Spanish / Spain
Desventuras de un cerdo colosal en la Biblioteca Nacional (con instrucciones para cuidar los libros)
(The misadventures of a colossal pig in the National Library [with instructions on how to handle books with care)
Azcona, Marta
(text)
Font, Anna
(illus.)
Barcelona: Takatuka, 2024. – [47] p.
ISBN 978-84-18821-93-6
Animals | Library | Vandalism
Reading age: 7+
White Ravens issue: 2025
Marta Azcona has chosen a form that is unusual for a children’s book: a tale told in rhymed verses reminiscent of traditional balladeers. The chapter headings and the tongue-in-cheek moral maxims at the end of each chapter reinforce this ballad-like tone. The story itself is wonderfully turbulent. One day, a librarian is plagued by a headache and delegates the library oversight to a pig. But the pig is hopelessly overwhelmed when a gang of animal morons – from A for asno (donkey) to Z for zorro (fox) – descends upon the orderly realm of books and reduces it to anarchy and chaos. »Little Red Riding Hood« is gnawed on by snails, »Cinderella« is nibbled at by goats, and »Alice« must serve as wrapping paper for potato salad. In the end, a penguin is able to restore order. In this way, the hilarious tale is a not entirely serious guide to proper behaviour in a library. Anna Font’s illustrations briskly echo the absurdity of the encounters and amplify the humour in the text. [JW]