Renowned Author/Educator Gives Reading with Eighth Grade Translator of Her Work

On February 11, nationally recognized children’s author and educator Jennifer Bryan visited Beverly’s Shore Country Day School to participate in a very special reading during an all-school assembly. She was there to take the stage alongside eighth grader Alba Clarke, the translator of the Spanish-language version of Bryan’s most well known book, The Different Dragon. Together in Shore’s Theatre, they explained to students how their unique collaboration came about, and read excerpts from both the English and the Spanish versions of the book. Afterwards, Bryan and Clarke signed copies of their works in Shore’s historic Winslow Building.

Clarke, who is bilingual, was a seventh grader at Shore when she expressed an interest in translation. Her Spanish teacher Pamela Torres suggested she consider The Different Dragon, Bryan’s children’s bedtime story about a curious young boy who helps one of his two moms create a magical tale. Torres was already familiar with Bryan’s work as a gender educator and author; Bryan lives in Northampton, Mass.

Born in Spain, Clarke needed a challenge, says Torres, and the school offered her the opportunity to work one-on-one with her teacher during her regularly scheduled Spanish classes. “She and I brainstormed ideas that would give Alba the chance to use the Spanish she already knew and propel her learning. I brought back Jennifer’s book from the library for Alba to take home and read, and when she came back to school excited about the translation project, I emailed the author to pitch the idea.”

Says author Bryan, “Over the years many people have asked about creating a Spanish version of The Different Dragon” because of its whimsical and kid-friendly story about a family with two moms. “Today, Alba Clarke is my hero. Her desire to translate the book, and her teacher’s willingness to support that effort, finally brought the Spanish version to life. Being able to read with Alba at Shore was truly a career highlight for me.”

El Dragón Diferente, featuring Clarke’s translation and illustrations by Danamarie Hosler, was published in August by Two Lives Publishing.

Clarke and Torres worked closely with the language of the story to find words that honored the intention of the original. Clarke is very aware of the transformative power of literature. She explains, “The language in the original is beautiful and poetic. Because Spanish is such a poetic language, I felt I could capture the spirit of the book.”

She continues, ”The importance of a translated children’s story like The Different Dragon is immense. I hope El Dragón Diferente will bring messages of gay rights and the new roles of children to a very eager Spain.”

For 13 years, Bryan has offered specialized gender and sexuality consultation to pre-k to grade 12 schools, and has published several reference guides on these topics. An eighth grader at Shore, Clarke is an accomplished singer and performer, and loves reading, writing, listening to Ted Talks, and talking about ideas.