Let's Read the Sitio do Picapau Amarelo/Yellow Woodpecker Ranch series!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Let's Read the Sitio do Picapau Amarelo/Yellow Woodpecker Ranch series!

Getsuya: Oct 2, 2013

S�tio do Picapau Amarelo

Known in English as variations of 'Yellow Woodpecker Ranch/Farm', this is a beloved children's book series from Brazil, written by Monteiro Lobato. It has, sadly, never been translated into English. Why? Copyright laws, I think. There are a few characters used in the series at points that I'm not sure Lobato had permission to use and who weren't in the public domain at the time. But, setting that aside, this is a series that has charmed Brazilian children and adults for ages. It's also been turned into multiple movies and television series, and unless I'm mistaken I'm pretty sure there's always some version of it or other running on Brazillian TV (the most latest iteration is an animated version with character design reminiscent of My Little Pony or some other modern cartoons).

This series helped me learn Portuguese when I was living in S�o Paulo for 2 years as a missionary. I've been meaning to get my hands on the whole series at some point (I only have 3 of the books at this point, the first one and two other random ones) and I think this is a classic set of works that should be shared with English-speaking fans of classic fiction. So please join me on a journey through the charming tales of Monteiro Lobato, and feel free to join in on the discussion.

Some notes:

The Translation
Anything I put in a quote box is my translation from Portuguese to English from my copy of the books. There may be some other English fan translations out there, but I want to use my own since it's a good way to brush up on my rusty Portuguese. If you're following along in Portuguese and think that I worded something strangely please let me know! I'm not a great author like Lobato, so sometimes my rendition is going to fall short.

Anything outside of quotes is a summary. I won't be translating each of the books 100%. I will highlight scenes and conversations and skim over stuff that I don't think is absolutely necessary to understanding the story. Again feel free to put in stuff I skimmed over or request that I go back over a scene more thoroughly if you think there's reason to.

(Italicized text will be my own personal thoughts/commentary on what I'm reading/translating)

The Other Books
Right now I own Reina��es de Narizinho, the first book, and two others from the middle of the series. I would really like to own all of them and translate/Let's Read the whole series. If you live in Brazil and can find good deals on NICE copies of the books (IE not too damaged and without some of the crappier art that the books have had) I'd love to buy them (I can pay through Paypal or Steam gifts or whatever) so PM me or post about it in this thread if you've found something. Please take a picture or at least link me to something that can show me what the book looks like first, though, since I don't want to pay for anything (or have you buy anything for me) that I'm not going to end up wanting.

Note that I don't really like the versions of any of the books I already have so yes I'd like a new copy of Reina��es de Narizinho as well. I'm pretty sure the cover of my version is the ugliest one they made for the entire series.

Discussion
If you are Brazilian and have fond memories of this series, please share them! I'd love to hear all about the pros and cons of the different TV versions, or your thoughts on the political views Lobato wrote between the lines, or anything at all. And everyone else should join in too! Let's talk about Brazil, and classic children's literature, or let's just dissect the story itself! This is a fun, interesting series with tons to discuss. And, being a children's series, each chapter is short and to the point, with very little filler, so there's never a dull moment.

Please feel free to post art, music or links to video clips from the various TV/movie incarnations of the series, as long as they don't contain spoilers for things we haven't seen yet.

And with that, let's dive right in!

# ? Dec 5, 2015 21:24

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Getsuya: Oct 2, 2013

Reserved for Table of Contents/Art/Video clips/Character bios

# ? Dec 5, 2015 21:24

Getsuya: Oct 2, 2013

(The first chapter is basically just a prologue so we'll be covering the first two today)

Book 1: The Adventures of Narizinho
Part 1: The Girl with the Little Pug Nose

Chapter 1 posted:

Chapter 1 - Narizinho
In a white house out on the Yellow Woodpecker Ranch, lived an old woman of more than 70 years. Her name was Dona Benta. Those who passed by and saw her, with a sewing basket on her lap and golden glasses on the point of her nose, thought as they went by:
�How sad, to live all by her lonesome out here in this desert��

But they had it all wrong. Dona Benta was the happiest grandmother in the world, for she lived in the company of the most enchanting of grandaughters - L�cia, the girl with the little pug nose, or Narizinho, as everyone called her. Narizinho was 7 years old, and was brown like a jambo. She loved popcorn and was already capable of making flour cakes that were quite delicious.

Narizinho literally means 'Little Nose'. And Jambo is, apparently, something we call Malay Apples. They don't look particularly brown to me, more red than anything, but I'm not sure. She looks pretty white in all the art/animation/TV shows I've seen of it so I dunno.

Chapter 1 posted:

There were two other persons living in that house - Auntie Nast�cia, a black woman of great estimation who had looked after L�cia since she was small, and Em�lia, a cloth doll whose body was quite ungainly. Em�lia had been made by Auntie Nast�cia, with eyes of black twine and with eyebrows so far up on her head that she looked like a witch. Despite this, L�cia loved her dearly; she wouldn�t eat lunch or dinner without the doll by her side, and she wouldn�t lay down to sleep without putting her doll to sleep on a small net strung between two chair-legs.

Aside from the doll, the other thing that captured the girl�s fancy was the little river that passed through the far end of the orchard. The swift, murmuring waters of the river passed through large black rocks of limestone, which L�cia dubbed the �Auntie Nast�cias in the river�.

Every afternoon L�cia would take her doll and take a stroll by the riverside, where she would then sit on the roots of an old inga tree to feed breadcrumbs to the tetra fishes.

There wasn�t a fish in the river that didn�t know her; as soon as she would appear, all the little fishes would create a grand stir. The young ones would draw near; while the grown-up fish appeared to be dubious of the doll, and would hang back, watching warily. And, playing with the fish, the girl would spend hours down by the river, until Auntie Nast�cia would appear at the door to the house and call for her in her quiet voice:

�Narizinho, your gradma�s calling for you!...�

So, yeah, just really an introduction to the initial setting and (at least) one of the main characters. Nothing too crazy or fun in there, so let's just jump on ahead to where the story really starts.

Chapter 2 - One Time�

One afternoon Lucia is out feeding the fishes and watching the clouds, when she gets tired and decides to take a nap. She feels some tickling on her face, and:

Chapter 2 posted:

She opened her eyes: A fish, dressed like a man, was standing with a foot on the point of her nose.

Yes, dressed like a man. He had on a red coat, a small hat on his head, and an umbrella in his hand - a perfect gentleman! The little fish was looking at Narizinho with a wrinkled brow as though he didn�t know what to make of what he was seeing.

How can a fish 'stand' anywhere? Does he have feet?

Wait he has an umbrella in his hand? He has hands? What kind of fish live in Brazil??

Lucia does her best to stay absolutely still, since she's interested to see where this is going. As she watches, from the corner of her eye, she spots a beetle also climbing on her face.

Chapter 2 posted:

But the beetle was also dressed like a man, with a black overcoat, spectacles and a cane.

L�cia held herself even more still, for she was just so very interested in what she was seeing.

When the beetle saw the fish, he took off his hat respectfully.

�Good afternoon, Sir Prince!� he said.
�And to you, Master Cascudo!� was the response.
�And what brings Your Excellence to these parts, Prince?�
�Well I�ve chipped two of my scales, and Doctor Caramujo prescribed some fresh air for me. I came to partake in just that remedy on this bank with which I�m quite familiar, when I came across this hill which seems quite strange to me.� And the prince tapped on the tip of Narizinho�s nose with the point of his umbrella.

�I believe it�s made of marble,� he observed.

Beetles know quite a bit about questions regarding the earth, for they are always digging holes. However, this beetle with his overcoat could not for the life of him understand the qualities of this particular bit of �earth�. He lowered himself down, adjusted his glasses on his nose, took a look at Narizinho�s nose, and said:

�It�s soft, for marble. I believe it might be cottage cheese.�
�It�s brown, for cottage cheese. I believe it might be brown sugar,� returned the Prince.

The beetle tested the �ground� with the tip of his tongue.

�It�s salty, for brown cheese. I believe it might be�� But he did not finish, because the Prince had gone to look at the eyebrows.

Cascudo refers to something hard-shelled or thick-skinned. Caramujo means 'conch'.

The fish picks some of Lucia's eyebrows, which hurts terribly but the girl bears it because she doesn't want to interrupt the scene. The fish points out to the beetle that the beetle's children might like playing with the eyebrows as pretend whips. Also he believes they are... something. I don't know what the Portuguese word means. 'Barbatanas'. Anyway, after picking some eyebrows and leaving the beetle to pick some more:

Chapter 2 posted:

The little fish examined her nostrils.

�What lovely homes these would make for a family of beetles!� he exclaimed. �Why don�t you move in here, Master Cascudo? Your wife would surely adore these separate rooms.�

The beetle agrees that they would be lovely to live in, but is afraid there might be some beast living inside already. He decides to see if there is anything in there by poking in his cane.

Chapter 2 posted:

�Hu! Hu! Get out, you icky bug!...�

No beast came out, but as the cane of the beetle tickled L�cia�s nose, what came out was a great sneeze �Atchoo!�... and both little creatures, caught quite by surprise, were sent flying with legs straight up in the air, and they fell with a great tumble onto the ground.

The beetle runs off, yelling that there was a beast after all, but the Prince, who is a bit braver, stays behind and faces up to the 'mountain'. Lucia feels sorry for him, and decides to explain:

Chapter 2 posted:

�I�m not a mountain, little fishie. I�m L�cia, the girl who gives you food every day. Don�t you recognize me?�

�I fear it was impossible to recognize you, child. From within the waters, you look quite different��

�Well I suppose that�s true, but it�s really me. And this is my best friend, Em�lia.�

The little fish greeted the doll respectfully, and then presented himself as Prince Escamado, King of the Kingdom of Clear Waters.

Wait wait a Prince AND a King? How does that...

Chapter 2 posted:

�A Prince and a King at the same time!� the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands. How lovely, how lovely, how lovely! She had always wanted to meet a Prince-King.

The Prince-King invites Lucia to come with him to visit his Kingdom.

Chapter 2 posted:

�Well let�s go, right away!� she exclaimed �Before Auntie Nast�cia calls for me.�

And thus they went off, arm-in-arm, like old friends. The doll followed behind them without saying a word.

�It appears that Lady Em�lia is dumb,� observed the Prince.

�She�s not stupid, no, Prince. She just can�t talk. She�s been like that since birth. I�m always looking for a doctor to cure her.�

The Prince says he knows quite a good doctor, Doctor Caramujo, who has pills that are capable of curing any disease at all. They walk along for a while with the Prince detailing the miracles of the doctor's cures, until they find themselves in a grotto that Lucia has never seen before.

Chapter 2 posted:

�This is the entrance to my kingdom,� said the Prince.

Narizinho stood looking, afraid to enter.

�It�s quite dark, Prince. Em�lia is a great fraidy-cat.�

In response, the little fish took from his bag a firefly on a leash, which served him as a living lantern. The grotto was illuminated and �the doll� lost her fear.

They walk on for some time, being greeted on their way by many owls and bats, before finally coming to beautiful gates made of coral.

Chapter 2 posted:

�Who built these marvelous gates of coral, Prince? They�re so pretty, it�s like a dream.�

�These were made by the polyps, the most tireless and hardworking sculptors in the sea. My palace was also made by them, all of pink and white coral.�

The Prince sees that the gates have been left open.

Chapter 2 posted:

�This is the second time he�s done this,� he observed, with a stern face. �I believe the guard is sleeping again.�

Entering the guardhouse, he saw that it was just as he expected. The guard was asleep, and snoring. The guard was nothing but a very ugly frog, who held the rank of Major in the Marine Army. Major Grabs-and-Doesn�t-Let-Go. His wages were 100 flies per day to stay with lance in arm, helmet on head, and sword at his belt, watching the entrance to the palace.

The Prince is about ready to give the frog a good kick to wake him up, but Lucia interrupts him:

Chapter 2 posted:

�Not yet! I�ve got a great idea. Let�s dress the frog up like a woman, and see his face when he wakes up.�

And, without awaiting a response, she took Em�lia�s skirt and put it on the sleeping frog, very slowly and carefully. She also put the doll�s bonnet in place of the helmet and the Prince�s umbrella in place of the lance. After she had transformed the frog into the very image of an old crone, she said to the Prince:

�You can kick him now.�

The Prince kicked, POW!... a great blow right to the frog�s stomach.

�HUM!�... cried the frog, opening his eyes, which were still heavy with sleep.

The Prince raised his voice and yelled:

�A fine thing, Major! Sleeping like a pig and dressed as a woman, no less� What is the meaning of this?�

The frog, uncomprehending of anything, looked fearfully at himself in a nearby mirror. He then put all the blame on the mirror.

�He�s lying, Prince! You can�t believe him. That ain�t me at all��

�Perhaps it wasn�t�� explained Narizinho. �But, since you fell asleep on the job, the Sleep Fairy came and turned you into an old lady. What a pity��

�And as punishment,� added the Prince, �instead of flies, as in our contract, you will instead feed yourself on 100 round pebbles!�

The sad frog stuck out his large lower lip and walked away, all slumped down, to pout in a corner.

And that's all for the first two chapters. Next time, we go with Lucia and the Prince into the Kingdom of Clear Waters

Getsuya fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Dec 5, 2015

# ? Dec 5, 2015 21:42

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Let's Read the Sitio do Picapau Amarelo/Yellow Woodpecker Ranch series!