A Chinuk Wawa translation of Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

As part of the LCC Chinuk Wawa program, students translate a picture book into Chinuk Wawa. I chose to translate Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, written by Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. My translation is available on Archive of Our Own.

Why Hershel?

When I started thinking about picture books that I loved when I was little — and that I still love — Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins immediately came to mind. It was one of my favorite stories, even at times other than Hanukkah. There's a bit where a goblin gets their hand stuck in a pickle jar that I still think about every time I'm trying to get a stubborn pickle out of a jar.

Schart Hyman's art is a big part of why the story has stuck with me. It's only recently that I've realized how much of an impact she's had on my life: I hadn't realized how many stories I've read that were accompanied by her illustrations. The Night Journey, by Kathryn Lasky, is another Jewish story that I still think about regularly decades after I first read it, and Schart Hyman's illustrations are part of the reason. Translating Hershel felt like a meaningful way to honor the influence Schart Hyman has had on my life.

As it happens, translating Hershel also has an Oregon connection: Kimmel, the author, lives in Portland and was formerly a professor at Portland State University.

I'm not nearly the first person to translate or adapt Hershel since it was published in 1989, but I hope I made a meaningful contribution to the book's legacy. My translation was purely for educational purposes and was not approved by the publisher or author, so I posted it to AO3 to avoid any potential problems in the future. I strongly recommend reading it with a copy of the book in hand to see Schart Hyman's amazing illustrations.