Spanish / Spain
No
(No)
Carbonell, Paula
(text)
Ferrer, Isidro
(illus.)
[Mataró]: A buen paso, [2024]. – [48] p.
ISBN 978-84-10016-16-3
War | Picture book
Reading age: 8+
White Ravens issue: 2024
In a few short sentences Paula Carbonell tells the story of a sister and a brother. When they arrive at school one morning, one of their friends’ seats remains empty. They are sent home, only to find that their home is no longer there. At first, they hide, but the game of hide-and-seek turns bitterly serious. The train that was supposed to take them to safety leaves without them. The story ends in uncertainty with the words »Puta guerra« (Fucking war). Isidro Ferrer uses photographs of two wooden figures to illustrate the open, elliptical text. The children find themselves on a nearly empty dollhouse-like stage, only part of which is visible, creating a depressingly cramped effect. A dark hole in the floor and a broken ladder symbolise danger and hopelessness. The missing arms of the figures add to the sense of helplessness. Last but not least, the pale colours – a little brown and beige, but otherwise only gray in all its shades – add to the oppressive atmosphere of this disturbing picture book. [JW]