Picture books beyond borders

A happy package just arrived in the mail. It's amazing to see my books being reshaped in foreign languages, wearing beautiful signs I do not understand.

- Todo es Relativo in Korean
- A Veces in Korean
- Todo es Relativo in Chinese

Kirkus review

A mouse flees a cat in a striking sequence of opposite pairs.

A lively rodent—so simply depicted in solid black that he is practically only ears, bright eyes and whiskers—grasps one end of what is seen on the title page to be a very large, orange ball of yarn. When the cat arrives—also solid black and all long legs, paws, tail and menacing eyes—the mouse takes off in a brief and spirited sprint through several different perspectives and their opposites. A wade through deep water for the mouse is a shallow splash for the pursuing cat. In a leap from a height, the mouse and a leaf as parachute seem light, but a row of tiny ants bearing the leaves aloft suggests the leaves could be heavy. And when the chase is nearly over, the cat having reached the mouse, the orange yarn plays a role: “Is it the end… / …or is it the beginning?” The limited palette and plenty of blank space serve to keep the story in motion: The solid black and orange forms of mouse, cat and yarn pop from the page with energy and pizzazz, while gray appears in the form of solid planes, water, rocks and the third character: a toothy bulldog.

Fun and uncomplicated as a story and concept book but sophisticated in visual impact, this is agreeably stylish graphic design for the very young.(Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus

PW review

Rueda cleverly demonstrates the idea of relativity in this smart, pared-down picture book. “Is it big?” asks the opening page, as a small black mouse stares up at an orange ball of yarn. “Or is it little?” asks the next page, as a black cat appears out of nowhere, dwarfing mouse and yarn, and sending the critter scurrying. Crisp, graphic images in black, white, gray, and orange trace this literal game of cat and mouse, as a “long” dash for the mouse is shown to be a “short” leap for the cat, and the “scary” feline able to be “scared” by an even bigger threat. Ages 3–6. (July)

Reviewed on: 05/13/2013
Release date: 07/01/2013

Publisher's Weekly

Same Book Four Languages

 

Spanish Edition (Oceano)
French Edition (Kaléidoscope)
German Edition (Gerstenberg)
English Edition (Eerdmans)

A Little Big Book

Published in the US by Eerdmans Books For Young Readers. Coming Soon!

Todo Es Relativo en Alemán

Publicado por la editorial Gerstenberg

Genial descripción en la edición francesa

"Avant de laisser votre enfant aborder tout seul la théorie de la relativité générale d’Einstein, familiarisez-le avec ce concept ô combien complexe ! Lisez avec lui Tout est relatif." Kaléidoscope .

Tout est Relatif (Kaléidoscope)

The French edition of my book Todo es Relativo has just come out. You can find it at Amazon or at Fnac.