It maintains what is known as the rule of four gifts, developed against Christmas hyperconsumerism and the overdose of presents that boys and girls receive on these dates, that one of those four presents should be an educational toy. For example, a book. Whether you are one of those who follow this rule or not, a copy is always a great wish to add to the letter to Santa Claus and the Three Wise Men.
Among them, you will find an extraordinary and colorful illustrated version of the mythological epic of Gilgamesh – the story of a great friendship, the origin of superhuman feats, tragically amputated by death -, two emotional vindications of care between parents and children or a silent book that tells us about the extraordinary power of resilience of the human being. Also included in this selection is an album that tells of the arrival of an untimely winter—a consequence, of course, of climate change—with which the Uruguayan poet Ida Vitale makes her first approach to children's literature at the age of 100.
'The Visit' is an attractive and original fable written by Núria Figueras (with illustrations by Anna Font) starring a little fox who is left alone in her burrow and receives the surprise visit of silence, personified in a shapeless figure that quickly fills everything. the burrow space. In times of deafening noise, 'The Visit', winner of the 2023 Compostela International Prize for Illustrated Albums, is a beautiful vindication of silence as a way of being able to hear ourselves among so much music, so much debate, so much shouting and so much scandal.
![Cover of 'The tiny Mr. Care'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/3XNPeCFiaClo5bBocR0NHJVrBwU=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/324A7DGDP5HORLDOYY52D7OWAY.png 414w)
There are postmen who brighten the lives of their neighbors while they deliver mail through the streets of a neighborhood. And there are postmen, like the protagonist of this story, who also make their children's lives better with their presence, their closeness and their affection. Carles Manrique makes the leap from editing to writing with this emotional story full of sensitivity that is a vindication of small paternal care, those that make children grow up feeling protected and loved; and also a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to the figure of his own father. The recognizable illustrations by the Argentine author Yael Frankel reinforce the tenderness and affection that the edition of this album gives off.
![Cover of 'Oliver and the Giants of the Night'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/7thiRIdUc6TgnjXS1PHTBQrim30=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/X4IXJL36XFDYPB5HLSDUQGT54Q.png 414w)
With great delicacy and tact, the North American author Kitty O'Meara (translation by Pepa Arbelo) addresses in this illustrated album a complex topic: bullying, which, however, is wonderfully integrated into a beautiful and dreamlike fairy tale ( with giants included) that tells us about this problem, but above all about self-esteem, respect for difference and the power of imagination and creativity to make the world a better place. The beautiful double-page illustrations by Anna Pirolli help reinforce another of the messages implicit in the story: the importance of using the imagination and creativity mentioned above to take care of nature.
![Cover of 'Malote'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/5Bjt2J4-rKZJLbvB9HmZ0GzMH0o=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/CJEXQYYDQJESLHZJOG37I4B7WA.png 414w)
'Malote', by Polish author Marianna Oklejak, creates this story, at times hilarious, at times tender, that introduces us to a character called to leave his mark, the smallest member of a band of bandits who, when he decides to start the business of evildoer on his own, he will have to start assuming (not without pain, not without his tantrums) that perhaps he is not as bad as he thought. Oklejak's illustrations fill with color the tender story of a strangely kind little bandit.
![Cover of 'The unforgettable party'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/bk8UGMaWDfVcPsdfHWcHvfSFedA=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/DLFZJJC3XRHB5OSCG5PRMACYAY.png 414w)
Caterpillar is very bored, so he decides to have a party. However, she comes across the harsh reality: everyone is too busy to accept her invitation. Then this adorable protagonist comes up with an idea that is as simple as it is extraordinary. The Italian author Noemi Vola gives shape to this tender and friendly story full of cultural nods and called to bring a big smile to the children who come to accompany Caterpillar at her unforgettable party. And sometimes, even if we don't realize it, we have in ourselves the best possible companion to avoid boredom.
![Cover of 'Gilgamesh'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/a9jnH7iGz-vVF7XIdMlQtAkQYYY=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/6IAQQ7PFVNCJBKJPW4HOJEWEN4.png 414w)
The writer Annamaria Gozzi—translated by Ana Romeral—recovers the oldest epic poem of humanity to bring to young and not so young readers 'The Epic of Gilgamesh', the fascinating mythological journey of a king who, seeking the impossible, immortality , he encountered life fully. The spectacular, vibrant and unmistakable full-color illustrations by Andrea Antinori, with their seemingly simple and yet so attractive line, put the icing on the cake to this treasure for all ages.
![Cover of 'A Wrong Winter'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/OzVjCFwHyUU7PgAVpb-x5RM8nWM=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/ATG2P4QMJRET7KJGGBIDTKHZ7M.png 414w)
Nobel Prize winner José Saramago had no qualms about admitting that he had never been “capable of learning” to write for children. Despite this, his few approaches to children's literature were celebrated rarities. That, precisely, a rarity to celebrate, is the story behind 'A Wrong Winter'. The Uruguayan poet Ida Vitale takes readers to a country forgotten by the world (perhaps for this reason a healthy country where people live well) that is not even free from the effects of climate change. Halfway between reality and fiction, with a prose text that gives off the musicality of poetry, and with space for a sense of humor, Vitale leaves us as a legacy at his 100 years this album illustrated by María Fló, which will remain forever as a bridge to bring his enormous work closer to boys and girls.
![Cover of 'Silke's Palace'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/0tUlVKCaNsaqyx-m8fBMA9ECgeg=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/JG4AYGGXKFAMLAJAAP4Y2BBGFM.png 414w)
A character from Norse mythology, specifically Odin's father, Börr, gives name to the frozen town in which Silke lives, a silent and lonely girl who experiences certain difficulties in finding her place among her peers. She prefers the company of the animals that inhabit the forest that surrounds the school, which makes her the object of ridicule from her classmates. However, the challenge set by the teacher to build an igloo after the arrival of the first snowfall of winter will always change the day-to-day life of the protagonist of this poetic album. The text by Uxue Juárez and the illustrations by Araiz Mesanza complement each other wonderfully to show us that sooner or later we all find our place.
![Cover of 'Kintsugi'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/5SVu1MKRjHDE3oF2ZxGRjvdZaSU=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/2YJ6W27ATNH63DILU4JDYT44DY.png 414w)
The Peruvian author Issa Watanabe, in this illustrated album, starts from a Japanese concept, 'Kintsugi', which refers to the art of restoring ceramic pieces, highlighting the restored cracks. In this way, the author creates an intimate, poetic and metaphorical story about loss, grief, acceptance and the capacity for resilience. That capacity for resistance that pushes us to rebuild our life when it has been shattered, gluing the pieces together to find new ways to continue living without ever hiding the cracks that define us.
![Cover of 'My Father's Hands'.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/d2IZw-Ivt6dlDcnVuexvX_Xtr24=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/GYXHMSYSPNGI7GDCCZUPRSOF64.png 414w)
Only one sentence can be read in this beautiful illustrated album by Deok-Kyu Choi. The Korean author could have even dispensed with it, because if this title demonstrates anything, it is that words are not needed to show the love of a son for his father (and vice versa). 'My Father's Hands' is a beautiful and personal love letter from a son to his father, but above all it is an emotional and universal vindication of care as the first and last great example of love; a claim that is somewhat revolutionary, because it is two men who assume this care in a back-and-forth relationship, separated by decades, but almost mimetic, as the illustrator reflects in his play of scenes, in that tender journey from the present to the last that is every double page.
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