Moving On Up
By John Sellers, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 10/18/2007
Over the course of five decades, Nicholas, the exuberant French schoolboy who stars in a series of books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé, has gained millions of fans worldwide who follow his adventures in 26 languages. But for most of those years, English was not among said languages. In 2005, Phaidon Press, in its first venture into children’s books, first began publishing clothbound English-language editions of the Nicholas series. (The books, which were translated by Anthea Bell, have slight linguistic differences between the U.S. and U.K. editions.) “I came across [the series] in France and was staggered that they weren’t available in English,” says Phaidon publisher Richard Schlagman. “It was a no-brainer.”
The books were originally published in France in the 1950s and ’60s and have an avid following in their home country, where the title character is fondly known as Le Petit Nicolas. But getting attention for the series in English-speaking countries proved more of a challenge. “Nicholas is incredibly well-known in France, Germany, and other countries, but in the U.K. and the U.S. he was not,” says Schlagman, noting the publication of the books received less coverage than they had expected. “[The press] said the books seemed very old and very French—both of which are true. But to some degree, that’s their strength. They have a timeless quality,” he says. “Although they’re about a French child, they transcend geography.”
And two years after arriving in English-language editions, Nicholas’s old-fashioned brand of humor seems to have caught on. Though as a private company Phaidon does not release sales figures, Schlagman reports that the Phaidon editions have sold “a few hundred thousand copies” to date. This month the company is releasing the fourth book in the series, Nicholas and the Gang. To usher in the new title, Phaidon is launching The Nicholas Club, a free Web-based club open to children worldwide. The Web site features games, printable coloring book pages, a blog, a template that allows them to “create” a newspaper and more. Kids can also sign up to receive a membership kit, which includes a pencil case, a series of collectable enamel badges (matching the ones embedded in the covers of each book), a wooden ruler, stickers, membership certificate and other items. A fifth and final title, Nicholas in Trouble, is planned for next year.
