In the forest, the dawn sun has not been seen in days, and the animals gather to go in search of its light and warmth. They travel through the dark forest and eventually they find a source of light and heat, but it is not the morning they were hoping for, instead a terrifying forest fire is burning. They flee, until once again they find the relief and cooling rain of their Amazonian home, with the colours and life they know. Although changed forever, the animals can live in peace again and the forest has recovered.
At the end of the story there is a short note from the author that explains a little about the background and inspiration for the book. Written from a personal perspective, it tells readers some facts about the increasing threat of forest fires today and the extent of the problem all over the world, and ends with a gentle call to action encouraging readers to join the fight to protect the rain forests.
This book is beautifully illustrated, using dramatic colours and contrasts to emphasise the impact of the story, for which the words and images palpably work together to create the impression and the significance of the author’s message in the book. For children reading the book, most of the impact probably comes directly from the pictures, which are accompanied by a few lines of text on each page. However, the language is clearly chosen with intention, and the little text there is could be described as poetic prose, which would require some thought to translate. While not written in verse, the words have a certain rhythm and pattern, maintaining simple language for young children yet cleverly complementing the drama portrayed in the pictures. The language itself remains gently suggestive, and much of the story is left to the reader’s own perceptions.
In this way, the author addresses a menacing idea - the animals are fleeing from a forest fire that is destroying their home - without making the story too scary for young children. The pictures are dramatic but also beautiful, which conveys the author’s passion rather than scare-mongering, and the illustrations portray the animals as anthropomorphised, with sympathetic facial expressions that will help children to relate to them more easily, so that the book delivers a high impact message without being too hard-hitting for its audience. The degree of interpretation of the trauma of the story would be more down to how much the readers already know about the situation. It might in fact be more frightening for the adults reading with the children (perhaps also the intention of the author).
For translation into English, these linguistic aspects would take some consideration and there might be some challenges, but nothing outside the normal sphere of literary translation. Finding poetic but accessible equivalence in words and style would be a stimulating task, which would be a helpful circumstance to recreate the author’s passion in the English text. From a cultural perspective, the setting of the story is a tropical, Amazonian forest, with animals and landscapes that would be foreign but perfectly recognisable to an English-speaking audience, whether from the UK or US or other English-speaking places. There would be no issues with any cultural references. And as the
author’s note reminds readers, the threat of forest fires is a global one, and a contemporary theme for all young children at school and in general.
The book deals with a specific aspect of the very prevalent issue of climate change, which continues to be a highly marketable topic in children’s literature. It manages to be educational and aesthetically appealing in equal measure, which makes it marketable to a wider age range, and can be appreciated in either or both ways by different readers. All these factors contribute to its potential for success in the English-language market, with perhaps an additional appeal from its artistic depth, both on the shelf and once in the hands of the reader.
