Spanish / Spain
Gardinella y el Gran Viaje
(Gardinella and the Great Journey)
Godel, Daniela
(text/illus.)
[Aguadulce, Almería]: Editorial Libre Albedrío, 2022. – [58] p.
ISBN 978-84-124052-5-5
Journey | Migration | Homeland | Picture book
Reading age: 5+
White Ravens issue: 2023
Gardinella and the other »Citintos« set off on the »Great Journey«. Some cheerful, others subdued, they are headed towards an undefined goal. Along the way, each of them will need to part with one personal possession. The place where they eventually stay will become the new homeland – at least until, perhaps, they set out again. Daniela Godel has written a metaphorical story of departing and arriving, migration and being at home, the familiar and the unknown. Bidding farewell is linked to hopes for the future, even when this is shrouded in uncertainty. In the illustrations executed in ink, water colour, and gouache, the changes in colouring play a central role: at first the world is black-and-white – even the forest on their way, where there are »blossoming almond trees« and »fruits as large as suns«. Only after they arrive do the Citintos and their world acquire colour. This is a poetic and profound book, which leaves it up to the reader to find his or her own interpretations of the story. [JW]