Nicholas Again

Only child Nicholas never means to get into trouble but it keeps happening anyway. This, and the first book (simply entitled Nicholas), were first published in France over 40 years ago. Considered classics and available in 26 languages, the ‘Nicholas’ stories have now been translated into English by Anthea Bell who, with Derek Hockridge, also translated the entire Asterix the Gaul series (co-written by Goscinny). Nicholas Again contains 17 humorous episodes. Nicholas’s naive reaction to situations is often at odds with that of the adults around him. The results are calamitous: in the school, at home or out and about, the exuberance of Nicholas and his friends often takes over. Whether helping to organise a school newspaper, going fishing in the public gardens, or discovering how to enjoy a visit to the art gallery, Nicholas’s efforts always brings mayhem.

Whether Nicholas Again gives English children an accurate picture of French life and culture in 2006 is open to debate. Sempé’s illustrations are a great strength of the book – they are simply superb because they are superbly simple. But they are somewhat lost amongst the pages of very small print. A book to be read to young children rather than by them.