales, and it has broad curricular possibilities in a fairy tale unit and/or art class.” —Kate Quealy-Gainer, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

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The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouse Pérez by Ana Cristina Herreros, illustrated by Violeta Lópiz, translated from Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson, edited by Karin Snelson

Enchanted Lion Books (2023)

  • A 2024 Outstanding International Book (USBBY)

  • A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023

★ “An examination of that universal milestone signaling maturation—losing a tooth—that also offers a tongue-in-cheek history of tooth collection.

Tooth mice have been around for a long time. In the beginning, they lived on thatched and then tiled roofs, catching the baby teeth that youngsters threw upward. Woe to the child who missed the target; they would not get a replacement, and ‘if you can’t chew…you can’t grow!’ Times change, and the narrative follows the adaptations brought on first by taller buildings, then by electricity (which led to the move to pillows and the introduction of gifts and notes). Thanks to the writings of Father Coloma, readers learn how the marriage of Madrid’s Tooth Mouse Pérez to an ant from northern Italy led to baby with ‘ant wings, like her mother.’ Following the offspring’s immigration, American children mistook the collector for a fairy. Lópiz’s softly textured compositions, populated by Lionni-esque rodents, offer whimsical scenes that readers will linger over. In a brilliant parody of Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas, Pérez’s daughters, decked out in cupcake liner skirts, confer in a candy shop that mirrors the setting of its inspiration. Herreros’ experience as a professional storyteller comes through clearly. Although the text, translated from Spanish and drawing from actual Spanish myths, may seem wordy, Herreros’ deadpan tone, second-person form of address, and folktale cadences will keep listeners rapt. The few humans depicted have skin the color of the page or appear light-skinned.

A deeply humorous, beautifully imaginative celebration of growing up. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-7) —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“When baby teeth fall out, why do children put them under their pillows? Why do parents sneak in at night and swap the teeth for money? To judge from the fanciful history told in The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouse Pérez, such rituals began as a means of ensuring that nice straight adult teeth would grow in... As time passed and houses got taller, we learn how the practice evolved into the custom we know today from the career of one Tooth Mouse Pérez, who moved to Madrid at the end of the 19th century with his family. In Violeta Lópiz's soft-edged, humorous illustrations, we see the Pérez mouselings in a tableau modeled on the Velázquez painting ‘Las Meninas,’ with the girl-mice wearing full skirts made of cupcake wrappers. This chatty and inventive account for 5- to 9-year-olds, which is translated from the Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson and draws on an old Spanish narrative, eventually migrates, as it were, to other countries, presenting a witty and unexpected origin story for the creature we call the Tooth Fairy.” —Wall Street Journal

“Warm, densely textured drawings by Lópiz provide notes of cheery surrealism, as a Tooth Mouse wears a chef's toque the size of a molar and winged entities dance across the surface of a vinyl record..” —Publishers Weekly

“Warm, pencil-textured illustrations feature Leonni-style mice as well as surprising hiding spots for molars that will keep readers engaged... Offer[s] a whimsical and informative element to the folklore collections of upper elementary libraries.” —School Library Journal

 

101 Ways to Read a Book by Timothée de Fombelle, illustrated by Benjamin Chaud, translated from French by Karin Snelson and Angus Yuen-Killick

Red Comet Press (October 17, 2023)

  • 2023 New York Times “Holiday Gift Books for Children”

    The Sunflower, The Contortionist, The Fireside Cushion Hog, The Mop… this whimsical, one-of-a-kind volume catalogs 101 eclectic book-reading styles, from The Classic (only a book and chair required!) to the more dangerous sort of reader… The Sleepwalker.

 Each unique reading pose has been keenly observed and collected by author Timothée de Fombelle, then charmingly illustrated with the greatest precision by celebrated artist Benjamin Chaud. For bibliophiles, browsers, and the just plain curious, this inviting book is a joyful celebration of reading, and the readers who desire to pursue their cherished pastime 101 percent of the time.

“I know there’s 101 ways to read a book, but I can tell you my three ways to read a book … THE ROMANTIC ~ THE IMAGINATIVE ~ THE DIVA.” —Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Pennie's Pick

“I adore this book. The perfect gift for any reader of any age. Illustrations and captions are so much fun that you’ll want to figure out your reader type or create a new one. What a joy to turn each page. This is the perfect gift book for all the readers in our lives.” —Becky Anderson, owner, Anderson’s Books, Naperville

“Totally adorable! Charming and hilarious, the book will speak to anyone who has brought a book to the beach, the dinner table, or the bathtub. I’m almost afraid to show it to my children, because they’ll want to try every pose.” —Emma Straub, NY Times bestselling author & owner, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn 

“A delightfully extravagant demonstration of the persistence of reading and readers.”–Kirkus Reviews

“This ‘carefully curated collection of observations’ documented in humorously sly illustrations’ also reminded me of why adults and children read. For pleasure. For a vicarious experience — to be scared without the danger, to feel loss without losing anything, to root for someone that you only know through the pages of a book. For information. And for so much more. But the one thing that comes across successfully in this book is the joy of reading and the pleasure in books.”–Maria Salvadore, Reading Rockets

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The Magicians, written and illustrated by Blexbolex, translated from French by Karin Snelson

Enchanted Lion Books, November 7, 2023

  • A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2023

  • Booklist’s 2023 “Top of the List” for Youth Graphic Novels

  • Four starred reviews! (Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, PW, BookPage)

  • Selected for the Wall Street Journal Holiday Books Gift Guide and Publishers Weekly’s Holiday Gift Guide

  • A Moonbow Best Children’s Book of 2023

  • Travis Jonker’s 100 Scope Notes “Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Book” of 2023

  • A Publishers Weekly Big Indie Book of the Fall

It’s a graphic novel! It’s an art book! It’s an action-packed fantasy adventure from French visionary Blexbolex, for readers young and old.

In the corner of a quiet, long-abandoned house, something is bubbling up and protesting. Suddenly, out from their hiding spots burst three young shapeshifting magicians—an elephant, a blackbird, and a human girl—each of whom embarks on their own journey. But a fierce young Huntress and a mechanical lion-dragon named Clinker are hot on their trails... and won’t rest until every last magician is vanquished.

Fans of Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s work or The Wizard of Oz will feel right at home in the pages of The Magicians, with its fabulously eclectic characters and entertaining, suspenseful, dreamlike story inspired by video games, science fiction, fantasy, and fairy tales. Magic is the beating heart of this multi-world universe—the magic of nature, the magic of childhood, the magic of creativity and imagination. Here, Blexbolex celebrates the mysterious, beautiful mess of life.

Every gorgeous page features a silkscreen-style illustration that brilliantly layers three Pantone spot colors, in a festive palette that suggests “vintage circus.” From the heavy cardstock binding with French flaps, to the bronze metallic endpapers, to the book’s paper evoking that of classic comic books, Blexbolex carefully selected the materials that would best realize his vision. The result? A visually stunning work of art. 

Blexbolex is an award-winning French graphic artist living in Berlin. Enchanted Lion Books has previously published English translations of four of his picture books, including People, Vacation, and two New York Times Best Illustrated selections: Seasons and Ballad. 

“Blexbolex is a singular talent, someone whose work, while often referencing the past, is entirely his own. In The Magicians, his beautiful and strange illustrations—built up digitally through his signature spot-color layers, inspired by traditional screen printing—are combined with a Japanese binding technique that is rarely ever seen in published books. The seemingly simple layout of almost the entire book (one drawing and a few lines of text per page, two per spread) belies a delightfully complicated story abut three magicians being pursued by a huntress and her mechanical dragon. But who are the good guys here? Who are the villains? An exploration of the magic and difficulty of childhood, the wonders of the imagination, and the unique properties of books themselves, The Magicians is another utterly surprising gift from Blexbolex. You’ll want to read it again and again.” —Brian Selznick, author & illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Big Tree

★ “In a fast-paced, action-packed chase that traverses time and space, the huntress and the magicians take turns gaining the upper hand, until an even more treacherous party enters the fold. Via expressive text, artist Blexbolex (Vacation) presents a dreamlike fantasy graphic novel adventure that celebrates creativity, imagination, and magic. The silkscreen-style illustrations are awash in a vivid palette of mostly primary colors, giving this visually stunning work a vintage vibe.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

★ “Its pages silky to the touch, its colors reminiscent of an ancient book from a forgotten library shelf, French cartoonist Blexbolex’s book ushers readers into a fully realized yet exhilaratingly enigmatic world… Familiar, mythical story elements play out in new, expectation-confounding ways, like the hunters, one who would be at home in a Chinese New Year’s parade, the other in a reader’s favorite manga series. This carries over to the format, conforming to the standards of neither graphic novel nor picture book, its single-page ‘panels’ contain the visual panache of a comic, with character design like that old half-recalled picture book from your childhood, and each is accompanied by one artfully worded paragraph… There is much here that will tug on a nostalgic heartstring and also thrill and mystify. A remarkable creation, particularly so in design and tone, readers young and old will find little else like this lyrical, thrilling, and mysterious tale.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

★ “In this translated French import, three magicians materialize from prolonged dormancy, but hot on their heels are a huntress and a mechanical lion/dragon. Eleven chapter headings organize intriguing third-person episodes… The opening suggests that this fantasy occurs ‘now,’ while the conclusion says it ‘will be again.’ Nearly square, silkscreenlike images in a controlled palette are framed by the borders of abundant, soft, creamy pages. Several sentences per page—all in blue caps—reveal an elegant translation: The elephant slams the door ‘with the surly incivility of a traveler in a hurry.’ Climactic moments fill double spreads. When the main characters combat their pursuers and acquaintances, tilted angles and sharp-edged shadows dominate; when the protagonists escape ‘outside’ through a tear in the page, the compositions are less saturated, with childlike scribbles producing a more innocent vibe… Recurring threads emerge: the quest for home, the tension between orderliness and chaos, the desirability of magic in the world, and the wisdom of reconsidering first impressions. As these motifs wend through transformations and cameos containing familiar folkloric elements, readers experience the sense of a gifted storyteller improvising as ideas flow. Protecting magic, extending grace, leaping into the future with hope—this tour de force will nourish souls.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

★ “In a magnificent flourish, an elephant bursts forth from an old teapot; a small blackbird breaks out from behind the glass of a framed engraving; a bewildered girl emerges from behind a folding blue screen. This is how The Magicians awaken and leave the abandoned house in which they’ve slumbered for years. They are soon chased by the Huntress and the Clinker, a fiery mechanical cross between a lion and a dragon. This pursuit reaches a grand scale as it traverses a true carnival of settings—including a pastoral village, a blank realm ‘outside’ the physical world, and a golden plain that serves as a battlefield.

Both children and adults will be dazzled by the intricate details and textures of the bold silk-screen-style illustrations. Blexbolex’s careful compositions evoke sweeping action and emotion, and one will want to constantly leave The Magicians open for display. With its jaunty blue text and cream-colored, double-layered pages, the physical printing of this volume is impeccable—among the best of the year—and accentuates the reading experience.

Translator Karin Snelson smoothly derives a folkloric cadence from the original French prose: As the blackbird ‘marauds through fields and orchards . . . the day passes deliciously’ and later becomes ‘charged with a heavy nostalgia.’ Elevated word choice and spirited phrasing give a timeless quality to this fantastic graphic novel, which muses upon mercy, change and possibility. Just as any gift should, The Magicians certainly lends itself to endless revisiting with its thematic and emotional depth. —BookPage, Yi Jiang, STARRED REVIEW

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