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Carmel G. Cauchi: Il-Barumbati ta’ Betta Trombetta. Merlin Publishers, 2013. 88 pp.

As a headstrong eight-year-old, with my parents desperately trying to wean me off Enid Blyton books (not that they didn’t serve their purpose, but at the time I was steadfastly refusing to look at anything non-Blyton) and to get me started reading in Maltese, I made the acquaintance with Carmel G. Cauchi.

More to the point, I made the acquaintance of his creation, the irascible brat with a heart of gold who went by the name of Betta Trombetta. Against all odds, given my previous preoccupation with the occupants of The Faraway Tree and such like, I totally took to the myriad misadventures of this schoolgirl.

Maybe it’s because in her naughty escapades, I could see the girl I’d have loved to be (I was too much of a nerd for most of her shenanigans). Or maybe it’s just because she managed to make ordinary mishaps sound so funny. Whatever it was, the book impressed me enough that 30 years down the line, I still know her favourite ditty by heart.

And 30 years down the line, Il-Barumbati ta’ Betta Trombetta has been re-issued in a new edition that is maybe more in keeping with the times. Since the first volume was released in 1983, another two books starring the Maltese equivalent of Dennis the Menace were also issued, so today’s children are likely to be already familiar with her character.

The book, which was originally self-published by the author and distributed by the now defunct Bugelli bookstores, has now been released by Merlin Publications after spending years out of print.

I was happy to see that the original simplicity of style that made Betta so popular has been retained, and that includes the book cover itself.

The new edition still sports the exact same two characters on the illustration as the original did. The situation depicted, however, is toned down to fit modern times – whereas before, we saw Betta destroying the baton on some hapless conductor’s head, in the present day she merely snatches it from his hand.

Inside, new illustrations have been added. Happily, the illustrator is still Frank Schembri and his new illustrations are very much in keeping with the original style. Given today’s proclivity towards super-illustrated publica-tions, these do help make the book more user-friendly for the kids of the new millennium.

The book itself is presented in short-story format, with a charming prologue, Biex Niftehmu Sewwa, which introduces our erstwhile heroine.

A fun introduction to Maltese literature for the younger readers

The stories are set in the fictional Ħal Faqqus, where Betta lives with her parents, her two brothers and her grandparents.

My guess is that today’s readers might find the idea of the extended family all living under one room a tad weird, but certainly not enough to put them off the charm of these anecdotes.

Refreshingly, the book is written in old-school Maltese. That is to say, although the vocabulary is simple enough to keep the little ones interested, there are no abominations on the line of ħendbeg or scrunchie – when words are necessarily used in the English language, they are italicised. You know, as they should be.

All stories deal with everyday situations children of any decade will empathise with.

There’s the escaped pet hamster, the outwitting of the school bullies, the comical misunderstandings, the altercations with technology (if you can call cassette tape players technology nowadays) and a host of other opportunities for comedy. All throughout, we are treated to her trademark buzzword “Il-marelli karamelli”.

A collection that, 30 years on, has lost none of its charm and will serve as a fun introduction to Maltese literature for the younger readers.

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