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Barriers, like promises and piecrust, are made to be broken. Or broken down, rather. Translators, like teachers, are great breakers-down of barriers, though, like them, they are almost always undervalued. This autumn our minds and our media are full of images of razor-wire fences as refugees, fleeing war zones, try to cross borders legally or illegally in search of a safe haven.

The post Breaking down barriers appeared first on OUPblog.

December is here and there's lots to talk about, including an appearance and exciting new stuff! BOOKS! Elephant and Piggie's WAITING IS NOT EASY! came out last month and the response has been nice.  Thanks to you, the story debuted at #2 on The New York Times Bestseller List. (Not to be left out, THE PIGEON NEEDS A BATH! joined Waiting is Not Easy! on the next 2 weeks). The New York Times

COMIX! One of the real fun things about my last year in Paris was being able to share sketches, gags, and photos from the trip on uclick as a comic strip called PARIS DOODLES. In fact, it was so fun, I've decided to keep sharing drawings and ideas on uclick with a new strip called FROM THE MO WILLEMS SKETCHBOOK.   I'll be sharing drawings from my sketchbook, dining room dinner doodles,

 COMIX! I'm on sabbatical for the year.  While I will be making various appearances in Europe and beyond, mostly I'll be spending time at the home base in Paris, France drawing and doodling.   You can check out my experiments over at Universal U-Click for a comic-strip-doodle-thingie called PARIS DOODLES . The strip runs drawings, dining room dinner doodles, and photos on weekdays.

A nice big box just arrived at Knuffle Manor chock full of the UK/Ireland/Australia/NewZealand edition of DON'T LET THE PIGEON FINISH THIS ACTIVITY BOOK! and the Complex Chinese editions of tons of new Elephant and Piggie Books! They all came out fantastic.  I mean, check out the Chinese for "Ah-Ah-Ah-Choo!" In other lovely news, thanks to you the just released THAT IS NOT A GOOD

I just received copies of the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy translated into Simplified Chinese by New Star Press. It's always a thrill to see the work in new languages. I hope you enjoy the books!

Check out some recent arrivals at Knuffle Manor: Yes, it's Korean editions of Elephant and Piggie books! And more E&P! Here are the re-designed British Elephant and Piggie books! And a Chinese two-pack of TIME TO SAY PLEASE! and TIME TO PEE! And a new edition of Chinese Pigeon Books! So much fun! (Stay tuned for a Dutch Knuffle Bunny Too- yay) And the Star Telegram likes Don't

 Looking for Elephant and Piggie in Chinese?  Look no further! A whole slew of Elephant and Piggie's are available in Traditional Chinese through Grimm Press. You can learn more about them right here! I hope you enjoy.  谢谢!

The old mail bag had a special treat for me, the French version of CITY DOG COUNTRY FROG, entitled SAM & PAM. It's a nice translation.  I hope you enjoy it. In completely unrelated news, The Horn Book recommends and  WIRED magazine likes DON'T LET THE PIGEON RUN THIS APP!

click to enlarge. I've just returned from a fun holiday.  While I was away, Universal Syndicate ran the comics I pinch hit for pal Richard Thompson's Cul De Sac.  It was great fun to play around with his characters.  You can see the work starting here (then click onto the arrow for the next day). Thanks again to Stacy Curtis for inking them. There's still as Sunday strip of mine coming

There are 3 theater events based on my books on two ends of the planet coming up in the next few weeks. Starting this weekend ( March 17th) and running until the first weekend in May, Chicago's Lifeline Theatre will be presenting their version of NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED on the weekends. (Wonder what the Dress Rehearsal will be like! Tee Hee.)  Check it out, and be sure to bring

As those of you who visit my FAQ site know, my schedule no longer allows me to do school visits, with the exception of the occasional chat with kids at Title 1 schools.  But when the American School of Dubai contacted my publishers to see if I'd be amenable to drop by, the opportunity was too great to pass up. Firstly, Jack Gantos had a great time there.  Secondly, while much of my favorite

Here are some cool new Elephant and Piggie books published in South Korea!   ARE YOU READY TO PLAY OUTSIDE?, MY FRIEND IS SAD, and I LOVE MY NEW TOY! I love the Korean text for "WHAAAAAAA!" Great production & nice layout.  Huzzah!

Recent arrivals in the ol' mailbag: Simplified Chinese editions of the two Smidgeon of Pigeon board books, THE PIGEON LOVES THINGS THAT GO! and PIGEON'S HAVE FEELINGS TOO! Plus the Simplified Chinese version of LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER. They've all be done quite well.  It's fun to have them in my hands.

Japanese version of City Dog, Country Frog has arrived in the studio.  Fantastic! Speaking of City Dog, the American version of the book is up for a Charlotte Award (that's the NY State book award voted on by real kids!) As part of the pre-award hoopla, I was interviewed by Mrs. Pegeen Jensen’s first graders at Saddlewood Elementary in Albany.  They had some very insightful questions, as you

The old mailbag included a preview copy of ¡La Paloma encuentra un perro caliente!, the Spanish version of The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! It's fun to hold it in my hands and I have been assured by Spanish-speaking pals it's a great translation. The book is the 3rd Spanish Language book of mine available in the States will hit the shelves at the end of May. On a different, local note, I'm happy

The old mailbag recently contained a package with the Korean editions of Knuffle Bunny Free and City Dog Country Frog.  Check them out next time you're in Seoul. Huzzah!

I've just returned to Knuffle Manor (and a stack of correspondence) after a fun trip to Paris that included, work, pleasure, and old pals. First off was an afternoon & dinner with the very talented film writer & director Laurent Tirard and his kids. Laurent is an old pal from film school & a riotous trip to China.  Unfortunately, our time catching up was brief as Laurent is currently prepping

The old mailbag just came in with more French language editions of the adventures of Emile et Lili  as Elephant and Piggie are called in French. Just in time for my upcoming appearances in Montreal and Paris! Huzzah!

Just in, Simplified Chinese editions of Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny Too! Huzzah!

In the old mailbag this week, French editions of The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!Huzzah!

In the old mail bag today? Fresh copies of the Japanese edition of Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct!Giant lizards! Scrappy kids! It almost looks like it was made in Japan first!Huzzah!

In the ol' mailbag today:The UK version of Elephant and Piggie's Geisel Medal winning Are You Ready To Play Outside?!And it looks great.Walker Books UK has most of my stuff available for all those folks in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand!Speaking of the UK, The Guardian likes The Pigeon and others... Read the rest of this post

By Ashley Bray, Intern Extraordinaire

From Colony to Superpower by George C. Herring is the newest edition to the award-winning The Oxford History of the United States series, which has won three Pulitzer prizes, a Bancroft and a Parkman Prize.  Herring, Alumni Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Kentucky and a leading authority on U.S. foreign relations, has written the only thematic volume to be commissioned for the series.  This sweeping volume studies the history of the United States through the lens of foreign relations, covering everything from the American Revolution to the current war in Iraq as it examines America’s rise to power. The following excerpt discusses America’s approach to foreign policy throughout history, something all Americans should be aware of, especially President-elect Barack Obama as he prepares to take office in January.

By dividing foreign policy powers between the executive and legislative branches of government, the U.S. Constitution added another level of confusion and conflict. The executive branch is obviously better suited to conduct foreign policy than a larger, inherently divided legislature whose members often represent local interests. George Washington set early precedents establishing presidential predominance. In the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the growing importance of foreign policy and the existence of major foreign threats have vastly expanded executive power, producing what has been called the imperial presidency. Congress from time to time has asserted itself and sought to regain some measure of control over foreign policy. Sometimes, as in the 1930s and 1970s, it has exerted decisive influence on crucial policy issues. For the most part and especially in the realm of war powers, the president has reigned supreme. Sometimes, chief executives have found it expedient to seek congressional endorsement of their decisions for war if not an outright declaration. Other times and especially in periods of danger, Congress has witlessly rallied behind the president, neglecting to ask crucial questions about policy decisions that turned out to be badly flawed.

America’s peculiar approach to foreign policy has long bemused and befuddled foreign observers. Referring specifically to the United States, that often astute nineteenth-century French observer Alexis de Tocqueville warned that democracies “obey the impulse of passion rather than the suggestions of prudence.” They “abandon a mature design for the gratification of a momentary caprice.” In the early years, European diplomats tried to exploit the chaos that was American politics by bribing members of Congress and even interfering in the electoral process. More recently, other nations have hired lobbyists and even public relations experts to promote their interests and images in the United States.

Despite claims to moral superiority and disdain for Old World diplomacy, the United States throughout its history has behaved more like a traditional great power than Americans have realized or might care to admit. United States policymakers have often been shrewd analysts of world politics. They have energetically pursued and zealously protected interests deemed vital. In terms of commerce and territory, they have been aggressively and relentlessly expansionist. They exploited rivalries among the Europeans to secure their independence, favorable boundaries, and vast territorial acquisitions. From Louisiana to the Floridas, Texas, California, and eventually Hawaii, they fashioned the process of infiltration and subversion into a finely tuned instrument of expansion, using the presence of restless Americans in nominally foreign lands to establish claims and take over additional territory. When the hunger for land was sated, they extended American economic and political influence across the world. During the Cold War, when the nation’s survival seemed threatened, they scrapped old notions of fair play, intervening in the affairs of other nations, overthrowing governments, even plotting the assassination of foreign leaders. From the founders of the eighteenth century to the Cold Warriors two hundred years later, they played the great game of world politics with some measure of skill.

Popular notions to the contrary, the United States has been spectacularly successful in its foreign policy. To be sure, like all countries, it has made huge mistakes and suffered major failures, sometimes with tragic consequences for Americans—and other peoples as well. At the same time, it has sustained an overall record of achievement with little precedent in history. In the space of a little more than two hundred years, it conquered a continent, came to dominate the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean areas, helped win two world wars, prevailed in a half-century Cold War, and extended its economic influence, military might, popular culture, and “soft power” through much of the world. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, it had attained that “strength of a Giant” that Washington longed for.

Ironically, as the nation grew more powerful, the limits to its power became more palpable, a harsh reality for which Americans were not prepared by history. The nation’s unprecedented success spawned what a British commentator called the “illusion of American omnipotence,” the notion that the United States could do anything it set its mind to, or, as one wag put it, the difficult we do tomorrow, the impossible may take a while. Success came to be taken for granted. Failure caused great frustration. When it occurred, many Americans preferred to pin it on villains at home rather than admit there were things their nation could not do. Despite its vast wealth and awesome military power, the United States had to settle for a stalemate in the Korean War. It could not work its will in Vietnam or Iraq, nations whose complex societies and idiosyncratic histories defied its efforts to reshape them.

The emergence of a new twenty-first-century threat in the form of international terrorism and the devastating September 11, 2001, attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon underscored another hard reality: that power does not guarantee security. On the contrary, the greater a nation’s global influence, the greater its capacity to provoke envy and anger; the more overseas interests it has, the more targets it presents to foes, and the more it has to lose. Weaker nations can deal with a hegemonic nation by combining with each other or simply by obstructing its moves. Even America’s unparalleled power could not fully assure the freedom from fear that George Washington longed for.

And this will be my trick or treat doodles for this Halloween!