More translations of exciting Latvian literature for children are now available in English, Estonian, Polish and Slovenian.
Mārtiņš Zutis’ “Nenotikušais atklājums” has been translated in two more languages – English and Slovenian. Centrala Ltd. has published the English translation by Sabīne Ozola titled “The Discovery that Never Was”, and KUD Sodobnost International the Slovenian “Odkritje, ki ga ni bilo” translated by Alenka Urh. Thus the story of an old naturalist named Karl Darwing, who finds himself on the verge of discovery one cold winter morning, continues to reach a broader audience.
Irma Kalniņa is an international specialist in professional etiquette, communications and protocol, and her book “Pie Galda” (“At the Table”) has been translated into Polish by Daniel Łubiński and published by Adamada as “Podano do stołu. Savoir-vivre dla dzieci”. The author describes various humorous situations at the table and offers possible solutions. In a friendly way, it introduces children to the basics of etiquette and table manners. The colourful illustrations by Reinis Pētersons are an important part of the book helping to understand the set of tips and facts.
The beloved “Tale of the Maskatchka District” written by Luīze Pastore has now been translated into Estonian by Contra and published by Helios as “Jakobi väga hästi õnnestunud plaan”. This heartwarming novel tells the story of Jacob Bird, who is fighting to save a run–down but characterful area of his hometown of Riga from developers, with the help of the district’s very own gang of talking dogs. Jacob loves maps like his dad, and is fascinated by the legend which warns that if anyone should say "Riga is ready" the river will flood the town, tall ships will sail down the main street, and the city will have to be built all over again.
The Emma Press recently published Ieva Samauska’s (aka Ieva Flamingo) book “The Girl Who Learned All the Languages of the World” translated into English by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini and illustrated by Chein Shyan Lee. Lela is the main character of the book - a clever little girl who is also very stubborn. Despite her mum and dad encouraging her to learn a new language, Lela refuses. This leaves her in a bit of a pickle at an important international party where she can’t understand anything the grown-ups are saying and feels utterly miserable. Lela vows from this moment on to learn all of the languages of the world, one word at a time. Readers can join Lela on her journey, learning words in Latvian, French, Finnish, German, Spanish, Italian, Estonian, Swedish, Slovenian, Dutch, Maltese and Russian.
