A remarkable multilingual picture book, Daniel and Ismail tells the story of a Jewish boy and a Palestinian boy who grow up in separate communities and become friends by chance on the soccer field. Each boy’s family is upset at the news, yet the power of conversation and play helps the boys overcome their differences. To amplify this message of unity, we have translated the book from Juan Pablo Iglesias’ Spanish into English (translated by Ilan Stavans), Hebrew (translated by Eliezer Nowodworski and Frieda Press-Danieli), and Arabic (translated by Randa Sayegh). See this remarkable layout in the gallery below, as set against Alex Peris’ beautiful illustrations.
Young Readers
'Phantom Tollbooth' Author Norton Juster Live and on Your Podcast Feed!
Most people remember the first time they read Norton Juster’s classic novel The Phantom Tollbooth. Milo, a young boy who is constantly bored, receives a magical tollbooth and a small, toy car, which he drives through the tollbooth to discover a whole new world brimming with eccentric characters and bizarre, but very rational, consequences. The story resonates with adults too, because it’s true. Who hasn’t experienced a real-life Doldrums, having fallen into a hazy wasteland due to inattention and laziness?
We couldn't be more thrilled that Norton Juster will be joining us this May for the Restless Readers Weekend—during which participants will get to "return to school" for a weekend on the beautiful Amherst College campus and immerse themselves in the world of children's literature with the likes of Norton Juster, Indian children's author Arshia Sattar, Mexican illustrator Eko, and others. To give you a taste of what's on offer, listen to to our publisher Ilan Stavans' conversation with Juster on his podcast "In Contrast".
Juster shares how he half-heartedly started a career in architecture, only to be drawn—almost subconsciously—to writing. The Phantom Tollbooth, Juster’s first novel, was actually the result of procrastinating working on another book.
“I was a world champion digresser,” Juster says, laughing, in the interview.
As he continued to write, he found that he really enjoyed it. He began discovering joyfulness and playfulness in words and language—which, as we know, largely informed the wit in The Phantom Tollbooth. Much of his inspiration for Milo’s character came from his own experiences as a child: misunderstandings and disappointments that often stemmed from some gap in communication.
“When I was growing up. I always had the feeling that nothing I said, anybody understood, and nothing they said did I understand,” Juster says. “I always had a different viewpoint of all that I got involved in. But I was sure about one thing: that adults didn’t have the capacity to tell you the truth. And they didn’t have the capacity to understand anything I was talking about.”
To hear the full interview between Stavans and Juster, click here. Stavans and Juster will be continuing their conversation about writing and language during our Restless Readers Weekend on May 4. Find out more at the link below!
The Wild Book Spooky Quotes and Halloween Giveaway
It’s Halloween next week. The neighborhoods are decorated with black cats, ghosts, and after dark everything is slightly more sinister. That spooky effect doesn’t end at suburban yards or city stoops, but it’s found its way inside and is terrorizing bookshelves, too. As proof, we’re sharing some of the spookiest parts from our first Young Adult novel, The Wild Book! And to share our Halloween spirit, we’re offering readers a special chance to win an advance copy of The Wild Book!
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by Juan Pablo Iglesias Yacher
Illustrations by Alex Peris
Translated from the Spanish by Ilan Stavans
Translated into Hebrew by Eliezer Nowodworski and Frieda Press-Danieli
Translated into Arabic by Randa Sayegh
Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers | Ages 3–6
A one-of-a-kind picture book about an Israeli boy and a Palestinian boy who bond on the soccer field—translated into English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
Hardcover • ISBN: 9781632061560
Publication date: Aug 20, 2019
Paperback • ISBN: 9781632063793
Paperback publication date: May 7, 2024