INTERNATIONAL PRESS FOR 'NIAN AND THE BOY'
This week, following my presence at the Liangzhu Forum 2024, there was a lot of attention for my book 'Nian and the Boy'. 'Nian' is a classic Chinese New Year legend. I have described the legend in my European point of view. I've turned the tables. In my story, the sympathy goes to the monsters instead of the people. And that is exactly what surprised many Chinese readers.
The book has received the Outstanding Work Award ' by the Chinese Institute for Picture Book Research' and the Fu Lanya Picture Book Museum. At the same time the Chinese children’s jury listed ‘Nian and the Boy’ as best children’s book of 2020. The book is illustrated by Xiong Liang.
Attached is a quote from an article in the 'Xinhua Headlines'.
"In Doncker's book, the "nian," a Chinese mythical beast, had lived peacefully in a pristine valley before humans came to disturb its life, leading to clashes until a boy's love and understanding helped resolve the human-beast conflicts.?
"China's stories can be told well not only by Chinese writers, but also by world writers," Zhang said.?
Talking about the theme of the sub-forum, "Dialogue: Changes and Developments in Children's Literature and Mutual Learning between Chinese and Foreign Cultures," Doncker said it is important to meet face-to-face to achieve mutual understanding and mutual learning, as this is the only way to get things done. "We can talk, and then talk about what we are learning."?“