Spain
140
Benlloch, Kike / Vázquez, Alberto (text)
Vázquez, Alberto (illus.)
Freda <proper name>
Onil (Alicante) : Ed. de Ponent, 2002. – 60 p.
(Colección Solysombra)
ISBN 84-89929-39-4
Emigration – Immigration –
Identity – Uprooting – Homelessness – Generation conflict
In the form of a comic, this story tells of the fate of migrant workers.
Looking back, the now grown-up first-person narrator relates how he was
uprooted from his familiar surroundings, tried to make the foreign country his
home, and was again uprooted, losing his first love, when the family returned
to their old, almost forgotten home country. This story convincingly describes
the scars that such events can leave and the conflict between the children who
long for integration and the adults who often (partly intentionally, partly
accidentally) fail to to gain a foothold. Quiet black-and-white drawings aptly
capture the narrator’s melancholy and the atmosphere of the 1960s. (12+)
141
Gasol, Anna (ed./adapt.)
Olmos, Roger (illus.)
El libro de las fábulas : relatos de hoy y de siempre (The book of fables : tales for today and every
day)
Barcelona [et al.] : Ed. B, 2003. – 110 p.
ISBN 84-666-1176-2
Fable
For this beautifully designed collection, fables from different sources were
gathered, retold and arranged into thematic groups. Naturally, Aesop and
Lafontaine are not missing, but readers will also find Spanish examples by
Calderón de la Barca or Samaniego, as well as texts by the 19th
century Latin American writers José Martí and Rafael Pombo. Roger Olmos has
created powerful unconventional colour illustrations that perfectly complement
the texts. His animals, landscapes, and objects with strangely distorted
proportions add a unique, expressive, sometimes even mysterious note to the
fables. (8+)
142
Gómez, Ricardo
El cazador de estrellas (The star hunter)
Zaragoza : Edelvives, 2003. – 168 p.
(Colección Alandar ; 40)
ISBN 84-263-5204-9
Western Sahara – Refugee camp – Child – Illness – Imagination
12-year-old Bachir lives in a refugee camp in the Western Sahara, which has
been occupied by Moroccan troops for many years already. Because of a lung
disease, Bachir is confined to his tent; the sounds and noises coming through
the thin walls are his only connection to the outside world. His illness is
like a prison that also inhibits his inner development. But when Jamida enters
into his life, the boy finally gains new hope. Thanks to the old man, who is
invisible to the boy, Bachir and the readers learn about the history of his
people and the distant world of the stars. Ricardo Gómez conveys the
coming-of-age of this boy with great empathy and sympathy for his protagonist.
(12+) (Premio Alandar; 2003)
143
Guerrero, Pablo (text)
Urberuaga, Emilio (illus.)
Mi laberinto (My labyrinth)
[Madrid] : Kókinos, 2003. – [28] p.
ISBN 84-88342-42-x
Child – Choice of career – Feeling – Love
The text for this picture book was taken from a song. Written in a form
similar to the classic concept of »When I am grown-up...,« the text consists
of lovesong-like statements such as »When I am a painter, I’ll paint your
almondtree-sky for you.« or »When I am a pilot, I’ll see you in every
cloud.« For each verse, the internationally renowned artist has drawn a
double-page picture that adds entirely new dimensions to the lyrical text by
having a child speak the words and experience their meaning. The illustrations
with their bright colours and imaginative details take the readers on a poetic
journey through a child’s world of thoughts and feelings. (4+)
144
Muñoz Puelles, Vicente (text)
Arguilé, Elisa (illus.)
Sombras de manos (Shadow games)
Madrid : Anaya, 2002. – [28] p.
(Los álbumes de Sopa de libros)
ISBN 84-667-1725-0
Shadow – Shadow games – Imagination
One evening, Olga and her parents muse about an ordinary phenomenon that holds
a lot in store: »Does everything have shadows?« »Yes, everything that
exists.« The next, almost philosophical question, »Why do shadows exist?«,
paves the way for hands-on experiments. Olga and her parents bring to life
various characters on the wall: fleeting shadow creatures that inspire the
imagination of both performers and audience. The simple, subdued text is
perfectly complemented by the illustrations. The artist sets her doll-like
protagonists off against empty black or white backgrounds. Earthy colours and
soft round forms create an intriguing contrast to the stark outlines of the
poses seemingly frozen in time and space. (4+) (Certamen Internacional de Álbum Ilustrado »Ciudad de Alicante«;
2002)