How do Tanglin’s libraries help our children develop a global perspective? Janine Murphy, Head of Junior Library, tells us more.

In October 2022, I was fortunate enough to attend The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Festival of Literature. This event is always a fantastic way to connect with authors, publishers, and inspirational speakers. The theme for this year was ‘Read the World’ and it was a passport to books from various countries. Many presenters at the festival advocated for the use of authentic voices in children’s literature: writers who tell their own stories and represent themselves and the cultures they write about. 75% of the world does not speak English which means authors are writing great books that we may never read unless they are translated. Therefore, for our collections to be truly diverse, they should hold a large range of translated books to give our children a global perspective.

A Translation of Cultures
Translated books used to be difficult to source. The numbers that made it into print were notoriously low, with just 3% of books published in the UK annually; however, in recent years, that number has risen to 5.5% according to Nielsen Book data. Publishers are realising that fiction in other languages is fresh, bold and pushes the landscape of what we are used to reading in English. Translation itself is an incredible skill; the translator must give an accurate version, represent the nuance of meaning and understand the cultural context of the work. Translated stories are vitally important as they introduce children to a world of shared human experiences and the fascination of discovering many cultures and contexts. As educators, we wish to connect our children with what is happening in our world right now and we cannot do that from an exclusively English-speaking perspective alone.

Connecting to the World
There are classic translated texts that will forever remain popular in our libraries. Parents often visit our library to choose Asterix and Tintin to read with their children and experience the joy of Pippi Longstocking. However, there are many more contemporary translated stories to discover, connecting our children to the way the world is now. Take Greta Thunberg’s No one is too Small to make a Difference. She gives a voice to her generation and raises awareness of issues that matter to them. Akissi: Tales of Mischief written by Marguerite Abouet is set in Côte d’Ivoire and gives a hilarious and insightful glimpse of a child’s perspective of their life in Western Africa. Timothée de Fombelle, the author of Captain Rosalie, gives a powerful account of a child waiting for her father’s return from war. He is also the creator of Toby Alone, an imagining of a whole new fantasy world. Cornelia Funke has come full circle on the Brothers Grimm with the haunting fairy tale quality of the Inkheart series. The originality of translated books published in recent years is hanging the way we view children’s books.

Red Dot Children's Book Award
In Singapore, the annual Red Dot Children’s Book Award shortlist features books in translation. The list is compiled by a panel of international school librarians. Children read eight books associated with their age category and vote for their favourite title in May each year. The full list of titles is available on the ISLN website and the translated books included in the award this year are: 

• Tim’s Adventure (Pengembaraan Tim) by Rhaimie Wahap
• Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest: A Fairytale by Ole Könnecke
• The Secret of the Magic Pearl by Elisa Sabatinelli
• Talking to Alaska by Anna Woltz
• Himawari House by Harmony Becker
• Almond: A Novel by Sohn Won-pyung

In the early years category, Tim's Adventure/Pengembaraan Tim, written by Rhaimie Wahap and illustrated by Rizal Wahap, is written in both Malay and English. It tells the story of a determined sea turtle named Tim and his daunting journey of a thousand miles. It is published by Ungu pen, a  Singaporean publishing house that promotes original, bilingual, and translated books. For Years 3 and 4, an Italian early chapter book, The Secret of the Magic Pearl by Elisa Sabatinelli, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno and translated by Christopher Turner, beautifully captures the thrilling adventures of a sea-faring community’s way of life. Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest is a German fairy tale, written and illustrated by Ole Könnecke, and translated by Shelley Tanaka. It is darkly comic, and Dulcinea is indefatigable in her determination to go about her day, witch or no witch! For readers in Years 5 and 6, Talking to Alaska, written by Dutch author Anna Woltz, and translated by Laura Watkinson, is a short novel about an unlikely friendship formed through the love of one dog. In the mature readers category, Himawari House, by Harmony Becker is written in both Japanese and English. This graphic novel chronicles the lives of three exchange students and the challenges and excitement of adjusting to living in Japan. Almond: A Novel written by Won-Pyung Sohn and translated by Joosun Lee is a powerful exploration of a young person’s struggle with Alexithymia, a condition that makes it difficult for him to relate to or feel emotions. 

Translated books are high on the agenda at every international literary conference and book award this year. The publishing and literary world are finally starting to catch onto the importance of translated books. It is essential that our children can read the world in an authentic and engaging way, one translated book at a time.