We recently got some new Spanish books in at the library, and these are just three of the gems among them.
El Elefante y el Árbol
Jin Pyn Lee
2011
A beautiful story about friendship, and about the things that friendships can help us get through. Elephant loves to travel and he especially loves to tell his best friend, Tree, stories about his travels. Tree, being the tallest tree, tells Elephant about all the many things he can see. They enjoy nature and their freedom, until one day there is a shout in the forest. Tree tells Elephant to run, but Elephant stays with his friend, and they are both captured. But their friendship and the beautiful things they have experienced help them get through even the most difficult hardships. The simple illustrations, and the story itself, are very heartbreaking.
¡Qué Fastidio ser Princesa!
Carmen Gil
Illustrated by Daniel Montero Galan
2012
Nona is tired of being a storybook princess. She has to walk straight, learn to play instruments, and wait for a prince to come for her. So one day, she throws her crown and decides she has had enough. She leaves her castle and becomes the greatest pirate on the seas, a knight who rescues a cat and a prince, and a juggler who makes people happy. Her father, the King, sees her happiness and, excited to have finally found her, accepts her choice to leave the job of being a princess behind. Very beautiful illustrations that remind me of the work of Salvador Dali, and what a title! What reader doesn't want to know why Nona finds being a princess so annoying?
Hoky: el Lobo Solidario
César Blanco & Blanca Bk
2012
Hoky is a lone wolf, the last remaining wolf in the mountains of Almés. The villagers gathered up the wolves when they came down and attacked their sheep during the winter, leaving Hoky alone in a mountain cave. Jose, a boy with a flock of sheep, slowly befriends Hoky and earns his trust by leaving him bread on a rock. One day, Jose falls from a tree and hurts his head. Hoky approaches and licks Jose’s wounds and keeps him warm through the night. When the villagers learn of how Hoky helped Jose, they promise not to harm the wolves any more. But, there is more! Jose had been keeping a wolf, Mila, that he rescued as a young cub when the villagers gathered the wolves. Now Mila is grown and Jose introduces her to Hoky. Hoky is no longer alone, and he and Mila have found a good friend in Jose. This was such a beautiful book, the illustrations are crisp and fresh and there is a good message: it is amazing what creatures will do for us if we only show them kindness.
