The Interpreter – Perfect Picture Book Friday

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Just as our regional SCBWI picture book craft group met to discuss the use of speech bubbles in picture books, this new picture book popped up on our radar. It’s fabulous in so many ways, I now feel compelled to describe them all.

First the cover. Notice how it offers clues about how the speech bubbles will be used. Blending yellow with blue makes green—an important visual cue. And then there’s the child dressed in a suit, a nod that she is holding down a job. An adult job. Notice how her suit is the color of the blended speech bubbles.

Then there are the end papers (not shown here). The front end papers show a suit, with the suit, tie, and shirt in varying shades of green. The other half of the end papers are brown, glossy dress shoes, similar to wing tips. The back end papers show a worn soccer jersey and dirty soccer cleats. A nod to the text on the title page that follows.

Note that the story is already starting. No wasted real estate or ho-hum title page here. And then the business person’s intercom call to action.

Note that Cecelia’s suit is too big for her. She’s being swallowed by its size. Hmmmm. Might that be a metaphor?

Not only is Cecelia expected to go to school and play soccer on her team, she’s also called to interpret for her parents whenever they need help. And they need help for so many things. It wasn’t always like this. Her older brother used to do the job before he went to college. So Cecelia now goes to the doctor, DMV, the auto shop, the soccer field, the hair salon, the grocery story, the post office, etc. And she’s called on to interpret over the phone and for emails. But she still has to do her homework before she can play with her friends. Cecelia is OVERWORKED!

Enter the concerned and helpful teacher during a parent-teacher conference who asks a pointed question, allowing Cecelia to express everything that’s been building up inside (and wearing her down) until now. In a climactic scene shown in the blog header, the speech bubble nearly covers the page, transitioning from the yellow in Spanish to green to blue of English. Thankfully, her sympathetic parents devise a solution that allows her to regain more of her kid life, while still being able to help her parents when she’s able to do so.

And the ending? Well, take charge Cecelia informs the author that she’s got everything under control. Her green suit now fits. But it’s not all green. She’s wearing a blue shirt and tie. And the last spread shows her finally being able to play with her friends. Funny. Empathetic. Satisfying.

This book should strike a chord with the kids who are doing an interpreter’s job, as well as with their friends who have no idea what it’s like to bear this huge responsibility for the adults in their lives.

Activities:

Pair this book with Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis. How does the author use images to help the reader interpret the message of the story? Create your own short comic, using speech bubbles and coloring them in the way shown in The Interpreter to represent different languages. If you only speak English, make up a new language, similar to Du Iz Tak? and use images to help interpret the new language.

A list poem contains a series of items, places, people, feelings, etc. that, when combined in a list, convey a central theme. Write two list poems, one for “kid Cecelia” and one for “interpreter Cecelia.” How are the kinds of words you choose different for each poem? Be sure to include all of the senses (sight, taste, touch, sound, and smells) plus emotions.

For many immigrants, asking children to interpret is a fact of life. But in some cases, especially when it comes to medical, legal, or financial issues, asking a child to interpret is especially unfair and dangerous. Here’s a post from the Children’s Hospital Association website. And one from Language Line Solutions. There are legal ramifications if professional interpreters are not used in some industries.

Listen to this NPR interview with Olivia Abtahi, where she talks about the reality of children interpreting for the adults in their lives.

Title: The Interpreter

Author: Olivia Abtahi

Illustrator: Monica Arnaldo

Publisher: Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2025

Ages: Elementary school

Themes: interpreting, children of immigrants, responsibility

For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.