Mamá llega tarde (Mum is late)
Plastilina Series
Text by Gabriela Keselman
Illustrations by Marcelo Elizalde
Softcover – 13 x 19,5 – 32 pages
Planeta have been including in their new collection Planetalector (Cometa +6) Mamá llega tarde (Mum is late), the first story belonging to a four-titles series whose main character is a young schoolmistress called Mary Clay.
She is funny and very imaginative and has strange powers: Mary Clay is able to make magic objects out of clay (she can make a clay plane and fly in it…) and she can solve, in a humorous way, the typical problems children face at school.
How to make Mum come soon, when she is late, without getting too sad ?
Pedagogical guide of the book in Planetalector’s web
See othe title from the Series
Gabriela Keselman is publishing in the First Readers’ collection of Ediciones SM, the 6th title of her series Morris, illustrated by Maximiliano Luchini.
Morris, regálame un amigo (Morris, give me a friend)
(120 x 190 – 54 pages)
CLICK ON THE COVER TO SEE MORE…
Zorris, the fox, Morris’ great enemy since Look out, Morris, asks Morris to give him a friend because he has none and Morris has many. But Morris and his gang will show him that friends cannot be given…
And very soon… ¡Hola, Morris! (Hi, Morris!), an original story + activities + games + recipes + stickers + sound chip…
See all the titles of the Morris Series
See Gabriela Keselman’s books in lazuli
Novel by Mar Cole
Paperback – 180 pages (Oxford)
Madison Clark lives in a skyscraper in Manhattan. From her balcony, she observes all what happens in the city using the telescope that her father gave her as a gift. He was a renowned Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who died in the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
Her mother, María da Silva, a Brazilian doctor specialized in tropical diseases, is heartbroken, and decides to accept a job offer in the Amazonia area to run away from the bad memories. Madison is not very happy with this new project, but once in Brazil, she get involved in a fantastic adventure in a world completely new for her.
In the jungle, she meets with the meninos sem sonho (the sleepless boys), a group of kids that live in a Jesuit forgotten mission and that have escaped from the cruel and greedy hands of Morfeu Soares, a landowner that forced them to work in his mine. However, there are still some boys in his power, which are exploited and abused constantly by him.
Madison joins forces and together with Father Pedro Salgado, Saulo Soares (Morfeu’s son), the bird-kids (Indians teenager who only travel from tree to tree) and the fugitive meninos, she starts a fight against this fearsome landowner, finally getting to save the rest of the boys.
On her return to New York, everything looks different, but the city has not changed at all… She has already understood that she does not have to watch how thing happen, and that she can act in order to build a better world.
Issued in Spanish language (Oxford)
Read the two first chapters (Spanish)
Other titles by Mar Cole in lazuli
Text by Manuel Brugarolas
Illustrations by Lluïsa Jover
Hardback – 16,5 x 25 – 96 pages (Spanish Edition by Siruela)
Hardback – 17,3 x 23,2 – 64 pages (Catalan Edition by Cruïlla)
Manuel Brugarolas and Lluísa Jover are publishing in Catalan language (Els conills savis) and in Spanish language (Los conejos sabios), an illustrated compendium of philosophical tales for all ages…
The wise rabbits are rabbits who are ingenious, curious, dreamers, love-struck, and wanting to fly.
All of them search for the meaning of life and there are so many kinds of them. They come to be proud, arrogant, winners, artists, travelers, impatient, and they can even come to be hopeless from time to time. Moreover, some have read Ana Karenina.
These stories, with their clear tone of fable, introduce us to the rabbit who wants to appear what he is not and loses himself; the rabbit who goes out in search of what he already has; the rabbit who wants to learn how to hunt and is hunted.
Of course, it also tells us of the rabbit in love with a romantic female rabbit in love with another; of the strict father; of the rabbit that only talks of himself; of the artist who wants to succeed; or of the rabbit that has stopped envying the future.
Through its direct language and clear illustrations, the stories of the wise rabbits allow us to read them with our eyes and to see them aloud, covering the distance that goes from innocence to experience, erasing every dividing line drawn between ages, and above all making us reflect, to finally make us smile.
Stories
THE PLAYER RABBIT
THE TRAVELER RABBIT
THE CURIOUS RABBIT AND THE INSIGNIFICANT FLY
THE THREE HUNTER RABBITS
THE ROMANTIC RABBIT
THE RABBIT WHO WANTED TO FLY
THE LOVESTRUCK RABBITS AND THE WHISPERING TREES
THE PROUD RABBIT AND THE GREYHOUND
THE ARROGANT RABBIT AND THE STUBBORN AMOND TREE
THE DROWNING RABBIT AND THE SINGING SWAN
THE ARTIST RABBIT AND THE JAPANESE ARCHER
THE RABBIT WHO SEARCHED FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
THE DILETTENTE RABBIT AND THE VAIN TURTLE
THE RABBIT WHO HAD READ ANNA KARENINA AND THE BARBARIAN RABBITS
THE CURIOUS RABBIT AND THE INSIGNIFICANT FLY Once, a curious rabbit and an insignificant fly spoke in New York. Now the curious rabbit wanted to know why it was that flies bang their heads time and again against the windowpane when they wanted to go out and fly over the fields of Central Park. “Why don’t you just give up, after the first crash? Why don’t you look for another exit?” he asked the fly. Curious rabbits are used to asking two questions at the same time. The insignificant fly answered him with two questions as well, trying to imitate the curious rabbit in a mocking tone. “Why do you ask me what flies do? Why don’t you ask a fly?” The curious rabbit continued anyway. Curious rabbits know that they’re rabbits, probably insignificant flies don’t. “Let’s suppose that you’re a fly.” The insignificant fly rubbed its wings and said: “Why do you think the flies want to go out? What do you know, what if for flies going out isn’t instead coming in? You have no idea.” Insignificant flies like to be redundant, they have a tendency to be that way. “Ok, that’s true. But you, as a fly, why do you think you would do it, that thing of banging against the windowpane time and again?” That part of “But you, as a fly” is irresistible for an insignificant fly. Deep down, all insignificant flies have an actress inside them. They love to be the center of attention. “Let me think. If the window panes are imaginary obstacles that are as often there as not, I must guess that the flies try to ascertain the right moment to pass through, and that’s why they insist. In this, flies must not be very different from rabbits, don’t you think?” “I don’t know, it depends. Would you say that overcoming the obstacles makes the flies greater?” The insignificant fly looked the curious rabbit directly in the eyes and began to howl in laughter. “You didn’t understand me,” the curious rabbit insisted. “I mean that for us, the rabbits, the obstacles are real and they attract us. We seek them out to overcome them, because the overcoming of difficulties makes rabbits greater.” The insignificant fly approached him. “Are you trying to tell me that rabbits never stumble time and again in the same place?” “Of course they do. You know how it is with obstacles: you overcome one and there is another beneath it. It’s usually a question of luck.” “I see that, finally, you think like a fly.” “No, what I wanted to say is that among rabbits, you don’t know the importance that choosing the right path has.” “You mean to say that it is as important as for the flies to choose the right window?”
Once, a curious rabbit and an insignificant fly spoke in New York. Now the curious rabbit wanted to know why it was that flies bang their heads time and again against the windowpane when they wanted to go out and fly over the fields of Central Park.
“Why don’t you just give up, after the first crash? Why don’t you look for another exit?” he asked the fly.
Curious rabbits are used to asking two questions at the same time. The insignificant fly answered him with two questions as well, trying to imitate the curious rabbit in a mocking tone.
“Why do you ask me what flies do? Why don’t you ask a fly?”
The curious rabbit continued anyway. Curious rabbits know that they’re rabbits, probably insignificant flies don’t.
“Let’s suppose that you’re a fly.”
The insignificant fly rubbed its wings and said: “Why do you think the flies want to go out? What do you know, what if for flies going out isn’t instead coming in? You have no idea.”
Insignificant flies like to be redundant, they have a tendency to be that way.
“Ok, that’s true. But you, as a fly, why do you think you would do it, that thing of banging against the windowpane time and again?”
That part of “But you, as a fly” is irresistible for an insignificant fly. Deep down, all insignificant flies have an actress inside them. They love to be the center of attention.
“Let me think. If the window panes are imaginary obstacles that are as often there as not, I must guess that the flies try to ascertain the right moment to pass through, and that’s why they insist. In this, flies must not be very different from rabbits, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know, it depends. Would you say that overcoming the obstacles makes the flies greater?”
The insignificant fly looked the curious rabbit directly in the eyes and began to howl in laughter.
“You didn’t understand me,” the curious rabbit insisted. “I mean that for us, the rabbits, the obstacles are real and they attract us. We seek them out to overcome them, because the overcoming of difficulties makes rabbits greater.”
The insignificant fly approached him.
“Are you trying to tell me that rabbits never stumble time and again in the same place?”
“Of course they do. You know how it is with obstacles: you overcome one and there is another beneath it. It’s usually a question of luck.”
“I see that, finally, you think like a fly.”
“No, what I wanted to say is that among rabbits, you don’t know the importance that choosing the right path has.”
“You mean to say that it is as important as for the flies to choose the right window?”
Issued in Spanish and Catalan languages
Interview of Gabriela Keselman in Pizca de Papel (Spanish)
Modified on Oct. 28, 2009
Illustrations by Gabriela Rubio
Published by Kókinos
Catalina doesn’t like saying goodbye. Every time she has to say goodbye she has a strange feeling in her heart and she gets butterflies in her stomach and really feels like shouting “DON’T GO AWAY!”.
But the sun disappears so that the moon can come out and the winter leaves us to give way to spring, as her father leaves her room so that she can sleep and dream… In this way, Catalina understands that some things have to go in order to make way in our lives for other things that are just as nice, just as fun and just as comforting.
This is a story full of daring three colour illustrations (black, red and golden inks), where each farewell has a reason to be and a happy ending. Through this story, readers will realize the importance of being able to let things go and to learn how to say goodbye.
Printed in 2 true colours + golden ink
Issued in Spanish language
Finalist of the Madrid Booksellers Prize 2009
Published by SM
128 pages
Patrick is going to spend his summer in the south of France. He lives in Dublin with his father but this year, the adventure will begin at his aunt Fanny’s house. She is his mother’s sister and she lives next to an ancient castle known as Clementus.
This enormous and magnificent castle has a secret that has been protected during centuries by the same family. Patrick will discover it and he will realize that his fate is to protect what is buried deep in the heart of Clementus. Along with his cousin Irene and her best friend Julia, they will unveil a legend that evokes terrible events from the past and that will show them the sad fate of the Cathars.
Patrick’s summer turns to be an exciting journey, where he will follow the lessons of an alchemist, which will close him up with his mother legacy and with whom he will start a great friendship.
Patrick will also discover through his dreams an emotive love story between a knight and a noble young lady, which form part of the essence of the castle.
Not to forget the treasure hunters… Clementus must be kept safe! Patrick must defend its buried secret!
Modified on July, 6, 2010
Illustrations by Maxi Luchini
Published by Ediciones SM
Paperback (120 x190 – 56 pages) – Hardback (170 x 220 – 184 pages with stickers & sound chip)
There once was a raccoon called Morris. He lived with his mother and father and with his little brother Rayujo. Morris went to school, he played, he slept… That is to say, he slept until someone woke him up halfway through his sleep, someone who was coming to ask him for help… So begin all the adventures of Morris, the most heroest of them all, the hero of the woods, of the field, of the river and of the whole wide world, a raccoon who can manage to get the strangest, most difficult and biggest things. But of course Morris needs his friends to help him and he also needs to get paid for his work in chocolates.
CLICK IN THE COVERS TO SEE MORE
Morris ¡quiero una pesadilla! (Morris, I want a nightmare!)
Morris can get the most difficult, strangest and biggest things; but at the moment he must help Lupino the wolf to get somenightmares. Morris is going to need the help of all his friends to make the most horrible, horriblest nightmare, so that Lupino can be as scary as he was before…(Paperback)
Selected by the Expert Panel of New Spanish Books in Germany
Review in New Spanish Books in the UK
Morris ¡es mi cumpleaños! (Morris, it’s my birthday!)
Bondi bear is not feeling very happy. He just does not know how to invite Maru bear to his party. But Morris will help Bondi, even if it means climbing up a tree, spying or asking his friends for help…(Paperback)
Morris, se me cayó una pluma (Morris, I’ve lost a feather!)
Picota birdie has lost a feather and without her feather Tejoncito Lopez won’t be bringing her any coins, and lots of them are chocolate coins! Will Morris be able to get his friends from the wood, to find the feather? Will Morris be the most hero of them all, the hero of the lost and found feathers? (Paperback)
Morris, una cosa me persigue (Morris, something is chasing me!)
Rayujo is being chased by something that looks like a monster, a little sheep and a soapy sponge! In exchange for a chocolate he has never tasted, Morris decides to help his little brother. Together with his friends, Morris discovers just what that thing, that strange thing, that monstrous, sheep like, soapy spongy thing is… and he will do his best to frighten it, catch it and stop it at all costs. (Paperback)
¡Cuidado, Morris! (Look out, Morris!)
A VERY special adventure, full of mystery, fun, games, jokes… and even real snores! Morris and his friends have to go to Zorris’ wood. Morris is going to participate in a competition of heroes to see who gets the golden mask. He gets into danger, but once again he saves the day… Book with a story + activities + games + stickers + sound chip. (Hardback)
Zorris, the fox, Morris’ great enemy in Look out, Morris, asks Morris to give him a friend because he has none and Morris has many. But Morris and his gang will show him that friends cannot be given… (Paperback)
Gabriela Keselman’s Interview in Pizca de Papel
Coming up soon:
¡Hola, Morris! (Hi, Morris!) Book with a story + games + activities + stickers – 170 x 180
Series published in Spanish language. Rights sold to Korea and Germany.
Text by Sergio Lairla Illustrations by Ana Lartitegui
40 pages – 230 x 300
Project in Spanish language
An original picture book divided in 2 parts: Mr. Goodluck’s journey and Mr. Badluck’s trip...
Mr. Goodluck is preparing his holidays. It has been a good year: he has been promoted at work, he ended up paying the rent of his flat and he has won a photo contest.
He thinks that this time he deserves something special.
He pulls out his travel journals and starts dreaming while having a Ceylon tea. - An island! – He suddenly said out loud.
He would like to travel by boat and feel surrounded by sea everywhere…
At the meantime…
It has not been a good week for Mr. Badluck; last Monday, someone stole his car, on Tuesday he lost his clock, on Wednesday he didn’t catch the 8 a.m. train, on Thursday he mislaid his wallet, and today he has lost his job for being late.
So he goes crestfallen, walking without raising his eyes from the floor. And as luck would have it, now he finds something. It is a tourist brochure that talks about a wonderful island: Serere.
- And why not? – He thinks – Now that he doesn’t have a job anymore, may be the right time for a change of scene. Maybe that way his luck will change as well…
Illustrations by Noemí Villamuza
Marc wanted to go to sleep. He really did. But he just couldn’t sleep. He really couldn’t. So he called his mom. “I’m afraid a giant mosquito will fly in and bite me,” he said. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” his mom answered. “I’ll take care of that in no time and you’ll be asleep before you know it.”
She made him a special pair of mosquito-proof pajamas, complete with a helmet, a sword for defending himself against insects, and a buzz-repellent teddy bear. Then she left the room.
When fear invades a child before going to sleep, everything is possible: imaginary monsters, strong winds and mysterious events. Only his mother seems to be able to keep him out of danger. However, in the end, both of them understand that a warm touch is the only thing needed to calm down and fall asleep.
De verdad que no podía was created using both digital and freehand techniques. The greasy pencil line stamps the character’s expressions and introduces the narrative, while soft digital colour stains define the story’s atmosphere.
Finalist National Prize of Illustration 2002
Selection La Joie par les Livres 2002
IBBY Honour List 2004
Issued in Spanish, English (USA) and Japanese languages
Review in Curled Up with a good book (English)
Review by Cheryl Rainfield (English)
Review in Babar (Spanish)
Text by Stela Barbieri Illustrated by Fernando Vilela
Published by Escala Educacional
Paperback – 180 x 200 – 48 pages
The Collection Ways to Change the World - universal stories written and adapted by Stela Barbieri and illustrated by Fernando Vilela showcases a dialogue with the 8 Millenium Development Goals, proposed in the year 2000 by the United Nations.
In this occasion, Brazil, among other 190 countries, signed a pact in which they would commit themselves to achieve the goals concerning the humanity and the planet until 2015.
On the whole, the stories presented in the Collection Ways to Change the World are inspired by traditional stories from many countries. The illustrations make the readers slip into places from many cultural backgrounds. In order to write and illustrate the stories, Fernando and Stela have made a thorough research of the elements that pertain the diverse cultures represented in them.
The pact has proposed 8 ways of changing the world, which issues will be delved into the 8 stories of the Collection Ways to Change the World:
ERRADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER
(A Menina do Feijão Suculento / The Girl and the Juicy Bean Stew)
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION
(O Reino dos Mamulengos / The Kingdom of Puppets-Showcase)
PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN
(Radija e os Tapetes Mágicos / Radija and the Magic Carpets)
REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY
(Na Sombra do Baobá / Under the Shadow of the Baobab Tree)
IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
(Satiko e o Vulcão / Sachiko and the Volcano)
COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, AND OTHER DISEASES
(O Gênio do Poço Encantado / The Genius of the Enchanted Well)
ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
(O Amigo dos Animais / The Animals’ Friend)
DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT
(A Ponte / The Bridge)
Issued in Portuguese language
Text by Stela Barbieri Illustrations by Fernando Vilela
Once in a certain place there was an enormous well that supplied the region pure and limpid water. The water came from a fresh and a healthy fountain, and the local people believed that inside it there was a generous genius that took care of that well. People used to live happily and with health. Nonetheless, as time went by, they began to get sick. The herbs and medicine available would not cure them. Wise men and doctors were called and found out that people were getting sick because the water was infected. At last another well was built.
This book is part of the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The sixth Goal, “Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases”, has motivated The genius of the enchanted well.
Cauan, a wise boy that in his dreams would communicate with the animals, used to live in an indigenous tribe. Once there was an attack of wild pigs. The witch doctor, when interpreting Cauan’s dreams, found out that the attack was a result of their living in a state of environmental unbalance.
This book is part of the Collection Ways of Changing the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The seventh Goal, “Ensure environmental sustainability”, has motivated The animals’ friend.
In a far-away village, in the bank of a river, used to live an agricultural community that grew corn and sold it in a town nearby. To sell it, they had to cross the river in canoes. In the rainy season the river became very torrential. Crossing it was impossible. So they decided to build a bridge and, to do so, they trusted each villager’s knowledge and cooperation. Many trials and errors engage the readers in this story.
This book is part of the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The eighth Goal, “Develop a global partnership for development”, has motivated The bridge.
The Girshas Series
Trilogy by Mar Cole
Gérard and Amélie are twin brothers. They live happily passing the days between Clairveaux, a castle located in the south of France, and school. The only thing that turns them sad is the memory of their mother, who died shortly after they were born. However, they are not alone: their cousin Eric, a young pilot and adventurer, visits them constantly, filling their lives with affection and definitely with adventures.
Involved in a first adventure with their cousin, the twins discover that they are descendants of the Girshas, an alien civilization coming from the Oran planet that was destroyed by three evil traitors. Thus, they will have to fight against the aliens guilty of the destruction of the planet of their ancestors and save the Earth from the threat of such powerful enemies.
In The Girshas Series, the twins and Eric will travel through fire, earth, water and air, joining forces with the Girshas to save the invisible Alcira Island, to rescue an etheric energy machine named “Pandora” and to prevent the spread of a very powerful virus called the “Gate of Fire.”
In this trilogy, full of intrigue and adventure, of memories of ancient gods and mythological creatures, of real and fantastic worlds, the main characters find their origin and an ancient extraterrestrial civilization. By confronting ghostly beings who want to destroy the beauty and goodness of the Earth, they learn to make the most of the lessons from the past and to fight for a better future.
Vol I: The Girshas and the Invisible Alcira Island Paperback – 320 pages Published by Planeta & Oxford Issued in Spanish language In this first adventure, Gérard and Amélie discover their secret origin. They are Girshas and in their hands rests the future of the invisible Alcira Island, a very important place for the civilization of their ancestors. By disobeying the orders of their cousin Eric, they start a journey through fire, earth, water and air, in order to save the planet Earth of the threats of a powerful enemy.
Vol I: The Girshas and the Invisible Alcira Island
Paperback – 320 pages
Published by Planeta & Oxford
In this first adventure, Gérard and Amélie discover their secret origin. They are Girshas and in their hands rests the future of the invisible Alcira Island, a very important place for the civilization of their ancestors. By disobeying the orders of their cousin Eric, they start a journey through fire, earth, water and air, in order to save the planet Earth of the threats of a powerful enemy.
Vol II: The Girshas and the Pandora Effect To be issued in Spanish language In this new adventure of the Girshas trilogy, Amélie and Gérard have a premonition about how Eric will be in danger. In the meantime, an archaeologist discovers, in a tomb in Egypt, a machine of etheric energy called Pandora, which Licurgo, the evil Girsha, brought from the Oran planet to the Earth and that was stolen by a Girsha pharaoh. Amélie, Gerard and Eric will join forces to fight against Lusor and Mantis, the other two traitors of the Girshas, and to try rescuing Pandora.
Vol II: The Girshas and the Pandora Effect
To be issued in Spanish language
In this new adventure of the Girshas trilogy, Amélie and Gérard have a premonition about how Eric will be in danger. In the meantime, an archaeologist discovers, in a tomb in Egypt, a machine of etheric energy called Pandora, which Licurgo, the evil Girsha, brought from the Oran planet to the Earth and that was stolen by a Girsha pharaoh. Amélie, Gerard and Eric will join forces to fight against Lusor and Mantis, the other two traitors of the Girshas, and to try rescuing Pandora.
Vol III: The Girshas and the Gate of Fire To be issued in Spanish language Licurgo, after being expelled from the dark fortress of the Ia Island in the Sea of Japan, is planning to spread a very dangerous virus, called the Gate of Fire, in Saint Louis Institute. This virus will make the students turn into hackers. Amélie, Gerárd and Eric, helped by the Girshas, will fight against Licurgo in order to stop him.
Vol III: The Girshas and the Gate of Fire
Licurgo, after being expelled from the dark fortress of the Ia Island in the Sea of Japan, is planning to spread a very dangerous virus, called the Gate of Fire, in Saint Louis Institute. This virus will make the students turn into hackers. Amélie, Gerárd and Eric, helped by the Girshas, will fight against Licurgo in order to stop him.
Reading Guide by Planeta & Oxford (in Spanish language)
Modified on 10/06/2010
Issue of the 4th edition of the series
Text by Gabriela Keselman Illustrations by Teresa Novoa
A four-titles series published in Spanish language by Edelvives
Hardback – 215 x 220 – 32 pages
Pino en el mar (Pino by the sea)
Pino, the penguin, lives with his parents and behaves just like a child of his age: with innocence, generosity and enthusiasm. “The beach was full of sand. The sea was full of water. And Pino’s family was full of things for their holiday…” Pino discovers what fun it is to be in the sea and how difficult it is to obey his parents when he is having such a good time… (3rd edition: July 2009)
Review in New Spanish Books in Germany
Pino se viste solo (Pino gets dressed by himself)
Pino, the penguin, lives with his parents and behaves just like a child of his age: with innocence, generosity and enthusiasm. “Pino’s mother stuck her beak outside the window. It was a cold, wet morning. She went into Pino’s bedroom and stood by his bed. She looked under the eiderdown but he wasn’t there…” Pino has put on a lot of clothes and all of them inside out. His mother helps him so that he can move again. Pino wants to grow up and he realizes that sometimes he needs an adult to help him to learn how to do things on his own. (3rd edition: July 2009)
Pino quiere a Nina (Pino loves Nina)
Pino, the penguin, lives with his parents and behaves just like a child of his age: with innocence, generosity and enthusiasm. “Pino loved Nina very much. Pino thought Nina was the cleverest, smartest, prettiest penguin. She was the penguinest penguin!” In this book, Pino the penguin finds love in a innocent way and he discovers that in order to make another penguin happy he has to make an effort and he must never give up. (3rd edition: July 2009)
El chichón de Pino (Pino’s bump)
Pino, the penguin, lives with his parents and behaves just like a child of his age: with innocence, generosity and enthusiasm. “Pino the penguin arrived at school. He had a birthday present in his school bag. Pino was in such a hurry to give it to his friend, little bear, that he tumbled over and skidded straight into a chair…” As a result Pino got a bump on his head and, although at the beginning he doesn’t know what to do about it, he soon realizes that it won’t last forever and he can still have a good time… (3rd edition: July 2009)
Issued in Spanish Language
Published by Girafinha
Paperback – 260 x 230 – 48 pages
The story of a princess with a shining string on her head.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who was born with a different string on top of her head. It was not hair, it was stronger than steel, shining and very long. It would tangle everywhere giving the girl a heck of a headache. Nothing nor no one could pull the string out of the girl’s head. As the girl grew up she became a beautiful lady but very cranky and sad. Gentlemens’ gifts were of no use for the princess who would always refuse these and make fun of them. But one of them realized she was not doing it out of sheer evilness, she was doing it because the thread kept pulling her head back bothering her tremendously. Decided to help her, he followed the thread untangling knot by knot. When he untangled the last knot the princess felt happy for the first time in her life.
And then they were wed. But the string kept on growing. So the princess decided she would weave and knit beautiful fabrics and clothes out of this thread. Clothes so beautiful people would come from far away just to see the wonderful clothes she was making.
Highly Recommended Award by FNLIJ (Brazilian branch of IBBY)
Finalist Jabuti Prize 2007 (Category Children’s books)
Paperback – 180 x 200 - 48 pages
The bumba-meu- boi is a Brazilian popular party in which indigenous and afro-brazilian cultures join in a single dialogue and it takes place in many regions of the country.
However, Stela Barbieri and Fernando Vilela retell a different version to children’s public, inspired in the regional version from Maranhão State “The Ox has black skin full of colored outfits”, where this entertaining story enchants everyone in St. John’s Folk Party.
In Words of the White Raven Selection Committee: Ox – Wish – Dance Since the 18th century, Bumba-meu-Boi is part of Brazilian folklore. It is a comic-dramatic dance, which tells the story of the death and resurrection of an ox. The drama is told and danced in the whole country to the present day. Depending on the region, it has different names and versions (Boi-Bumbá, Boi-de-fita, Boi-de-reis, etc.). The readers of this version will be captivated by the protagonist Francisco’s deeds in order to satisfy the fancies of his pregnant wife, Catirina, who is craving an ox tongue. The problem is that she only wants to eat the tongue of the charmed ox, which sparkles with coloured strings and dances during the “festas juninas” in honour of Saint John and Saint Peter, or during the Nativity celebrations. In the end, Francisco is able to find a compromise and, to the joy of the audience, the ox can dance again. The mixed-media illustrations present the festivities of the ox party in vivid colours and transmit the joy of the traditional feast. (8+)
In Words of the White Raven Selection Committee:
Ox – Wish – Dance Since the 18th century, Bumba-meu-Boi is part of Brazilian folklore. It is a comic-dramatic dance, which tells the story of the death and resurrection of an ox. The drama is told and danced in the whole country to the present day. Depending on the region, it has different names and versions (Boi-Bumbá, Boi-de-fita, Boi-de-reis, etc.). The readers of this version will be captivated by the protagonist Francisco’s deeds in order to satisfy the fancies of his pregnant wife, Catirina, who is craving an ox tongue. The problem is that she only wants to eat the tongue of the charmed ox, which sparkles with coloured strings and dances during the “festas juninas” in honour of Saint John and Saint Peter, or during the Nativity celebrations. In the end, Francisco is able to find a compromise and, to the joy of the audience, the ox can dance again. The mixed-media illustrations present the festivities of the ox party in vivid colours and transmit the joy of the traditional feast. (8+)
Review in Dobras da Leitura (Portuguese)
White Raven List 2008
Text by Stela Barbieri Illustration by Fernando Vilela
Published by Editora Moderna
Paperback – 170 x 240 – 48 pages
Pedro Malasartes plays an important role in many Brazilian children’s and adults’ imagination. Important character of Brazilian popular culture, his stories are told everywhere. They are full of humor, with surprising solutions. Even though Pedro Malasartes looks like a common man, he is cunning and sharp-witted in his “arts”.
Pedro Malasartes in Wikipedia (Spanish language)
Published by Editora SM (Brazil)
Paperback – 270 x 205 – 48 pages
A trip to the rising Sun country, with its landscapes (made of beaches, volcanos and gardens) through its millenary traditions (like the Zen-Buddhism), its art (like the Kabuki, the Haiku and the Ukiyo-e), its people and its habits. Among dragons and shoguns, swords and lanterns, a whole new world is revealed, with powerfulness and kindness.
Pedagogical guide (Portuguese)
Text by Ilan Brenman Illustrations by Fernando Vilela
Published by DCL
Paperback – 300 x 300 – 32 pages
What fits into a book? All you want, all you imagine. A book is like mother’s heart, has endless spaces and possibilities. This small big-sized book would not be different. In it everything in the world fits in, be them big, small, full of movement or motionless. With wonderfully vivid colors and shapes, young readers will not veer from it up to the end, making them dream, like only books can do…
Ilan Brenman was born in Israel. He is the author of many books for young readers and has been published by several important Brazilian publishers.
Fernando Vilela was born in Sao Paulo City, Brazil. He is an awarded author-illustrator with more than fifty books published by several important publishers in Brazil and abroad.
Sachiko, who was pregnant, used to live with her family in a village, on the lake bank, which, on its turn, was placed on the foot of a volcano. The volcano had never erupted and would always release a smooth smoke. However, in a cold night, the earth quaked and suddenly the volcano, overtaking everyone, spilled rivers of lava that invaded the village. Sachiko lost her husband and, looked after by the community, was assisted in her needs as pregnant.
This book is part of the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The fifth Goal, “Improve maternal health”, motivated Sachiko and the Volcano.
Severino was a young man when he decided to get around in the world in search of his fortune. He was an expert in playing with puppets. However he did not know how to read and write. Due to this, he was almost fooled by a jealous king who did not want his daughter to get married with him. Helped by a friend who was a mountebank leader, Severino learned how to read and built a great library to his people.
This book is part of the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The second goal, “Achieve universal primary education”, motivated The Kingdom of the Puppets-Showcase.
Published by Escala Educacional Paperback – 180 x 200 – 48 pages
With a simple and friendly language, the book approaches the hunger and solidarity issue. It stimulates the reader to slip into the story, get involved by the issue, mostly due to the illustrations that value the plantations, the land cultivation and the “Feijoada” (Brazilian Bean Stew) made by the whole community.
At the end, the book presents the text “The Fight for the Dreams”, which explains the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The first one, “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger”, has motivated The Girl and the Juicy Bean Stew.
Radija used to live in the middle of the desert, together with her parents and five siblings. She would enjoy imagining the day when she would go with the merchants’ traveling group, selling her “magic” carpets that used to feed her imagination.
Her father used to say to her she could not travel without him or her husband. Despite the adversities, she did not give up her dream and turned out to be a very special storyteller.
This book is part of the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The third Goal, “Promote gender equality and empower women”, has motivated Radija and the Magic Carpet.
In a very distant place, there was a woman who wished to have a son. Everyday she would go to a nearby baobab tree to make her prayers, pledging to the gods to help her have the kid she wanted so much. Once, desperate, she shouted: “May the Gods send me a son even if he were as small as this baoba seed!” Nine months went by and the woman gave birth to a tiny little baby. From that day on, feeding and taking care of him was a great and awfully demanding challenge, which she carried out with all her efforts and the assistance of the people from that place.
This book is part of the Collection Ways to Change the World, based on the 8 Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. The fourth Goal, “Reduce Child Mortality”, has motivated Under the Shadow of the Baobab Tree.
Illustrations by Claudia Ranucci
Published by Destino Infantil
Kif Kif’s mother has already told him many, many times, in fact a hundred to be precise. But just like every other small, lazy bear, he cannot remember everything his mother tells him. During the course of the story, he tries hard to recall what she has said. Along the way, he gets some things confused and other things right, remembering some of what his mother has told him but not that particular something that she’s already repeated a hundred times.
The author takes an affectionate, humorous approach to the stream of demands, orders, restrictions and instructions that children hear from their parents every day and which sometimes leave them feeling a bit dizzy and overwhelmed. This story shows that love is the one essential fact that must remain recorded in children’s memories.
In order to present Kif Kif graphically, the illustrator has chosen a lazy, two-toed sloth, a kind of bear that has a friendly face and spends a long time hanging from trees.
Destino Infantil Award to the Best Children’s Picture Book 2006
Issued in Spanish, Catalan & Japanese languages
Illustrations by Pep Montserrat
Tatín has wakened up with a crooked snout. His eyebrows have come together too much during the night. He couldn’t find his smile anywhere. He closed his fists and crossed his arms. Really tight. Like this!
Tatín has wakened up today really grumpy… So he starts silly fights with the rabbit, the duck and the mole. Afterwards, he blamed them of having started the quarrel. Finally, he meets up with the cat. The big battle is going to start. However, peace comes in unexpectedly and it tastes as chocolate.
In ¡Él empezó!, Gabriela Keselman and Pep Montserrat have been able to talk about the aggressiveness that we all may experience in some moments, and also of how conflicts can be solved through dialogue.
Issued in Spanish and Korean languages
Text & illustrations by Fernando Vilela
Published by Scipione
Paperback – 170 x 260 – 64 pages
The Boatman and the Canoeman narrates the getting together between a white boatman and a indigenous canoeman on the Amazon River. The canoeman is rescued by the boatman, from the small canoe which was about to sink. During their trip down the river, the two men tell their stories and adventures. Absent-minded, they do not realize the vessel was damaged and is also about to sink.
Hardback – 205 x 270 – 24 pages
“We are five in my house, five as in the fingers of the hand. Adding them all up we have ten arms that hug, exactly one moment for each thing. There are instants that come wrapped in sun and moon paper. Mum’s arms are the best for those. She keeps dreams into them and unwraps them in the morning, with mint flavour. Those are moments that rustle like cellophane paper.”
All the moments shared with the mother, the father, the brother and the grandfather add up and allow the little girl of the story to calmly, joyfully and strongly assume chosen moments of loneliness. There is also, as in all Sergio Lairla and Ana Lartitegui’s books, a discourse inherent to the illustration. This discourse is never redundant and only enriches the text with conceptual links between details of the illustrations, funny or poetical elements that the reader discovers little by little through several readings.
Text by Gabriela Keselman Illustrations by Marcelo Elizalde
Published by Planeta Oxford
Paperback – 130 x 195 – 32 pages
A four-titles series whose main character is a young schoolmistress called Mary Clay.
PDF Pedagogical Guide of Mamá llega tarde (Spanish language)
How to let someone know how important he is, and not just on his birthday?
PDF Pedagogical Guide of Me da vergüenza (Spanish language)
How to sail in a milk and chocolate ocean, and then have to drink it all to save the boat?
How can Tom feel safer fighting against a clay-monster than against his friends?
Children & Adults in Keselman’s imaginary worlds
Text by Gabriela Keselman Illustrations by Claudia Bielinsky
Published by Alfaguara Infantil
Hardback – 160 x 200 – 24 pages
A four-titles series full of humour and tenderness for young readers.
A family just like any other, with their ups and downs, except for the fact that they are elephants!
Published by Fondo de Cultura Económica
Hardback – 215 x 315 – 32 pages
La carta, originally titled La carta de la Sra. González, is a very surprising and unusual picture book.
A woman wrote a love letter remembering the sweet cherry aroma of her lover’s pipe and thought to herself: “One must pay careful attention to detail”. Then she posted it in the letter-box. The postman, surprised by the cherry scent of the letter, decided to give it priority. He went riding on his bicycle but he was so happy and absent-minded that he fell down a big hole as deep and dark as the mouth of an enormous fish. The enormous fish was resting in a large river. He hardly ever moved but this time, he decided to swim away and look for food. He was trying to reach a silver fish when both of them fell down a deep hole as if they were being swallowed by a giant. The giant was very thirsty, drinking a big bottle of water and thinking “I could drink a whole river!”… He was still thirsty and decided to go to the well. But it was so difficult to get the water that the giant fell down into the dark round hole of the well, like the navel of a huge beast… But finally, the lover receives his letter…
The book has a circular narrative structure of stories within stories, many surreal elements and a type of fantasy that is based in reality (all the elements hidden in the illustrations belong to the worlds of the woman and the man: “One must pay careful attention to detail”). A book about how love is able to change life, time and reality.
The illustrator has designed 2 alternative covers for this book.
This book has been studied by several important specialists in children’s literature who praised the quality of the experimental writing and drawing and the meta-fictional aspects of the book.
Best Children’s Picture Book Award Mexico International Book Fair
Review in Babar.com (Spanish language)
Review in Imaginaria.com (Spanish language)
Text by Gabriela Keselman Illustrations by Nora Hilb
Hardback – 170 x 215 – 32 pages
Ku Kangaroo asks himself… “Why do I no longer fit in my mother’s pouch?” There is no space for him there anymore and he discovers that the reason for this is a little intruder who looks just like him. There is another kangaroo, a little brother! But he certainly does not need a little brother!
He is angry and upset and sets off looking for another pouch. But all of them are too small and uncomfortable for him. He finally understands that he is too big to be in a pouch and he is now strong enough to jump on his own.
With this picture book, Gabriela Keselman and Nora Hilb introduce us to the ideal book for both jealous children and… kangaroos.
Illustrations by Emilio Urberuaga
Published by La Galera
I’m walking very quietly down the hall, when all of a sudden, a monster appears, out of nowhere. It’s not the first time we’re face to face. Somehow he seems familiar! That’s why I’m not even a bit scared. Although to tell the truth, I don’t think it’s funny. The monster chases after me, but I’m very quick and run away. Of course, he’s much bigger… well, actually, he’s HUGE, and what’s more, he’s as stubborn as he can be. I’m sure he’s out to get me. I wonder… doesn’t he have anything else to do? I tell him I’d better go and play but he pretends not to hear me. And puts me in a gigantic pot full of hot water. It’s CLEAR he wants me for his snack.
Who is that monster who smears a whipped cream over Eugene’s head (if only it were chocolate…) and who beats and beats the cream with his big hands?
Hey, what’s going on? The monster hands Eugene some pajamas… and gives him a big bear hug and laughs a lot again:”Now that you’re squeaky clean, Eugene — says his dad— I’m going to smack a big fat kiss on your little plump cheek! Eugene KNEW this monster seemed familiar!
Issued in Spanish & Catalan languages & bilingual edition English-Spanish
Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents have a big problem: they don’t know what to give their son Mikie for his birthday.
When they decide to ask him directly what does he want for his birthday, they get more confused. Mikie wants something very big, very strong, very gently, very sweet, very warm, that will move from side to side, that will make him fly and that will make him laugh for a long time. What’s that?
Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents will discover that the great gift is much more at their hands than they expected.
Issued in Spanish, Catalan, English (USA), French and Korean languages
National Catalonia Award to Illustrated Children’s Book
IBBY Honor List
Included in: The Best 100 Works of XXth Century Children’s Literature (Foundation Germán Sánchez Ruipérez), The Best of 1999 (National Association of Parenting Publications List of Honor), The Best of Children’s Media (The Parent’s Guide To Children’s Media Organization)
Review in Imaginaria (Spanish)
Published by Timun Mas (Planeta)
A compilation of imaginative, funny and crazy child stories…
Will, a very bad tempered monster, writes to the WMO (World Monster Organization) to complain about the situation of his house. He wants another one, a real cool and colourful one. If he doesn’t get it, he is done with scaring people. But the Secretary-General of the WMO does not agree. Will goes into a strike and the only choice that the Secretary-General has is to… go back to the street himself to scare people. But it’s been a long time since he doesn’t do that; he’s been sitting at his desk for too long and he doesn’t remember how to do it!
Alex dreams about having a monster. Yes, a monster, and not a ridiculous and tiny pet. His parents don’t agree at the beginning but finally give up. They put advertisements on the street: Little by little, the weirdest monsters arrive to Alex’s house.
The story of a really tiny monster which is desperate because he doesn’t scare anyone. He decides to develop a strategy to fright all the inhabitants of the pond, but they join forces and all together manage to form the most terrifying monster that has ever been seen…
A monster called Mok takes a horror book out of the library. The book is gorgeous but, how terrible! The ending is missing! Mok thinks that maybe the wind has taken the missing pages and goes out into the street. Little by little he shall include into the original book all the texts that he lays his eyes into because he find a possible connection in all of them, whether it is a publicity brochure, a recipe, a note form the teacher to one of her pupil’s mother… but finally, the only solution is to finish the book himself…
A compendium of monsters and of their physical and psychical characteristics as well as the best way to deal with them…
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