children and youth literature I


  • Original title: A Wizard of Earthsea

  • Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

  • Date of publication: 1968

  • Literary genre: Narrative, fantasy

  • Languages: English > Spanish

  • Format: Word

  • Synopsis:

    A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in the Earthsea series. It is a coming of age story about a young mage named Ged in the achipelago of Earthsea. It follows his quest to rid himself of the shadow creature he unleashed while studying at a wizardry school.

    (Text by A Wizard of Earthsea, Fandom)

  • O.T.

    Warriors in the Mist

    THE ISLAND OF GONT, A single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards. From the towns in its high valleys and the ports on its dark narrow bays many a Gontishman has gone forth to serve the Lords of the Archipelago in their cities as wizard or mage, or, looking for adventure, to wander working magic from isle to isle of all Earthsea. Of these some say the greatest, and surely the greatest voyager, was the man called Sparrowhawk, who in his day became both dragonlord and Archmage. His life is told of in the Deed of Ged and in many songs, but this is a tale of the time before his fame, before the songs were made.

    He was born in a lonely village called Ten Alders, high on the mountain at the head of the Northward Vale. Below the village the pastures and plowlands of the Vale slope downward level below level towards the sea, and other towns lie on the bends of the River Ar; above the village only forest rises ridge behind ridge to the stone and snow of the heights.

    The name he bore as a child, Duny, was given him by his mother, and that and his life were all she could give him, for she died before he was a year old. His father, the bronze-smith of the village, was a grim unspeaking man, and since Duny’s six brothers were older than he by many years and went one by one from home to farm the land or sail the sea or work as smith in other towns of the Northward Vale, there was no one to bring the child up in tenderness. He grew wild, a thriving weed, a tall, quick boy, loud and proud and full of temper.

  • T.T.

    Guerreros entre la niebla

    La ISLA DE GONT, una montaña solitaria cuya cima se eleva más de mil metros sobre el tempestuoso Mar del Nordeste, es una tierra conocida por sus magos. De las aldeas situadas en los altos valles y de los puertos de las bahías oscuras y estrechas, ha salido más de un gontero para servir, como hechicero o mago, a los señores del Archipiélago en sus ciudades o para recorrer, en busca de aventuras, todas las islas de Terramar haciendo magia. Se dice que, de todos los magos y hechiceros, el mejor y sin duda el mejor viajero era un hombre llamado Gavilán que, en su día, se convirtió en el Señor de los Dragones y en Archimago. Su vida se relata en Las Hazañas de Ged y en muchas canciones, pero esta historia habla de la época en que todavía no era famoso, antes de que se crearan todas esas canciones.

    Gavilán nació en un pueblecito solitario llamado Diez Alisos, situado en lo alto de la montaña, en la entrada del Valle Norteño. Desde el pueblo, en dirección al mar, van bajando en terrazas los pastos y las tierras aradas del Valle, y otras aldeas yacen en los recodos del río Ar; pero por encima del pueblo, solo el bosque se extiende cordillera tras cordillera hasta alcanzar las rocas y la nieve de las cumbres.

    El nombre que lo acompañó durante su infancia, Duny, se lo dio su madre, y eso y la vida fueron todo lo que pudo darle, pues murió antes de que el niño cumpliera un año. Su padre, el broncista del pueblo, era un hombre adusto y retraído y, como los seis hermanos de Duny eran mucho mayores que él y se habían ido marchando de casa, uno por uno, a labrar la tierra o a navegar los mares o a ejercer de herreros en otros pueblos del Valle Norteño, no quedaba nadie en el hogar que criara al pequeño con ternura. Este creció salvaje, como una mala hierba floreciente, un chico alto y ágil, escandaloso, altanero y con mal genio.

children and youth literature II (song)


  • Original title: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

  • Author: Roald Dahl

  • Date of publication: 1964

  • Literary genre: Children literature, narrative, fantasy

  • Languages: English > Spanish

  • Format: Word

  • Synopsis: 

    This children's novel written by English author Roald Dahl tells the story of Charlie Bucket, a boy living in extreme poverty who dreams of visiting Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. He hides five golden tickets in the chocolates that are for sale, which will allow the five lucky ones to visit the factory and take with them chocolates whenever they want. Charlie finds one of the tickets and, together with four other children, visits the chocolate factory. The impoliteness and defects of the other children lead them to have to leave the factory. One of them is Violet Beauregarde, a girl obsessed with chewing gum and with a tremendously competitive soul. She is the main character of this song.

  • O.T.

    'Dear friends, we surely all agree

    There's almost nothing worse to see

    Than some repulsive little bum

    Who's always chewing chewing-gum.

    (It's very near as bad as those

    Who sit around and pick the nose.)

    So please believe us when we say

    That chewing gum will never pay;

    This sticky habit's bound to send

    The chewer to a sticky end.

    Did any of you ever know

    A person called Miss Bigelow?

    This dreadful woman saw no wrong

    In chewing, chewing all day long.

    She chewed while bathing in the tub,

    She chewed while dancing at her club,

    She chewed in church and on the bus;

    It really was quite ludicrous!

    And when she couldn't find her gum,

    She'd chew up the linoleum,

    Or anything that happened near —

    A pair of boots, the postman's ear,

    Or other people's underclothes,

    And once she chewed her boy-friend's nose.

    She went on chewing till, at last,

    Her chewing muscles grew so vast

    That from her face her giant chin

    Stuck out just like a violin.

    For years and years she chewed away,

    Consuming fifty bits a day,

    Until one summer's eve, alas,

    A horrid business came to pass.

    Miss Bigelow went late to bed,

    For half an hour she lay and read,

    Chewing and chewing all the while

    Like some great clockwork crocodile.

    At last, she put her gum away

    Upon a special little tray,

    And settled back and went to sleep —

    (She managed this by counting sheep).

    But now, how strange! Although she slept,

    Those massive jaws of hers still kept

    On chewing, chewing through the night,

    Even with nothing there to bite.

    They were, you see, in such a groove

    They positively had to move.

    And very grim it was to hear

    In pitchy darkness, loud and clear,

    This sleeping woman's great big trap

    Opening and shutting, snap-snap-snap!

    Faster and faster, chop-chop-chop,

    The noise went on, it wouldn't stop.

    Until at last her jaws decide

    To pause and open extra wide,

    And with the most tremendous chew

    They bit the lady's tongue in two.

    Thereafter, just from chewing gum,

    Miss Bigelow was always dumb,

    And spent her life shut up in some

    Disgusting sanatorium.

    And that is why we'll try so hard

    To save Miss Violet Beauregarde

    From suffering an equal fate.

    She's still quite young. It's not too late,

    Provided she survives the cure.

    We hope she does. We can't be sure.'

  • T.T.

    Nadie podrá discutir

    que no hay nada peor aquí

    que una niñita sin domar

    que nunca deja de mascar.

    Mirarla es casi peor

    que ver un moco en el sillón.

    Mejor que no la observéis,

    seguro que vomitaréis.

    La señorita Beauregarde

    el chicle nunca dejará;

    es tan viscoso que tal vez

    se quede bien pegada a él.

    Quizás habéis oído hablar

    de la señora Lola Clark

    que se zampaba sin pudor

    cincuenta chicles de melón.

    En la bañera ñoc-ñoc-ñoc,

    y hasta en la disco ñoc-ñoc-ñoc.

    Montando en bici y en el tren,

    y hasta tomándose un café.

    Cuando no le quedaban más,

    mascaba goma de borrar,

    o las botas de algún señor,

    y hasta su ropa interior.

    Aunque la boca le aumentó

    un metro en cada dirección,

    siguió mascando y al final

    se parecía a un caimán.

    Mascaba ochenta a la vez,

    llegó incluso a mascar cien.

    Hasta que un día ocurrió

    lo que jamás nadie pensó.

    Se fue muy tarde a dormir,

    y acostadita en un cojín,

    mientras leía se comió

    doscientos chicles de un tirón.

    Dejó el último por fin

    en su cajita de marfil.

    Muy agotada bostezó,

    y en dos minutos se durmió.

    Pero sin nada que mascar,

    su boca no pudo parar.

    Toda la noche ñoc-ñoc-ñoc

    al ritmo de un rock and roll.

    Estuvo tanto tiempo así

    que incluso daba miedo oír

    aquel ruidito aterrador

    que parecía un motor.

    Su gran bocaza de caimán

    continuaba sin parar

    y aquel ruidito ñoc-ñoc-ñoc

    era cada vez más veloz.

    Hasta que su boca al final

    paró y se abrió de par en par

    y de un mordisco se tragó

    la lengua en una porción.

    Y desde entonces la mujer

    se quedó tonta sin querer

    y la encerraron sin piedad

    en un horrible hospital.

    Por eso queremos salvar

    a la pequeña Beauregarde

    de este destino tan cruel

    que le tocó a aquella mujer.

    Ahora debemos esperar

    que Violet se curará.

    Aunque es probable, la verdad,

    nadie lo puede asegurar.