CCBC-Net Archives
Australian Children's and Young Adult Literature
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Fri, 05 Jul 2002 10:14:57 -0500
Just a reminder that Margaret Mahy is from New Zealand. Although the two nations have much in common, we want to stick to the subject of Australian authors this month.
Judith Ridge has raised an interesting question about qualities that make Australian books seem Australian. This could actually be applied to any books that orginate in other countries or are translated from other languages. What makes them stand out as distinctive?
I think a lot of the Australian books I've read seem closer to American books than, say, British books do, but I don't know how much of that is the books have been Americanized. We do share common elements of history so that a book such as "My Place" by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlings, though particularly Australian in its historical details, rings very true to American children.
The books that stand out as distinctly Australian range from ones that have obvious give-aways such as animals native to Australia and winter in July to more subtle clues such as differences in English usage to the books by Patricia Wrightson that delve into aboriginal traditions.
Other books from Australia could just as easily be set in the US, for example, the books of Bob Graham
KT
Kathleen T. Horning (horning at education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706 608&3930 FAX: 608&2I33 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Dear friends,
This is going to be a fascinating conversation for me. I don't know if I'm the only Australian on the list, but as such, I'll look forward to contributing to this discussion about Australian children's books. I'm fascinated what you think about our books, and whether or not you perceive any qualities in Australian children's books which make them, to your mind, peculiarly "Australian"!
Received on Fri 05 Jul 2002 10:14:57 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 05 Jul 2002 10:14:57 -0500
Just a reminder that Margaret Mahy is from New Zealand. Although the two nations have much in common, we want to stick to the subject of Australian authors this month.
Judith Ridge has raised an interesting question about qualities that make Australian books seem Australian. This could actually be applied to any books that orginate in other countries or are translated from other languages. What makes them stand out as distinctive?
I think a lot of the Australian books I've read seem closer to American books than, say, British books do, but I don't know how much of that is the books have been Americanized. We do share common elements of history so that a book such as "My Place" by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlings, though particularly Australian in its historical details, rings very true to American children.
The books that stand out as distinctly Australian range from ones that have obvious give-aways such as animals native to Australia and winter in July to more subtle clues such as differences in English usage to the books by Patricia Wrightson that delve into aboriginal traditions.
Other books from Australia could just as easily be set in the US, for example, the books of Bob Graham
KT
Kathleen T. Horning (horning at education.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706 608&3930 FAX: 608&2I33 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Dear friends,
This is going to be a fascinating conversation for me. I don't know if I'm the only Australian on the list, but as such, I'll look forward to contributing to this discussion about Australian children's books. I'm fascinated what you think about our books, and whether or not you perceive any qualities in Australian children's books which make them, to your mind, peculiarly "Australian"!
Received on Fri 05 Jul 2002 10:14:57 AM CDT
