Spanish / Spain
Amaryllis
Machado, Germán
(text)
Aparicio Català, Anna
(illus.)
Barcelona: Thule, 2019. – [26] p.
ISBN 978-84-16817-47-4
Nature | Plants | Cycle of life | Picture book
Reading age: 5+
White Ravens issue: 2019
A lively creature peers out from the cover of this beautifully designed picture book. It is Amaryllis, a round, bright-red plant tuber, which has a cute shock of “hair” on its head. Amaryllis is unusually adventurous for a creature supposed to rest rooted in the soil. Instead of staying trapped in her “house” after blooming, she heads out into the world with a good deal of curiosity. She wants to have conversations and meet other living creatures, who, like her, are searching for change. After some exciting encounters, she finally reaches a place of rest – a paradisiacal garden, which takes her in and shelters her. The book’s poetic text on growth and decay, departure and arrival, and the cycle of nature is marvellously well-suited to its enchanting illustrations. Decorative silkscreen prints in dark, earthy green and red portray nature as a lush, enchanted plant world full of life, adventure, and beauty.