Mexico
171
Luján, Jorge (text)
Grobler, Piet (illus.)
¡Oh, los colores! (Oh, the colours!)
México, D.F.: Ed. SM, 2007. – [20] p.
ISBN 978-970-688-775-7
(English/Spanish ed.: Colors! – ¡Colores! Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2008)
Colour – Nature – Poetry
Jorge Luján dedicates each of
the four-line poems in this book to a colour. Relying on associative
thought, he creates miniature, dablike glimpses of nature. The softly
flowing verses, about the blue expanse of the sky, the black dress of night,
or the fruits of the orange tree shining like little suns, seem light and
fragile. Just as delicate, and yet containing great suggestive power, are
Piet Grobler’s watercolour spreads. Set off against the organically flowing
background colours painted with broad brush strokes, one finds filigreed
animals, plants etc.: little birds, gazelles, a tiny grasshopper, a snail,
blossoms or a paddle boat almost seem to float across the pages. Poems and
pictures together form a harmonious whole and create much room for looking
and dreaming. (6+)
172
Zepeda, Monique (text/illus.)
Kassunguilà <proper name>
México, D.F.: FCE, 2008. – [42] p.
(Los especiales de A la orilla del viento)
ISBN 978-968-16-8620-8
Fish – Protection – Safety – Loss – Uprooting – Home
In taking hold of this book,
it immediately becomes clear that something is askew. One must turn the book
90° in order to be able to read it and to look at its fascinating pictures.
Monique Zepeda mounted the story in wood boxes that operate like
three-dimensional stages and then photographed them. In few words, she tells
how the peaceful existence of the fish Kassunguilà was disrupted from one
day to the next. Uprooted, he makes his way to find his true self again and
to arrange his life anew. The story is simple; the pictures, however, whose
colours mirror the moods and spiritual states of the protagonist, are
intriguing and rich with detail. Nails, paper umbrellas, stones, and parts
of plants are purposefully arranged and possess symbolic meanings, the
decoding of which one should allow some time for. (6+)
173
Zepeda, Monique (text)
Cicero, Julián (illus.)
Tigre callado escribe poesía (Quiet tiger writes poems)
México, D.F.: Ed. El Naranjo, 2007. – [62] p.
(Luciérnagas)
ISBN 978-968-5389-50-1
Meaning of life – Finding oneself – Identity
As a child, it is not always easy to understand the world and to find answers for the questions that whirr around in one’s head. The protagonist and first-person narrator of this picture book is a boy who watches the world through a tiger mask. With his own words, which are like poetic verses, he tries to figure out the world and his place in it. Where do I come from? Am I really me? How would my life be if I were different? How do we find each other after death? What if the chair were called »table«? These associatively connected thoughts inspire the readers to generate their own questions. The imaginative illustrations in warm, intense colours skilfully translate the content of this philosophical picture book. (7+)