Betty Birney’s Blog

What a staycation I’m having! I’ve been to Hungary, England and Japan today … and I didn’t have to leave the house. I just received my copies of the Hungarian version of THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY. As in Germany and Belgium, they changed his name … again.

So meet, Spuri. He’s quite an energetic guy!

“Rocky’s” (AKA Humphrey’s) book came out in Germany in April. This is the first illustrated book – and I like the fact that the illustrations follow the book – that’s not always the case!

Finally, I received the Japanese edition of THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS. It was going through the translation process for a long time and it was a total surprise to see it! They used the same cover art … but it’s still very different. I forgot that they read books “backwards” – which means they start at what we’d consider the back of the book and work forward. Of course, they think we read books “backwards.” I don’t really care how people read books, just so they read! The book is beautifully designed. These aren’t the greatest scans but they’ll give you an idea.

I’m honored and delighted to see my books travel around the globe.

By the way, when I’ve been speaking at schools recently and mention that Humphrey is coming to Hungary, I can tell that most kids have never heard of such a country. I wish that the “test” everyone teaches to had a little geography thrown in!