We had a nice little letterbox surprise the other day in the form of a delectable children’s book called Donkeys by Adelheid Dahimène and Heide Stöllinger. Didn’t sound like good Kiwi names to us either so we hastened to look more closely … and read these words under the title: Translated by Catherine Chidgey.

It transpires that this is one Julia Marshall’s doing (right, with furry friend). She has recently returned to NZ after 12 years in Sweden, where, among other things no doubt, she read Margaret Mahy and Lynley Dodd in Swedish. She came back to Wellington with an idea … if European children could access great NZ writers, why couldn’t NZ children read quality European writers? And guess what: this has now become her mission, via her new publishing company, Gecko Press.

Julia is choosing only ‘curiously good books’ – they must be exceptional in story, illustration and design. Her authors and illustrators have all won international awards, and have a following in a number of countries. Julia has a great background for doing this: lots of publishing, National Coordinator for NZ Post Children’s Book Awards in 2000, did Kate de Goldi’s children’s writing course in 2001.

And she's got Penelope Todd honing her considerable children's book skills on the editors desk, another good move.

As for Ms Chidgey, it appears that as well as her many other talents, she is multi-lingual, with German being her strongest second language, having studied it to post-grad level at Victoria and lived and studied in Berlin for a couple of year. She speaks French too. And yes, she is looking at doing more translation work for Gecko; she is in fact looking at another picture book now – in rhyme, which should be interesting. As for the competition for NZ writers of childrens literature, she has this to say:

I can only see positive effects for NZ children's writing if more European books are available here. They offer a slightly different take on life, I think, and have a slightly different sense of humour, and can only broaden a child's reading experience. Imagine if adults only read NZ books!

True, true. And as a parent, the more fantastic kid-lit around, the better. Which brings us to the inaugural product of Gecko Press, Donkeys. It’s the story of two old donkeys about to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. But bad old Jack snoozes right throught the important day, which so incenses Jenny that a donkey bust-up ensues and they both decide to find another partner. But of course, after much trying out of other potential soul mates, they realise…

The kids were very intrigued by the idea that you can be with someone you love for so long that ‘it shows on your body’ (Jenny has a hollow on her neck, and Jack, goodness me, a bump in the exact same place) so discussion followed about grandparents etc, which was very lovely. Heide Stöllinger’s illustrations are great, quirky and not too cute, and it’s great to see a picture book which is all in shades of brown. This adds to its vaguely wholesome European-ness somehow. All the colours of a German supermarket bread counter?

Anyway – it’s in its fourth reprint in Austria, and has won a heap of awards, including the Most Beautiful Book Award of Austria, 2002. And this is the first time it’s been published in English, thank you Gecko Press.

Donkeys is available in all good bookshops as they say, is $16.99 softback and $29.99 for the hardback.