A Spotlight on Poland within the Global Tapestry of Issue 60.1

Abstract

A Spotlight on Poland within the Global Tapestry of Issue 60.1 Janelle Mathis (bio) and Petros Panaou (bio) With the same hopeful anticipation that accompanies the beginning of a new year, we approach Bookbird’s 60th volume in 2022. The first issue is unique in that it offers a “Spotlight” on Poland and the rich scholarship in children’s literature that is found there, beginning with the cover illustration that reveals the visual artistry of Ewa Kozyra-Pawlak and Paweł Pawlak. Within this issue, readers find a tapestry of exemplar articles that share some of the many themes explored by Polish authors and illustrators, as well as other international articles that extend the design of this tapestry in communicating perspectives on significant issues for all. First, among the articles from Poland, is “Little Women: Contemporary Polish Novels for Girls as an Example of Engaged Literature” by Dorota Michułka. Michulka explores novels for girls that provoke discussions and shape social competencies of young readers. In “Breaking Down Taboos—LGBTQ+ Themes in Contemporary Polish Children’s and Young Adult Literature,” Mateusz Świetlicki and Sabina Waleria Świtała examine the evolution of the publishing trends of LGBTQ+-themed literature through literature written by Polish authors and translations into Polish released after 2000. Their article affirms that despite anti-LGBTQ+ discourses, the Polish book market has gradually become more progressive and inclusive. “New-Old Trends in Recent Polish Book Illustration for Children and Young Adults” by Anita Wincencjusz-Patyna shares the rich history of illustration in Polish children’s literature. Two of these illustrators, the creators of this issue’s cover, are the focus in “An Interview on a Hot Summer Day with Polish Book Creators Ewa Kozyra-Pawlak and Paweł Pawlak,” also by Anita Wincencjusz-Patyna. Yet another current topic, that of children’s books that address the issues around COVID-19, is found in Polish scholarship—“Japanese Picturebooks for Children in the Fight against COVID-19” by Marcelina de Zoete-Leśniczak. This article is a reminder of the shared global concerns for children and their understanding of COVID-19 issues. Additionally, our spotlight on Poland includes a selection in Children and Their Books—“Coming across a Difficult Past: Contemporary Polish Narratives in the Eyes of a Young Recipient in Theory and Practice” by Justyna Zając and Dorota Michułka. There are also other articles that weave international scholarship into the tapestry of this unthemed journal issue. An intriguing and important look into adult gender roles is found in “Menacing Men and Well-Meaning [End Page 1] Women: Gender-Role Allocations in English- and German-Language Narrative Picturebooks on Child Sexual Abuse” by Carla Plieth. This research points to the portrayal of men as perpetrators and women as confidants from whom the children seek help in most of the examined books on child sexual abuse. Another important topic in international literature is that of translation and the many facets involved as books are retold among diverse languages. “Constructing a New Girl in Meiji Japan: The Japanese Translation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Sara Crewe” by Wakako Suzuki shares one example. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Has Finally Let Down Her Hair! The Feminist Evolution of ‘Rapunzel’ from the Nineteenth Century to the Twenty-First Century” by Komal Tujare focuses on gender conditioning in the evolution of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale “Rapunzel” in the Disney animation Tangled in 2010 and as found in India as a short story by Sowmya Rajendran in 2015. Within this issue’s Authors/Illustrators and Their Books section, readers find a second interview, “The Prerogative of Human, Traditional, Green, and Dreamlike: An Interview with Violeta Dabija” by Vladimir Kravchenko, where this well-known illustrator reveals aspects of her creativity. Also, the International Youth Library shares an exhibition project in “I-Solation: Children’s Self-Portraits in the Age of COVID-19” by Dr. Christiane Raabe. We also wish to draw attention to “The Many Lives of Jella Lepman” by Anna Becchi, translated by Nikola von Merveldt, as we continue to honor Lepman’s legacy. Of course, Books on Books edited by Jutta Reusch and Postcards edited by Barbara Lehman help to keep us informed about enlightening...