By Brigita Orel

Last year was a great year for Latin America kid lit in translation with several new picture books and even one award this week! These four new translations caught my eye in particualr, each inspiring in its own way. They all relate different messages, from the significance of story-telling, to how we keep our departed loved ones alive by remembering them, to the importance of compassion and self-reliance.

Never Forgotten

The first thing one notices when looking at the cover and then opening the book, are the simple yet vibrant and colourful illustrations. They immediately extend warmth. And so do Suria Scapin’s lyrical words that describe the kingdom of lost things, where everything the narrator has lost is now gathered. Among the lost things is an earring, a lucky stone and a book. But when the protagonist loses her grandma, she wonders if people go to the kingdom of lost things, too. At this point, the illustrations switch to black and white and only gradually, as the narrator remembers her grandma’s antics as a child and as a young woman, do colours seep through in the pictures. This, together with the final realisation that things are never truly lost unless we forget them, gives Never Forgotten genuine depth.

The Lighthouse Keeper

If you find yourself on stormy seas, you’ll want this lighthouse keeper to be there! This magnificent character, rendered visually stunning by illustrator Mariana Villanueva Segovia, is dedicated to rescuing everyone who finds themselves in peril. The choice of colours in the illustrations is sometimes surprising but always powerful. The keeper, for example, is illustrated as wearing a striped yellow and green lapelled suit, and his beard is made of tiny fish. But one wouldn’t expect anything less from a character who is friends with the Moon. The award-winning story emphasises compassion and respect for nature, while the rhyming text imitates the undulation of the sea.

No One Slept

From the very start of the book, this Brazilian story is, in turn, spooky and reassuring. A large house, full of eccentric family members creates a welcoming environment, but there’s a ghost in the wardrobe that won’t let them sleep. Resourceful Kooky picks up a book and starts reading a story that puts everyone to sleep – from the ghost to the neighbour’s dog. Black and white line drawings are detailed and textured but don’t overshadow the text, which relays the importance of storytelling. Sica has created a paranormal story to be enjoyed by the whole family.

Croco

This story relies on brilliant visual story-telling to relate the story of a crocodile trapped at the bottom of a deep hole. Various creatures – a snake, birds and monkeys – suggest different techniques for how Croco can save himself but none work. Azul López’s illustrations use terrific composition to contrast the lively, free animals in the tree canopies above miserable Croco, who’s confined to the bottom of the page. López’s organic strokes and vivid colours scream pure jungle, and his story underlines the importance of both collective effort and self-reliance.

About Brigita Orel

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