INTRODUCING Ivan of Aldenuri.

Written by Edie R. Lambert.

Published at DOS MUNDOS, Kansas city’s bilingual newspaper. Friday, 04 July 2008.

Spanish attorney wins young hearts and minds with warm-hearted plausible yarns.

There’s more to life than video games. Reading, for instance. But with so many modern, technologically tempting diversions, how do parents ensure that reading remains a priority in their children’s lives?
One way is to help youngsters discover authors whose books capture and hold their attention and encourage them to keep reading.
Young readers across Europe and Japan and their parents have found such an author in Juan Antonio “J.P.” Pérez-Foncea. The attorney-turned author hears it all the time – in fan letters and book-signing tours.

“Boys and girls tell me, ‘The Forest of the Taurocs is the first book I’ve ever read in my life, and I’ve read it four times!’ I hear this directly from children and from their parents,” Foncea told Dos Mundos in an interview via e-mail from his law office in San Sebastian, Spain.

Since June 2004, he’s published three young adult books: The Forest of the Taurocs, The Heritage of Bérehor and The Siege of Muihl Athern. Now, there’s an English edition of the first book in Foncea’s captivating Iván of Aldénuri series. The 261-page hardcover edition is available from Amazon.com or the U.S. publisher, Cambridge BrickHouse Inc. (www.cbhbooks.com).
Noted Cuban-born artist Antonio Javier Caparo’s fanciful illustrations give luminous, eye-catching form to Foncea’s irrepressible protagonist, Ivan of Aldenuri and the other characters and creatures. And Foncea himself extravagantly praises the translation of his delightful prose into English, calling it magnificent.
“Stephen Caro is an extraordinary man,” Foncea said. “He is of Sephardic origin. Because of this, he knows Spanish very well. He’s done a great job.”
A stage actor in England, Caro translated “The Forest of the Taurocs” by having someone read it to him because he’s blind.
According to Foncea, Caro perfectly captured the spirit of Ivan and his fantastical adventures in the English version -- high praise from the book’s multilingual author, who’s fascinated with etymology.

“I think every word has a message beyond its mere meaning,” Foncea said, citing the taurocs as an example. “They’re wild and fierce, huge animals. The word ‘tauroc’ suits them well, evoking something threatening.”
But dramatic effect would have been lost if he’d called them “lullies” instead, a more benevolent-sounding name for an invented creature, he said. “You can’t say, ‘Look out! Lullies are coming!’ It would be like saying, ‘Teddy bears are attacking.’”
Foncea brings Old Europe to life in the Ivan of Aldenuri series in fantasy yarns inspired by his love of nature, history and languages.
Overlaid with classic moral themes -- good conquering evil, overcoming fear and doing the right thing – his concise, richly textured accounts of Ivan’s adventures present a wholesome, spellbinding feast for young minds.
In “The Forest of the Taurocs,” Ivan is a happy, hard-working 12-year-old, the eldest son of the blacksmith in Aldenuri, an invented, Camelot-like locale. While playing, he finds an ancient medal and discovers that he can use it to defy gravity. With focused concentration, he’s able to rise in the air and return to earth.
Thus begins Ivan’s adventures, replete with nail-biting encounters with fearsome taurocs and sea monsters and well-developed, engaging characters, most named for real-life people near and dear to the author.

Soon to be translated into Russian, Italian, German, French and Czech, Foncea’s intrepid young protagonist may also come to life on the screen. Foncea is negotiating with a film company for the movie rights.
Original Spanish editions of the Ivan of Aldenuri titles can be purchased through the Ivan of Aldenuri Web site in English and Spanish at www.ivandealdenuri.com.