Ο Γκιόνης και η γατούλα (Ιωάννα Μπαμπέτα)

Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό ήταν ο Γκιόνης. Ζούσε σε ένα πεντακάθαρο κλαδί στη βελανιδιά, μαζί με τη μητέρα του για συντροφιά. Κάθε βράδυ έβγαινε για να ψωνίσει φαγητό. Η μητέρα του τον περίμενε με έτοιμη την κατσαρόλα και τραπεζομάντιλο κλαρωτό. Και η ζωή κυλούσε ήρεμα. Τόσο ήρεμα που δεν την έπαιρναν χαμπάρι.
Ένα βράδυ όμως ο Γκιόνης πετώντας έξω από το παράθυρο του κυρ Μένη, αντίκρισε τη Γατούλα να κοιμάται κουλουριασμένη. Σαν πίνακας ζωγραφικής, δίπλα στο τζάκι το αναμμένο. Γύρισε στο κλαδί ξεχνώντας να ψωνίσει, με βλέμμα σαν χαμένο. Εκείνο το βράδυ, ο Γκιόνης και η μητέρα του κοιμήθηκαν νηστικοί. Ο πρώτος με μάτια κόκκινα και η μάνα με πυτζάμα φιστικί.

Λογοκρισία; ΝΑΙ!

Ένα εικονογραφημένο βιβλίο της Rotraut Susanne Berner, για πολύ μικρά παιδιά. Ένα βιβλίο γεμάτο εικόνες. Και λογοκρίθηκαν οι εικόνες! Τίτλος του άρθρου, απολαυστικά κυριολεκτικός: The mini-penis scandal.

It is rare that a German book generates any interest in the United States. And children's books are usually completely off the radar. The delight was thus all the greater at the Hildesheimer Gerstenberg publishing house when a query came in from the American children's book purveyor Boyds Mills Press for a series by Rotraut Susanne Berner.

"It was really a sensation," Berner told SPIEGEL ONLINE. At first. As it turned out, there were a couple of changes that had to be made before the books could be unleashed on the America public. First off, smokers had to be removed from the illustrations. But that wasn’t all. One image shows a scene from an art gallery -- and for realism's sake, there is a cartoonish nude hanging on the wall along with a tiny, seven-millimeter-tall statue of a naked man on a pedestal.

American kiddies, obviously, could never be expected to handle such a depiction of the human body. The US publisher, somewhat awkwardly, asked if they could be removed.
The author, not surprisingly, considers the request to be absurd. The statue's mini-willy, the author points out, is hardly even a half-millimeter long. And the naked woman hanging on the wall? Hardly a realistic depiction of the female anatomy. The US publisher, says Berner, was embarrassed to ask for the changes, but they were even more afraid of how American mommies and daddies might react if junior were exposed to such pornography.
For the author, any kind of self-censorship was completely out of the question. She said she could maybe have lived with putting black bars in front of the problem spots, but "invisible censorship" was out. "If you're going to censor something, then the reader should be aware of it," she told SPIEGEL ONLINE.
But the US publisher would have none of it -- after all, one hardly wants to call attention to one's own deletions. Meaning, that the Hildesheimer publishing house will have to forego the honor of being published in the US -- and American children are safe from shocking German sensibilities.
Many children in the rest of the world, however, have already been exposed. Berner is one of the best-known contemporary children's book authors. And the series, which playfully follows the daily life of children and adults through the four seasons, is already a bestseller in 13 countries from Japan to the Faroe Islands. So far, no other country has been overly concerned about the cartoon boobies and mini-penis, Berner said.



It is rare that a German book generates any interest in the United States. And children's books are usually completely off the radar. The delight was thus all the greater at the Hildesheimer Gerstenberg publishing house when a query came in from the American children's book purveyor Boyds Mills Press for a series by Rotraut Susanne Berner.


Rotraut Susanne Berner
American children have been saved from the above illustration.
"It was really a sensation," Berner told SPIEGEL ONLINE. At first. As it turned out, there were a couple of changes that had to be made before the books could be unleashed on the America public. First off, smokers had to be removed from the illustrations. But that wasn’t all. One image shows a scene from an art gallery -- and for realism's sake, there is a cartoonish nude hanging on the wall along with a tiny, seven-millimeter-tall statue of a naked man on a pedestal.

American kiddies, obviously, could never be expected to handle such a depiction of the human body. The US publisher, somewhat awkwardly, asked if they could be removed.
The author, not surprisingly, considers the request to be absurd. The statue's mini-willy, the author points out, is hardly even a half-millimeter long. And the naked woman hanging on the wall? Hardly a realistic depiction of the female anatomy. The US publisher, says Berner, was embarrassed to ask for the changes, but they were even more afraid of how American mommies and daddies might react if junior were exposed to such pornography.
For the author, any kind of self-censorship was completely out of the question. She said she could maybe have lived with putting black bars in front of the problem spots, but "invisible censorship" was out. "If you're going to censor something, then the reader should be aware of it," she told SPIEGEL ONLINE.
But the US publisher would have none of it -- after all, one hardly wants to call attention to one's own deletions. Meaning, that the Hildesheimer publishing house will have to forego the honor of being published in the US -- and American children are safe from shocking German sensibilities.
Many children in the rest of the world, however, have already been exposed. Berner is one of the best-known contemporary children's book authors. And the series, which playfully follows the daily life of children and adults through the four seasons, is already a bestseller in 13 countries from Japan to the Faroe Islands. So far, no other country has been overly concerned about the cartoon boobies and mini-penis, Berner said.

Μια ακόμα εκδοχή της Κοκκινοσκουφίτσας

Μπορεί αυτό το ιστολόγιο να ξεκίνησε με παραλλαγές στη γνωστότατη ιστορία 'the owl and the pussycat', οι ιστορίες όμως που μπορούν να διασκευαστούν είναι αμέτρητες. Έτσι, ένα χρόνο πριν, στο σεμινάριο παιδικής λογοτεχνίας της Μαρίας Αγγελίδου, επιλέχθηκε η Κοκκινοσκουφίτσα.
Σε λίγο καιρό, θα έχουμε την ευκαιρία να δούμε μια διασκευή αυτού του τόσο γνωστού παραμυθιού στον κινηματογράφο, σε σκηνοθεσία Catherine Hardwicke, με την Amanda Seyfried στο ρόλο της Κοκκινοσκουφίτσας. Στο τρέιλερ που συνοδεύει αυτό το κείμενο, μπορούμε να πάρουμε μια γεύση και στην γνωστή ιστοσελίδα IMDB να βρούμε περισσότερες πληροφορίες.

Γκιώνης και Γατούλα: Η Ζωή Μετά… Νο2 (Λίνα Ιορδανάκη)

Και σαν πέρασε ο καιρός ξεκινάνε ολοταχώς

για ταξίδι νέο πάλι, σ’ ένα μακρινό ακρογιάλι.

Πήρε ο Γκιώνης μία άδεια κι η Γατούλα όλο χάδια

του ζητούσε να σαλπάρουν, σ’ άλλα μέρη ν’ αριβάρουν.

Κι έτσι φτάσαν Ισπανία, μία χώρα – ιστορία.

Βαρκελώνη ξακουσμένη, ποιος μπορεί να περιμένει;

Ένα ληρολόγημα για το παντρολόγημα (Μαριάννα Βεριγάκη)

Ήταν μια γάτα απ’ την Καλαμάτα
που δεν την έκοφτε καμιά  άλλη γάτα.
Μα έκρυβε έρωτα για έναν γκιόνη,
γι’ άντρα τον ήθελε καλά και σώνει,
η επίμονη γάτα απ’ την  Καλαμάτα.

Το σοφό πουλί και η ψιψίνα (Πωλίνα Παπανικολάου)

Σαλπάρησαν το σοφό πουλί και η ψιψίνα
Μέσα σε μια πανέμορφη βάρκα μπιζελί.

Πήραν μελάκι κι άφθονο παραδάκι
Που περιτυλήξαν σε χαρτιά πολυτελή.

Βάγια η Κουκουβάγια και Τούλα η Γατούλα (Κική Μαρούλη)

Η κουκουβάγια κι η γατούλα που τόσα χρόνια κάναν παρεούλα,
είπανε να πάνε κρουαζιέρα στα ανοιχτά με μια βάρκα πράσινη σαν αρακά

Αφήσανε τα ταίρια τους, μαζέψαν τα προικιά τους,
και δίχως κανέναν δισταγμό ανοίξαν όλα τα πανιά τους

Κι έτσι κι οι δυο τους ήτανε για όπου φύγει φύγει,
με 5 ευρώ κομπόδεμα κι πέντε βάζα με ταχίνι.