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The script is gorgeous to look at

Best Post Ever!

Scholastic have just sent me a copy of the Japanese Emily Feather and the Enchanted Door.

This is the first Japanese translation I’ve had, and it’s beautiful, but so different! For a start, you read Japanese books backwards (starting from what we’d call the back cover). Also, with most of my translation copies, I can pick out a few words and make a vague guess at which bit of the story is where – with this one, I have no idea what any of the text says. (Actually, I’m not even sure which bit of the cover says my name…) It’s laid out so differently, with the text in columns, and the script is gorgeous to look at.

The translation is by Hiromi Miyasaka, and the amazing artwork by Tobi. Thank you so much to Scholastic, and to my Japanese publishers, Gakken.

Update

and now another beautiful Japanese book! This is A Cat Called Penguin, as published by BFC, translated by Akiko Tanaka and illustrated by Yayoi Ono. I love Penguin’s suspicious face on the cover!

The good thing about getting two Japanese books at once is that now I think this top line of text must say By Holly Webb, as it’s the same on both!

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