‘Ikaros’ … takes flight for children

By Olga Sella, KATHIMERINI 4/2/2012 The historic publishing house with new initiatives. The third generation – Marilena Panourgia and Nikos Argyris, children of Chrysoula and Katerina Karidi – have been working at “Ikaros” Publications for some time now. They manage the long history of the publishing house founded by their grandfather, Nikos Karydis, with respect and inspiration, but they also listen to the reading needs of the fourth generation, their own children – little Elli and little Aphrodite. Thus, alongside the books of Nobel Prize-winning poets, from this month, February, a major, brand-new publishing programme aimed at young readers will begin to unfold. Yes, Ikaros Publications is also turning its attention to children’s books, showcasing Greek authors whilst also introducing the Greek public to significant international authors. The criteria for each publication will be its educational value, high-quality texts and carefully crafted illustrations. And specifically for children’s books, a new logo has been designed: a little ‘Ikaros’, a... Little Ikaros! Bridge and perspective The bridge to the well-known ‘Ikaros’ catalogue of publications is formed by the series entitled ‘If I were to read: poets of the 1930s generation’ (in collaboration with the Benaki Museum), conceived and created by the artist Alexis Kyritsopoulos, who draws inspiration from the poems of the great poets of the ’30s generation and writes a new fairy tale, which he naturally illustrates. The first two books in the series are titled ‘Just a Little More’ (inspired by a poem by Giorgos Seferis) and ‘Fireworks’ (inspired by poems by Nikos Engonopoulos).Also featured in the ‘Ikaros’ publications is Evgenios Trivizas with two distinct books: ‘Tzo and Tsiou’ (illustrated by Liza Iliou) written following a meeting between the popular author and the Ethiopian activist Johannes Gebregeorgis in Stockholm, who asked Trivizas to write a subversive and subversive version of the English children’s book ‘Curious George’. The book will be published in a special bilingual edition (English-Amharic) for the children of Ethiopia. Eugenios Trivizas’s second book will be titled ‘The Camel’s Complaint’ (illustrated by Nikos Koutsis), featuring a solitary Bedouin, tirelessly accompanied by a camel, who at one point asks him to relieve her of her hump so that she may become light and swift as a gazelle. Young readers will see bustling Arab bazaars, seedy harbours and cosmetic surgeons’ waiting rooms come to life before their eyes, and will witness a hilarious allegory.Foreign-language books With an experienced storyteller, Filippos Mandilaras, translating the foreign-language books, we will be treated to a wide variety of tales. Such as the bunnies Tick and Tella in various stories by the multi-award-winning Axel Scheffler. The book ‘Goldilocks and Just One Bear’ by Leigh Hodgkinson, which offers a subversive take on the well-known fairy tale. Mr and Mrs Deer, who didn’t have a baby of their own but would very much like to have one, and one day find one on their doorstep. Except it was growling (‘What a Strange Baby! Grrr!’ by Simon Puttock. A tender story that speaks of the value of a gift and the joy one feels when giving, in the book ‘A Gift for Everyone’ (author Birdie Black, illustrator Rosalind Beardshaw).To help the youngest readers become familiar with the book, Ikaros Publications is producing pop-up books. The first book in the series is *I Play and Read on the Farm*. Finally, for the first time, the Greek public will be introduced to the award-winning children’s book illustrator Oliver Jeffers, with the release of the book ‘Oops... It’s Stuck’, which tells the story of a kite that gets stuck in the branches of a tree. Not only is the story delightful, but the illustrations are also impressive. The first children’s books The truth is that Ikaros Publications have reissued children’s books before. There are already two in their catalogue, published as far back as 1948! These are ‘Children’s Songs’ by Minos Dounias and the well-known children’s fairy tale ‘Dili-Dili’, both illustrated by the artist Spyros Vassiliou. In fact, “Dili-Dili” was reprinted in 2006 and reached a new generation of readers, whilst in 2010 it was released as a free app for iPhone and iPad devices, and to date more than 2,500 e-readers have downloaded the app.At a time when most news concerns postponements, cancellations or cutbacks, a historic publishing house is venturing into new territory, drawing on the experience and discernment that have characterised its journey to date.