Ximo Abadía

En la playa puedes hacer muchas cosas… ¡Puedes enterrar al abuelo en la arena, hacer grandes castillos, jugar a palas o con el frisbi, ir en canoa, saltar desde las rocas, hacer paddle surf, buscar tesoros o mirar la puesta de sol!

Descubre el primer título de la nueva serie de Zahorí de viajes visuales para los más pequeños.

Este es un libro de primeras lecturas, en la línea de los diccionarios y los viajes visuales, que explora un tema tan atractivo para las criaturas como es la aventura de ir a la playa. Dentro y fuera del agua, lejos y cerca del mar, se suceden un montón de actividades y de situaciones que entusiasman a cualquier buen observador.… (mer)

Farmer Paul is hard at work while the rest of the village rests - raking, digging and watering. He watches and waits, and soon enough his crops start to grow. Then comes a terrible dry spell, and all seems lost as the plants begin to wither. Fortunately, Paul's friends pitch in to help him, and all ends well...

Originally published in French as Le potager, this simple picture-book from Spanish author/artist Ximo Abadía captures both the work and rewards of farming, as well as the dependence of farmers on matters entirely outside of their control, such as the weather. I can see why The Farmer has been described as an ecological fable, although I did find it a little confusing that the friends who helped Paul were all animals. I was expecting some kind of human solidarity, as one so often sees in rural communities. I also wasn't clear on how the animals could help, if all the water had dried up, although the point about awaiting the coming of the rains again was apropos. Despite my quibbles with the (extremely simple) narrative, I found this picture-book appealing, both because of its general themes and because the artwork is so compelling. Bright, bold colors, stylized figures, eye-catching layout - these all make the illustrations quite appealing. I definitely hope that more of Abadía's work is made available in English!… (mer)