Peter and the Moon (Big Picture Book)

As someone who is always on the look-out for new sources of translated children's literature, someone who is often frustrated by the shortage of titles made available to us, from the non-English-speaking world - I run a monthly book-club intended to highlight children's books from countries other

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than the UK and the USA, and am forever running across references to books that have not been translated - I was really quite excited, this past November, to read that French publisher Editions Auzou intended to move into the American market, with translations of some of their juvenile catalogue. There are many fabulously talented French children's authors and artists whose work deserves to be better known here in the states, and I have been greatly impressed by the titles I have seen recently, from Nadine Brun-Cosme and Olivier Tallec's Big Wolf and Little Wolf series, to Suzy Chic and Monique Touvay's sweet little fable, Watching...

This being the case, I have been on the watch for the new English-language editions from Auzou, and, having finally managed to track down Alice Brière-Haquet's Peter and the Moon, was fully expecting to be thrilled by it. Unfortunately, while I found the artwork here to be immensely appealing - I liked the elegantly elongated human figures, and the bendy buildings, and appreciated Célia Chauffrey's use of color - the text leaves quite a bit to be desired. The rhyme scheme is off, the poetry doesn't read very well, and the story itself feels rather cliche. I'm really quite disappointed, because I can't really recommend this one, despite the wonderful artwork! Still, I'm willing to put this down to translation issues - no official translator is listed, although an "English Version Editor" is - and will hope that this publisher's subsequent efforts are less awkward, textually speaking. Certainly, their mission - to bring French picture-book style to American children - is one I support...

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