AustLit

Children’s books are one of the first physical objects a child has access to in order to learn. Whether translated or not, these books teach children about things that are foreign to them. However, it is often translations that allow insight into ‘other ways of living and thinking, without the filter of an outsider writing about that place’ (Miller-Lachmann, 2015). David Hahn, editor of the Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature, stresses the point that it is even more important for children’s books to be translated than adult books, as he believes it is essential for young readers to ‘see things differently’. Despite this, there are very few children’s books translations; this is due to the focus being on adult translations (Snaije, 2015). One of the reasons for this could be that publishers want to have more translations, however, can’t read them (Hahn, 2015). Another obstacle publishers face is that not only the text needs to be translated but, often, also the illustrations need to be changed (Miller-Lachmann, 2015).

Possum Magic was first published in 1983 and has since then been published into five different languages. The first translation was into German and was published in 1987. Possum Magic is an Australian children’s book that truly depicts not only the Australian culture, but also its wildlife and geography. It introduces children to Australian specialities, such as Vegemite, Pavlova and Anzac biscuits; Australian animals, such as koalas, kangaroos and wombats; and Australian cities. This book is a prime example of how translations can teach children about other cultures by incorporating these aspects into the story. It has been used as an introduction to Australia in the English curriculum in many German schools (Breuer, 2014).