What do the Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Babar, and Tintin have in common? As familiar to Americans as childhood itself, these characters all originally appeared in foreign languages, translated into English. Words Without Borders continues this noble tradition by publishing never-before-translated tales from seven different nations: “Marked by the Moon,” an exquisite Persian Cinderella story; “The Angel’s Feather,” in which a lost angel heals an Italian family; “Please Leave a Message,” an Israeli tale of a child’s first phone messages; “It’s a Chick Not a Dog,” in which an Egyptian boy learns about friendship between humans and animals; “Viktoria Was Home All Alone,” where a strong-willed Austrian girl tops Jack and the Beanstalk; a lovable Japanese monster story, “Granny Long Tongue”; and the experience of a French Canadian boy swept up in his mother’s passion for commerce, “My Mother’s Garage Sale.” Have your child draw his or her own illustrations, and send a thank-you note to guest editor Larry Venuti for finding the stories and the translators who made it possible for us to read these stories in English.
