Into the Dark Woods: A Cross-Cultural Re-Imagination of Home

The focus of this article is on a very popular picturebook from former Yugoslavia that has just recently been translated into English and adapted for the stage. The classic picturebook Ježeva kućica by Branko Ćopić (translated into English as Hedgehog's Home) is one of the most enduring children's books from former Yugoslavia; it holds very high prominence in the source culture, as well as rather prominent visibility for the target audience in the United Kingdom in particular. The analysis in this article will look at how two elements—the iconic and the performative—alongside the conventional verbal signs, recreate the image of home in this particular picturebook/musical. The analysis will compare the images created in the original book with the images produced in the translated volume, as well as the English language adaptation of the text for the stage.