Children's Books
Josephine Mark
Trip mit Tropf
[A trip with a drip]
Translation Grant Programme
Published in Italian with a grant from Litrix.de.
Born to be wild – a comic novel celebrating the comforting friendship of two odd beings
How many animals with human, all too human features has a critic met during his life, all of it, not just the professional part? Mice. Ducks. Cats. Dogs. Bears. Foxes. Wolves. Crocodiles. Caterpillars. Ants. Moles. Butterflies. Goats in a clock. Rabbits in a ditch. The numbers are endless.
Many of them have a clear purpose. They want to capture their readers' attention and infuse them with their messages of love, friendship, courage, spirit of adventure, the fight between good and evil or the imperfection of man. Aesops antique creations and the characters from fairy tales aside: Even the animal heroes of the 20th century are the great great grandfathers and -mothers of their tribe, Winnie-the-Pooh, the Toad and his friends under the willows, why, even Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and his nephews.
Although the reviewer has been very fond of animal comic characters since childhood, he has not yet experienced what he has just encountered in the new graphic novel by the Leipzig author, graphic artist and illustrator Josephine Mark. On his extensive walks in the forest, he has never encountered a sign pointing to an emergency ambulance for animals in the middle of the wilderness, although the multitude of anthropomorphized mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects in children's literature literally calls for such emergency medical care. That after a few incidents in the cabins of said practice “Trip mit Tropf” shows two very different creatures starting to make their way through the thicket together seems quite impossible at first glance, but reasonable on second sight, even necessary for survival and, above all: comforting.
The wolf who was shot is tending to his wounds himself after Sister Erdmute, a mole with extremly poor eyesight, had trouble with his rolling veins. Following his nature, of course he would like to eat the puny rabbit in the neighboring cabin, if only it didn't reek of medicine so much. In addition, during the following surprise hunter's attack, the bullet that was aimed at the wolf bounced off the rodent's IV stand. Thus, the centuries-old wolf code comes into effect: "If someone saves your life, you must save their life in return. After that, you can be natural enemies again.“ But that's quite an ordeal, because... well, the rabbit's chemotherapy will take about five months. In the book, that's at least 180 pages, where wolf and rodent, dragging around the IV pole on wheels, travel together over hill and dale, from late summer to the first days of spring in a beautiful Rocky Mountain landscape. On foot, in a stolen truck or in a bike with a sidecar - a road movie that goes astray in many ways, the angry hunter and his dog Horst always in tow.
It's hard to believe: During these months, an intimate, even tender, relationship develops between the two loners, clumsy and accompanied by blunders. It makes you want to cry for happiness. It's as if wolf and rabbit were the best ambassadors of courage and hope since (in Grimm's fairy tale "The Bremen Town Musicians") the donkey asked the rooster: "Oh, you redhead better move away with us, something better than death you'll find everywhere."
Josephine Mark's picture story is a heartfelt parable about the friendship between two creatures whose natures couldn't be more different: A seriously ill, frightened, lonely rabbit, far away from a protective colony. A bold, quick-tempered wolf who thinks he knows where to go and takes things into his paws with courage. However, behind his rough exterior lies a caring soul. And under his soul skin there are certainly some reasons for struggling through life as a lonesome wolf and not heeding the call of the pack.
The fact that you are drawn into the action also has something to do with the imagery, the drawing of the figures and the colors of the backgrounds. It's as if a parallel world took hold of you during a walk through the forest and brought to life your own familiar visual fantasies. Familiar creatures inhabit this world. They say what's on their mind - smart, ironic, serious, compassionate, rude, not a word too much. They live in a plain, colorful landscape that Donald's Junior woodchuck nephews Huwey, Dewey and Louie could have wandered through. They look like caricatures, lovingly applied to the character with just a few strokes. But they are way more than that: they are mourners, reliable companions, carers, comforters, bearers of hope. They are creatures with weaknesses and virtues and wit and with an unshakable, if perhaps deeply hidden, urge for freedom that makes them sing "Born to be wild" – even if the wind takes rabbit's last remaining hair and wolf could get winged again.
Translated by Matthias Wieland
By Siggi Seuß
Siggi Seuß, freelance journalist, radio script writer and translator, has been writing reviews of books for children and young people for many years.
