Eno Raud (1928–1996)

Known for their wisdom and sage advice, the male Gothamites of Turkeyland find themselves leaving their own country one by one, lured away by the kings and rulers of other nations, and made into counselors in these foreign lands. When their women see how matters stand, they demand that the men come home and stay there. Worried about how to accomplish this, without offending the kings who have given them employment, the Gothamites come up with a plan: they will become such fools, that no one show more would ever seek their advice again. And so it goes, as the Gothamites become a byword for silly stupidity, building town halls without windows, and sowing salt in a field, in order raise a salt crop...

When I saw that Elsewhere Editions, the new children's book imprint of Archipeligo Books, based in Brooklyn, New York, was bringing out one of Estonian children's author Eno Raud's books in English, I was quite excited. I read Raud's The Adventures of Sipsik, a classic of Estonian children's literature originally published in 1962, some years ago, and have been curious about the author's other work ever since. The Gothamites marks the first time that Raud has been translated into English here in the states, as all previous translations, that I am aware of, occurred in Estonia (or the Soviet Union) itself. I was intrigued moreover, by the title here, as it seems to reference the English folk legend concerning the Wise Men of Gotham, in which a village avoids a royal visit by feigning imbecility. I found myself wondering whether a similar tale existed in the Estonian tradition, or whether perhaps the translator simply chose the name of the book because of the similar theme of the two stories.

However that may be (and I am still not sure of the answer to either of those questions), in the end I found The Gothamites quite a let down. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high, or perhaps I simply wasn't in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the humor of the story here, but I found myself largely unamused by and uninterested in the narrative, despite being aware that it was meant to be funny. In fact, I had to force myself to finish the book, which almost never happens. Formatted like a picture-book, it is more like a novella, text-wise, although there are full-page illustrations as well, from Priit Pärn. Unfortunately, I didn't find the artwork any more appealing than the tale, making this one a title I simply didn't enjoy. Tastes vary of course, so if readers are interested in stories about fools (there is an entire category of folklore devoted to this kind of tale), or in Estonian children's literature, they might want to give this one a try. show less

Originally published in 1962, this classic Estonian children's story follows the adventures of the eponymous Sipsik, a rag doll made by young Maxim for his sister Ann's sixth birthday present. Although a little bedraggled in appearance - Maxim follows his Grannie's instructions, stitching and stuffing the doll himself, but the result is rather silly looking - Sipsik has one undeniable virtue, in his ability speak. Taken very much to Ann's heart, Sipsik becomes her constant companion, joining show more her in everything from her made-up TV games to her trips to the seaside.

Although presented in picture-book form, The Adventures of Sipsik is really more of a chapter-book, with copious illustrations, both full-page and in the borders around the text. The translation I own was printed by the Moscow-based Raduga Publishers in 1982, although I understand that there is a more recent English edition, Raggie, released by the Estonian press Tallinn Perioodika in 1992. My version reads fairly well, although there are times when the text stumbles a bit - I noticed some odd word choices, as well as times when small words (usually prepositions) were left out - which I put down to translation. The story itself was enjoyable - I particularly liked the brother-sister relationship between Maxim and Ann - and the artwork, although not a personal favorite in terms of style, interesting. Recommended to young readers who enjoy tales of living dolls, as well as to those interested in Estonian children's literature. show less

"Selles raamatus ilmuvad meie ette taas Sammalhabe, Kingpool ja Muhv, kes pärast linna vabastamist rottidest on saanud kuulsaks. Kuid kuulsus muutub väsitavaks ning naksitrallid otsustavad selle eest põgeneda puhkusele. Järjekordne seiklus algab sellest, kui kummaline daam otsustab Sammalhabeme röövida ja teda pidada lemmikloomana. Raamatu teises osas tuleb aga sõpradel päästa Muhv, kelle viisid endaga kaasa hundid. Naksitrallid peavad looduses üksi hakkama saama ja unistus mere show more äärde jõudmisest muutub üha keerulisemaks.

„Jälle need naksitrallid“ on järg raamatule „Naksitrallid“. Eno Raua (1928–1996) kirjutatud ja Edgar Valteri (1929–2006) joonistatud naksitrallid on juba mitme põlvkonna raamatusõprade lemmikud." show less

Ükskord said jäätiseputka juures täiesti juhuslikult kokku kolm imelikku mehikest – Sammalhabe, Kingpool ja Muhv. Nad limpsisid jäätist ja silmitsesid üksteist uudishimulikult. Nad kõik olid väga lühikest kasvu, nii et jäätisemüüja pidas neid alguses isegi päkapikkudeks, ja peale selle torkas nende juures veel muudki iseäralikku silma. Sammalhabemel oli pehmest samblast habe, kus kasvasid ilusad ja punased, kuigi mullusuvised pohlad. Kingpool oli oma kinga-ninad maha show more lõiganud, et tal oleks hea lahe varbaid liigutada. Muhv aga kandis tavaliste riiete asemel seljas suurt muhvi, millest ainult peanupp ja labajalad välja paistsid. Tuntud lastekirjaniku Eno Raua poolt eesti lastekirjanduse klassikasse kirjutatud ja kunstnik Edgar Valteri joonistatud naksitrallid pakuvad äratundmisrõõmu täiskasvanutele ja avastamisrõõmu tänastele lastele. „Naksitrallide“ esimese raamatu esmatrükk ilmus 1972. aastal. show less