Scene 1: July 1988, Cardiff, Wales
Setting: Strolling though the streets of Cardiff and
entering a bookshop.
Action: As a fledgling teacher librarian, it was only
natural to head to the children’s section where a mixture of English and Welsh
language books were displayed. A familiar character leapt off the shelves into
my arms. I stared at Spot with his party hat, bone and blue balloon and read
the title – Parti pen-blwydd Smot. Without
knowing a word of Welsh I knew that this was the story of Spot’s birthday
party. I opened the cover, turned the pages, lifted the flaps and ‘read’ the
story. What fun! This would be a wonderful way for children to read, compare,
contrast and share a favourite story and character. So… the book was bought and
stowed in the bottom of the suitcase.
Scene 2: September 1988 Limerick, Ireland
Setting: Strolling though the streets of Limerick and
entering a bookshop.
Action: Heading straight to the children’s section
with a mission – Yes! There was a row of Spot books on the shelves. And in the
middle was Bran a lá breithe with
Spot in his birthday hat, complete with blue balloon and beribboned bone. And
so a collection was born.
Scenes 3, 4, 5….
Over the years and
through the course of several overseas trips a range of Spot books has been
added to the collection, but not always the story of Spot’s birthday party.
With translations in over 60 languages, Spot can be spotted in bookshops across
the globe. Although available for purchase online, that would take away the
fun, adventure and exploration that is involved in adding to the collection in
situ. The collection is a form of memorabilia as it symbolises significant
destinations over a series of journeys. Spot titles on my bookshelf include the
French Spot á la
ferme, the German Flecki im park, Spot goes to school in the Italian Spotty va a scuola and the
first story of this much loved pup, the bilingual Chinese version Xiaobo zai nali | Where’s Spot? purchased
in a massive Chinese stationery store in Singapore.
As time passes, the availability of Spot books in
some foreign countries has become more problematic, but the thrill of the
chase, the exploration of unusual backstreets, visiting shops you would
otherwise not enter and the delight in finding the unexpected, remains. There
is always the dilemma of what to do if you cannot find a Spot book on a shop’s
shelves – in Kingston or Istanbul for example – or if you see another local
language title that you recognise. And that is another story…
Jennie Bales
(Apologies from the blog officer - I have no idea why the font etc is varying in this wonderful blog!)
What a lovely hunt
ReplyDeleteLove this Jennie! Around the world in 80 Spots... the challenge is there to help you make it to 80. I'll be travelling in Eastern Europe in May & June, let me know if you need a Romanian, Slovakian, Polish, Hungarian etc copy. I'll do my best to find some. Cheers Jessie
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