“In the beginning, all living beings that inhabit the Earth are stardust, we are made from the remains of stars that died millions of years ago. It is the origin that connects us to the rest of living beings, to nature and to the multidimensional fabric that makes up the entire universe.” With these words from the French-Uruguayan illustrator Nat Cardozo we start a Christmas selection that focuses on the past, on our ancestors, on the origin of everything and on our relationship with the universe. Nat Cardozo does it on a personal journey that has lasted 10 years and that has given rise to Origen (Libros del Zorro Rojo), an impressive illustrated journey through 22 indigenous peoples that invite reflection on concepts such as community, ecology. or civilization (10 years).
The process towards civilization as we know it today is also the final objective of the series that the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari began last year with his Sapiens for children (9-10 years old) illustrated by the Barcelonan Ricard Zaplana, and of which the second installment has just been released, focused on the agricultural revolution and how the first cities were formed. Reflective and entertaining, as always, in Imparables (Montena / Estrella Polar) he captures with astonishing clarity how the first social inequalities occurred, trying to answer the great question posed on the cover of the book: Why is the world unjust? ?
Why are we here? Why do we exist? These are questions that the Madrid illustrator Manuel Marsol also asks himself in Astro (Fulgencio Pimentel), his first work that is also his last, where he also reconciles with the death of his father when he was barely 11 years old. More questions, specifically 38, are those raised by Ellen Duthie and Anna Juan Cantavella in Is This Is Death? (Wonder Ponder), a book for the same age group (10 years old) where they compile and answer questions and doubts raised by hundreds of children around the world through workshops. The result is a great book, enjoyable and very interesting, that deals with death with ease and humor, but from scientific and anthropological rigor.
Continuing with the origins and for the same age group, the Zahorí publishing house offers us for these dates one of its great books of knowledge, Life, by the French creator Guillaume Duprat, who with die cuts and flaps begins his journey starting from the question: what is life? Perhaps the answer to that question can be found in part in A Night in Paradise (Lóguez) by Jürg Schubiger and the Andersen Rotraut winner Susanne, where they revisit the story of Adam and Eve with a much more interesting ending than the official version.
And for questions, those of the protagonist of It's just a thought (Kairós) by Jason Gruhl and Ignasi Font (illustrations), who, overwhelmed by his thoughts, begins to wonder: where do they come from? Am I my thoughts? Are there any Where can I hide from them? (5-6 years).
Changing the subject and the stories, some compilations ideal as gift books arrive this Christmas for the little ones (3 years old). Anaya and Brúixola bring together in a deluxe, hardcover edition some of the most successful stories by authors Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-rees, starting with their best-seller Las giraffes can't dance/ Les girafes can't ballar. Also from the contemporary classics Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, an essential that cannot be missing in any home: The dragon Zog and other stories / El drag Zog i altres contes. Another unmissable. Followers of the endearing series of The Little Sheep Who Came to Dinner, by English author Steve Smallman, should know that the latest installment is arriving: The Armadillo Who Came to Dinner/L'Armadillo Que Va Coming to Sopar (Beascoa), with a new character not very given to giving hugs (3 years old).
Another great book is the one signed by the author and illustrator Steven Guarnaccia, who has dedicated himself to selecting 35 different types of pasta for children (7-8 years old) and how to cook it, as well as some curiosities and their origin in The History of pasta (Phaidon). “If I had to eat the same thing every day, for the rest of my life, I would choose pasta,” he writes, a statement that many readers would undoubtedly sign, and certainly not all of them would be children. Another interesting selection is the one offered by Polish creator Jacek Ambrozewski in Fly High! (Maeva), a large format that collects with historical detail flying machines and their inventors, from the first balloons to current drones (from 8 years old).
This chapter of gift books is completed by The Unknown Christmas/El Nadal discoegut (Takatuka), an incredible tour of the world through the traditions, characters and foods that star in these festive dates (10 years). For more than a year, the author, Gema Sirvent, has dedicated herself to collecting information from all over the world to create an extensive Christmas mosaic illustrated by Armand.
The Juventud publishing house, which this year celebrates its centenary, also connects with our origins but from the perspective of art in The great book of art records/ El gran llibre dels rècords de l'art, a large format by Éva Bensard and Charlotte Molas (illustration) dedicated to great milestones in art, such as who were the most famous child prodigies, the largest or most expensive paintings in the world, among other eccentricities (8 years).
Another great format is that of the successful French tandem Sébastien Pérez and Benjamin Lacombe, with whom they investigate, in The childhood of evil villains and evildoers (Edelvives / Baula), about “those twisted and fascinating characters” that add a touch of color in stories, such as Dracula, Polyphemus, the Big Bad Wolf or Maleficent (8 years old). A little less malevolent but equally terrible are those that roam the Historical Atlas of Terrible Boys and Girls (Loqueleo) that the Basque creator Mikel Valverde has compiled for young people (7-8 years old) interested in history. The common thread is children whose end is usually on par with their evils, which Valverde presents to us halfway through the comic.
Less evil but deliciously imperfect are the stories of Florence Parry Heide brought to us by Blackie Books (age 7). Stories for perfect children/ Contes per a nens perfectes, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier, combats that idea of “goodism” that abounds so much. The creator of the most famous monster series among children, Daisy Hirst, writes along the same lines. Alfonsito, that is not done!/ Alfons, això is not fa! (Kókinos) is a fun exhibition of how much trouble little brothers can make.
The more youthful segment is loaded with powerful new features. There is the end of the Crave saga reached by the American best-seller Tracy Wolf with Ecstasy (Planet), the conclusion of the story of Grace, a gargoyle among vampires, which will have a spin-off shortly, as announced the author herself. Also the Mallorcan best-seller Joana Marcús concludes this Christmas the saga Months at your side, which began with Before December and launched her to stardom. Now comes The lights of February / Les llums de febrer (Montena), in about the life of Ellie Ross and her passion for basketball.
Another powerful story, this time in the form of a graphic novel, is that of the multi-award-winning Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, cousins and authors of Roaming (La Cúpula / Editorial Finestres), a story of discovery and personal growth with the background landscape of the always magical city of New York. And finally, the youth fantasy starring dragons that is sweeping the United States and which in just six months has sold a whopping two million copies, finally lands in Spain. This is Alas de sangre/ Ales de sang (Planet / Column), by Rebecca Yarros, which begins a saga of apprentice riders in a school where anything can happen.
This section also serves to pay a small tribute to the recently deceased Hematocrítico, Miguel Ángel López González, one of the most popular LiJ authors for his humor and his unapologetic vision of children's literature, which precisely leaves us at the height of his career As a writer. Leo Doesn't Know How to Play (Planeta), Legendario / Llegendari (Barcanova), Trick or Treat (Beascoa) or Crazy Letters (B for Block) are some of his latest titles.
