What do you call a flower that flies from bird to bird? Which birds determine the order of the flock when it flies?
Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
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Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
What do you call a flower that flies from bird to bird? Which birds determine the order of the flock when it flies?
Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
Who shouted for joy at the advent of blue? When I look at the sea again, does the sea see me or does it not see me? Why do the waves ask me the same questions as I ask them?
Libro de las preguntas (Book of questions)
Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
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Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
These, and hundreds of others, are questions posed by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda in Libro de las Preguntas (Book of questions). Adhered throughout his life and published a year after his death in 1973, Neruda’s thought-provoking and playful questions have become well known in Latin American literature. Now, a new illustrated bilingual anthology of Neruda’s questions has been published by Enchanted Lion Books, giving anglophone readers – and children in particular – a chance to question the world alongside Chilean poet.
“Children are constantly asking things because in their eyes everything is new. So they ask questions to structure the world they are entering.” Paloma Valdiviaillustrator for the book.
In Latin America – especially in Chile – many children grow up familiar with these question poems. In fact, Valdivia herself learned to read through the poetry of Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, and she was asked to memorize some of these questions, with melodies added to help. Valdivia says this new bilingual version, which took nearly five years to make, could bring a new generation of children closer to poetry.
Is there room for a few thorns? they asked the persimmon tree. What news emerges from the leaves of the first days of spring?
Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
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Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
New version for everyone in the family. The book is large and contains fun folding pages and cool illustrations that help immerse the reader in the imaginative world of questions.
The original book has more than 300 questions spanning a wide range of topics: from death and dreams to politics, literature, seasons and time. But in sorting through the selection, translator Sara Lissa Paulson and editor Claudia Bedrick wanted to highlight what would lie in the realm of experiences that young children would love to explore. They selected 70 questions mainly related to the relationship between humans and the natural world.
“I love how Latin America has a different view of the natural world, and I really think our country here can learn from these books,” says Paulson. about rain, about clouds, about trees, about animals. What we envision is that they will raise more questions centered on people and our world. “
Where does the rainbow end, in your soul or on the horizon?
Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
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Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
Instead of presenting the full range of Neruda’s poems, the new edition weaves selected questions into a visual world.
Valdivia, who has worked as a book illustrator for 20 years, said. For this edition, Valdivia drew from her childhood in Chile and her knowledge of Neruda’s poetry to illustrate the geography of his poems, but she also visited three of his houses. poets in Chile for inspiration. There she finds hints of what the poet was thinking when writing these questions or ideas for how to formulate them for younger audiences, to introduce them to both Neruda and South America.
In illustrating these questions, Valdivia did not wish to hint at any answers. In fact, part of the magic of Neruda’s questions is not that the reader finds the answer, but that he finds more questions.
Why don’t they teach helicopters how to get honey from the sun? If flies make honey, do they offend bees? Why can’t those immense planes be with their children?
Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
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Copyright @ 2022 by Paloma Valdivia; used with permission of Enchanted Lion Books
Valdivia says this meditative approach is what makes the book so relevant at this time.
“At a time when we are bombarded with noise, screens, violence, and ultimately madness in a world as destroyed as today, there are moments of introspection, reflection and reflection. about nature can help us hone our questions and cultivate our own inner world,” she said.
