Spain
(Catalan)
145
Dalmases, Antoni (text)
Sesé (illus.)
Les cuques ballaruques (The dancing fireflies)
Barcelona : Ed. Cruïlla, 2003. – 60 p.
(El vaixell de vapor : Sèrie blanca ; 44)
ISBN 84-661-0641-3
Animals – Neighbour – Community – Differentness – Tolerance
Every night, the fireflies hold wild parties. Completely annoyed, the other
animals decide to defend themselves against this disturbance and teach their
noisy neighbours a lesson. Antoni Dalmases makes his animals act exactly like
humans: They argue and quarrel, search for solutions, and arrive at decisions.
The beautiful rhymed texts full of wit and puns emphasise the necessity of
respecting others despite their otherness and of trying to live together
peacefully. The bold colour illustrations aptly reflect the sound of the
rhymes and perfectly translate them into partly affectionate partly aggressive
pictures. (7+)
146
Duran, Teresa (text)
Bruguera, Neus (illus.)
Banyeta (Little Devil’s Horn)
Barcelona : Destino, 2003. – [36] p.
ISBN 84-9708-928-6
Colour – Climate – Devil
Banyeta, a little devil, is fed up with hell and moves to the North Pole. But
this white place is definitely too cold for him. Therefore, he moves on to the
dry yellow desert, to the humid green jungle, and then on to the blue sea...
This entertaining chain story offers simple terms and concepts that pre-school
readers can easily understand. Repeating single sentences over and over again,
the protagonist arrives at the various places with their contrasting colours
and characteristics. The text is accompanied by innovative abstract characters
that are very different from the realistic representations commonly used for
readers of this age. (4+)
147
Gisbert, Montse (text/illus.)
Les petites (i grans) emocions de la vida (The small [and big] feelings of life)
València : Tàndem Ed., 2003. – [76] p.
ISBN 84-8131-465-x
(French parellel edition: Les petites (et les grandes) émotions de la vie.
Bruxelles : Alice Jeunesse, 2003)
Child – Everyday life – Feelings
What is jealousy? And what are happiness, curiosity, shame, doubt, and
stubbornness? The Catalan illustrator Montse Gisbert has created a kind of
encyclopaedic picture book for small readers. It describes basic human
feelings and states of mind with the help of examples based on a child’s
experience, such as the fear of an injection at the doctor’s or the
disappointment of not being able to play outside in the sandbox with a friend
because it is raining. Each double-page spread of the small square book offers
a short text complemented by humorous and poetic pictures in delicate pastel
colours that aptly illustrate the situations described. (6+)
148
Roca, Maria Carme (text)
Antin, Òscar (illus.)
El faedor de mentides (The inventor of lies)
Barcelona : Ed. Barcanova, 2003. – 133 p.
(Sopa de llibres ; 88 / [Sèrie blava])
ISBN 84-489-1382-5
Father – Son – Family conflict – Search for identity – Self awareness
– Mental illness – Lie
Alexandre claims to be the ‘Prince of the Swamps’, son of King Albatross
and Queen Fortuna. Naturally, nobody in the hospital his father is admitted to
believes him. Since his father is unconscious, the nurses ask Alexandre to
tell them his real name so that they can inform the relatives. This moment
marks the beginning of the boy’s search for his origin, and he comes to
realise that his father lied to him all his life. The highly recommendable
novel mixes elements of realistic and psychological literature and
empathetically describes the long process of a young man’s search for his
identity. (12+)
149
Santos, Care
Ara o mai (Now or never)
Barcelona : Empúries, 2003. – 173 p.
(L’odissea ; 110)
ISBN 84-7596-600-4
Parents – Child – Youth – Friendship – Love – Sexuality
Patricia decides to put an end to her virginity. Supported by her best friend
Claudia, she hatches out the plan »Now or never«, which is supposed to lead
to the ideal candidate and fulfil Patricia’s wish. Despite meticulous
preparations, however, the girl’s ‘première’ takes place in a
completely different form and place than she expected. This novel comprises a
web of interwoven chapters in which various characters tell their version of
the story in the first-person. The author treats the topic of first sexual
experiences in a very casual and humorous manner. (15+)