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Volume 31, Number 4, April 2004

A Longitudinal Study of Recommended Translated Children's Books Published in the United States Between 1990 and 2000

Maureen White and Ruth Cox present their results of a study into recommended international children’s books recently translated and distributed in the United States.

Each child and each adult is a citizen of a home country as well as a citizen of the world. However wonderful a concept this is, the expanded sense of citizenship also broadens one’s knowledge that this world is not always a safe or peaceful environment in which to commune with fellow world citizens. Television and other forms of mass media expose children and adults to acts of world violence, such as terrorist attacks and bombings. These events may result in fear of peoples from other cultures and countries. Due to our media-rich environment, North American children are very much aware of the cultural tension in the world. Therefore, the study of other countries and cultures is an important element in the PreK-12 curriculum. It is the authors’ belief that exposure to books and other resources about countries and peoples of the world helps prepare students to become active members of the global community.

A willingness to appreciate and learn about other countries and cultures will certainly help children function more effectively in the world community. International children’s literature provides young people with diverse viewpoints, a new way of looking at things, knowledge of other peoples and an understanding of common bonds that can hold us together (Tomlinson, 1998). The longitudinal study discussed in this article deals with a subset of international literature, children’s books translated from another language into English and then published in the United States.

The results of this longitudinal study of recommended translated children’s books published in the United States between 1990 and 2000 allowed the researchers to draw conclusions as to trends in translated children’s book publication in the areas of languages, genres and subjects. Previous studies on translated children’s books also provide useful information on the topic (White, 1992, 1998a, 1998b; Stan, 1997, 2002).

Children should be exposed to age-appropriate literature from both their home country and from abroad. However, the availability of quality international literature in school libraries in the United States, particularly translated titles, is limited. The dearth of international titles may be due in part to the wealth of quality books published in the United States as well as to limited school library book budgets. Or, perhaps the scarcity of international literature is a result of a lack of knowledge as to the availability and worth of these books. As author, poet and editor Naomi Shihab Nye (1992) contends, “Those of us living in the United States often suffer from a particular literary provinciality, imagining ourselves to be the primary readers and writers of the planet.” She concludes, “We need translations to help us value the literature and cultures of other languages” (pp. xii-xiii).

The Bowker Annual (Bogart, 2000) reported that more than 5,000 children's hardback books are published each year in the United States. Of these, however, only a small number are translations, most of which are picture books. Horning, Kruse and Lindgren (1992) of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), a review center that receives most of the children’s books published each year in the US, reported in 1991 that “The status of translated books right now looks grim” (p.4). The status had improved five years later, with Horning, Kruse and Schliesman (1997) estimating that the center had received 60 titles published in seven non-English languages. However, in the next five-year period the number of translated titles published in the US had dropped to a mere 46 (Horning et al, 2001). Although the statistics kept by the CCBC indicate that only a small number of translated children’s books were published in the 1990s, the researchers felt it was important to examine these translated titles in relation to language, genre and subject to determine if there were distinct features of translated books recommended for children.

Methodology

Definitions

Initially, terms to be used within the study were defined to ensure consistency. For the purposes of this study a translated book was defined as one originally written and published in a language other than English, later translated into English, and then published by a United States publisher. This definition tended to exclude a majority of bilingual children’s books as these books are typically written concurrently in two languages and initially published in the United States. Bilingual exceptions that met the definition of translated were books such as Maples in the mist: Children’s poems from the Tang Dynasty (1996) and The animals (Mado, 1992).

A recommended book was defined as one that met at least one of the following criteria: (a) received an award, such as the Batchelder Award or Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, (b) included on identified recommended lists, such as the Children’s Notable Book List, Booklist’s Editors’ Choice, and Fanfare: The Horn Book Honor List, or (c) received a favorable review in selected children’s review sources. Review sources used for this study were Booklist, Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, Horn Book, and School Library Journal, which The Bowker Annual (Simora, 1991) and Van Orden (2000) indicated as four of the major critical review sources for children’s books.

The researchers used the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) definition of children: anyone from birth through 14 years of age. All awards given under the auspices of ALSC use this chronological definition of children, including the Batchelder Award, awarded annually to a US publisher of a translated children’s book (Association for Library Service for Children, 1995).

Procedures

Books were identified through carefully reading reviews in the four selected review journals, using search strategies for identifying translated titles in Books in Print online (www.booksinprint.com/bip/) and applying advanced search techniques available on the Library of Congress Online Catalog (http://catalog.loc.gov/). Following the identification of translated books for each year, reviews, awards and recommended lists were located and examined to determine which books met the definition of recommended. Data were collected on the numbers of languages, types or genres and subjects.

Results

Languages

Children’s books are published all over the world, but it became evident during the language tabulation process that particular countries published a majority of the children’s books that were translated into English and published in the United States in the 1990s. The original language of each book was determined from the book and verified in the Library of Congress MARC record.

Throughout the 1990s the dominant language translated was German, followed by French, Swedish, Japanese, and then by Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Danish and Russian. In a similar study on books published between 1968-1971, Rabban (1972) determined that Germany, Sweden and France were the leading sources of children’s translations into English. In a 20-year study of Batchelder Award books, Nist (1988) noted that these books were dominated by Western European languages, which was a reflection of the “greater economic and cultural interrelationships” among the nations of western Europe and the United States.

The trend in translations has not changed markedly over the past 30 years, as these languages still predominant in translations. For example, as noted in Table 1, the German, French and Swedish translations remained fairly steady with other languages experiencing a slight decrease over the past 10 years. The beginning (1990) and the end (2000) of the period studied showed a decline in recommended translations, although there was a slight increase in the middle of the decade, with 1994 to 1997 showing an increase in translation publication.

Table 1

Languages of Recommended Translated Children's Books

Genres and types

There is a wide diversity of opinions as to the definition of the term genre. The Literacy Dictionary (Harris and Hodges, 1995) defines a genre as “a category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique, or content” (p. 94). The researchers employed this broader type of definition of genre and created typical genre categories such as Historical Fiction and Poetry, but also created research specific genres such as Animal Personification. An examination of the data on translated titles dealing with animals required additional clarification of genres to separate out books of animal realism from animal fantasy, commonly thought of as stories of animal personification. The decision was made to classify stories of animal realism as Realistic Fiction as they are stories in which animals behave as animals normally do. Stories of animal personification, animals acting, thinking and talking like humans, were coded as Animal Personification. For example, What have you done, Davy? (Weninger, 1996) was classified as a story of Animal Personification because it tells of Davy, a rabbit, who is always in trouble for breaking his brother’s and sister’s toys.

Along with the creation of genre categories, the researchers also decided to analyze the data in relation to what was referred to as “types” – books that fall within a research determined genre, but are also unique in format or style. Three types were determined – Classics, Picture Books and Series. For example, Picture Books may also be associated with a genre; therefore, they were coded twice, once within the specific genre, e.g., Realistic Fiction, and again as a Picture Book. By so doing, the number of picture books could be determined, as well as the genres, such as Historical Fiction or Fantasy/Science Fiction.

Just as Picture Books may come from any genre, so may Classics. Classics are generally defined as those books that have stood the test of time and are still in print. In further defining a Classic, Jordan stated, “Until a book has weathered at least one generation and is accepted in the next, it can hardly be given the rank of a classic” (as cited in Huck, Hepler, Hickman, & Kiefer, 2001, p. 24). Therefore, books meeting the definition of a Classic were coded at least twice, once in relation to Classic, then by genre, and, if applicable, as a Picture Book.

Additionally, translated books within a series were tallied twice, once as a Series and again as a genre. The book itself and the cataloging record from the Library of Congress were used to identify it as a title within a series.

The genres and types of translated titles were consistent with the most popular genres and types of children’s books initially published in the United States. As to numbers of titles, the most popular translated book genres were Realistic Fiction, closely followed by Information and Animal Personification. Stories of Animal Personification were also primarily Picture Books. During the 1990s, Picture Books, which include books from all genres, accounted for the majority of all translated children’s books. Of the total number of translated books (617), almost 60 percent were Picture Books, books typically for younger children. However, a number of the Picture Books were appropriate for all ages, e.g., Out of the dumps: Writing and photographs by children from Guatemala (Franklin and McGirr, 1996), and I dream of peace: Images of war by children of former Yugoslavia (1994). See Table 2 for genres and types of translated children’s books reviewed in selected journals. Classics were primarily the folklore and fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Andersen.

Table 2

Genres & Types of Recommended Translated Children’s Books

Library of Congress subjects

For each book analyzed, Library of Congress subject headings were tallied from the Library of Congress MARC record. It became apparent that broad categories needed to be established, e.g., Cats, Dogs, Horses, etc. – Fiction were placed in Animal – Fiction instead of a heading for each individual animal; and Fairy tales and Folklore were combined. See Table 3 for a listing of subject headings that were assigned to more than three translated books within each year studied.

Popular subject headings for the 10-year period of study included Animals (specific)-Fiction, Fairy Tales/Folklore, Family Relationships – Fiction, and Friendship – Fiction. Also, the Holocaust or World War II subject headings appeared in a number of translated books for older children published between 1991 and 1997. From 1998 through 2000, translations for the older child tended to address personal problems, such as death, loneliness and child abuse. On the other hand, translated picture books, typically intended for the younger child, focused more on subjects related to family, friendship and animals. As an aside, the physical format of a book arose as a factor in 2000, with four translations designated as “Toy and movable books,” e.g., Special delivery (Weninger, 2000). Perhaps this is an indication that the physical format of translated books will change in the next decade.

Table 3

Subjects of Recommended Translated Children's Books

Conclusions

Connections between foreign publishers and publishers in the United States appear to be the primary impetus for continued translations of particular languages. The foreign publishers with offices or distributors in the US, such as North-South and Nord-Süd Verlag AG, Switzerland for German picture book translations and Raben & Sjogren (R&S) and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Swedish translations, clearly increased the opportunities for the publication of translations. Also, Dutch publications for children ages 10 through 14 are appearing in the United States through the publishing efforts of smaller publishers such as Front Street Books. In a similar vein, translated picture books from Italy are finding their way into the United States via Barefoot Books, a relatively new publishing house.

Genres and types of translated children’s books are similar to those initially published in the US. In rank order, Realistic Fiction, Information, and Animal Personification books were the primary genres of translated children’s books. The Picture Book (60 per cent) dominated as the major type of translated children’s book. These findings closely parallel typical US elementary school library collections, where it is not uncommon for fully half the books to be picture books.

Publishers of translated titles appear to be aware that children want books with familiar subjects. Common subjects in translated books for younger children mirror those found in many US books, such as Animals (specific) – Fiction, Fairy Tales/Folklore, Family Relationships – Fiction, and Friendship – Fiction. Perhaps because of their rich art history, books on art appreciation and famous artists were the most common subjects of Information books translated from the French language. The horrific nature and personal closeness of the Holocaust and World War II to European and Israeli authors continued to generate translated books on these subjects for older children, primarily from the Hebrew, German and Dutch languages.

It is interesting to note that the publication of translated children’s books based on personal problems (e.g., sex, death, emotional problems) was on the rise during the 1990s. However, these books may prove to be a difficult sell in the US due to a tendency to avoid serious subjects in younger children’s literature, which does not appear to be the case in books published for children in other countries.

Further research over the next decade, using online review sources not available for the complete decade of the 1990s, should be useful in a comparison of translated children’s books between the two decades. A longitudinal study of English language books translated into other languages would be of interest to researchers and those who study impacts on cultures; for example, What books are children in other countries reading that provide them a picture of the United States and the cultural groups present in this country? Also, a compilation of promotional activities using recommended translated children’s books would be helpful to teachers and librarians. [Ed. note: A related article by the authors, “Using translated literature to enhance the curriculum”, will be featured in the June 2003 issue of Teacher Librarian, 31 (5).]

In spite of the fact that publishers continue to produce a relatively small number of translated children’s books, recommended titles are available in all genres, subject areas and from a variety of languages. If teachers and librarians begin sharing recommended translated books with children at an early age, they validate the literature that comes from other countries and languages around the world. And in turn, this sharing hopefully will result in an increase in the number of quality translated titles available for use with children.

References

Association for Library Service to Children. (1995). Mildred L. Batchelder Award selection committee manual. Unpublished manuscript, American Library Association.

Bogart, D. (Ed.). (2000). The Bowker annual: Library and book trade almanac (45th ed). New Providence, NJ: Bowker.

Franklin, K., & McGirr, N. (Eds.). (1996). Out of the dumps: Writing and photographs by children from Guatemala (D.L. Franklin, Trans.). New York: Lothrop.

Harris, T., & Hodges, R. (Eds.). (1995). The literacy dictionary: The vocabulary of reading and writing. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Horning, K., Kruse, G., & Lindgren, M. (Comps.) (1992). CCBC choices 1991. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.

Horning, K., Kruse, G., & Schliesman, M. (Comps.) (1997). CCBC choices 1996. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.

Horning, K., Kruse, G., & Schliesman, M. (Comps.) (2001). CCBC choices 2000. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.

Huck, C., Hepler, S., Hickman, J., & Kiefer, B. (2001). Children’s literature in the elementary school (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.

I dream of peace: Images of war by children of former Yugoslavia. (1994). New York: HarperCollins.
Mado, M. (1992). The animals. (Empress Michiko, Trans.). New York: Margaret K. McElderry.

Maples in the mist: Children’s poems from the Tang Dynasty. (1996). Illus. by J. & M. Tseng. (M. Ho, Trans.). New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard.

Nist, J. (1988). Cultural bonds and serious themes in U.S. translated children’s books: A study of the first twenty years, 1968-1987, of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award. Bookbird, 26 (4), 5-8.

Nye, N. (1992). This same sky: A collection of poems from around the world. New York: Four Winds.

Rabban, E. (1972). Books from other countries: 1968-1971. Unpublished manuscript.

Simora, F. (1991). The Bowker annual: Library and book trade almanac. (35th ed., p. 502). New York: Bowker.

Stan, S. (1997). A study of international children’s picture books published in the United States in 1994. UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations, 58 (07), p. 2572 (AAT 9738481).

Stan, S. (Ed.). (2002). The world through children’s books. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow.
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award. (2002). Association for Library Service to Children. Retrieved September 9, 2002, from http://www.ala.org/alsc/batch.html

Tomlinson, C. (1998). Children’s books from other countries. Lanham: MD: Scarecrow.

Van Orden, P. (2000). Selecting books for the elementary school library media center. New York: Neal-Schuman.

Weninger, B. (1996). What have you done, Davy? Illus. by E. Tharlet. (R. Lanning, Trans.). New York: North-South Books.

Weninger, B. (2000). Special delivery. Illus. by A. Reichstein. (J.A. James, Trans.). New York: North-South Books.

White, M. (1992). Children’s books from other languages: A study of successful translations. Journal of Youth Service in Libraries, 5, 261-275.

White, M. (1998). Best children’s picture books from abroad: Valuing other cultures. Knowledge Quest, 27 (2), 17-23.

White, M., et al. (1998). Recommended translated children’s books: Birth of a bibliography by committee. Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, 11, 263-272.

Author bios: Ruth E. Cox, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School Library and Information Science program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She may be contacted at cox@cl.uh.edu.

Maureen White, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School Library and Information Science Program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She may be contacted at white@cl.uh.edu.