Alba’s words
The Poster!
Alba’s parents wanted to commemorate her early interpretations (excellent and adorable) of the world.
I made an illustration to go with each word and assembled them into an alphabet poster.
Just writing this out makes me realize the things in a child’s daily life that might be lost in translation.
’Opa klein’ means Grandfather Small, referring to a kabouter, or typically Dutch dwarf. ‘Bolba’ for a krentenbol, which is a raisin bun or roll, also typically Dutch. ‘Kwakwa’ for kwark – a very soft fermented dairy product, thicker and less sour than yoghurt. I don’t know any non-Dutch equivalents.
‘Tita’ for vliegtuig (airplane).
Balloon and Banana seem pretty universal.
The ‘nuna’ drinking cup, however – is that the brand name of the cup? Is it a secret word for milk? In twenty years’ time, we will still recognize the food, the balloon, the airplane, but that designer cup might be a total mystery.