What A Wild Story, Minimoni!

Rocio Bonilla was born in Barcelona and began her career working in painting, muralism, photography, pedagogy, and advertising, but motherhood inspired her to leave the latter to create hand-painted murals for children's spaces. In 2011, she entered publishing as an illustrator and debuted as an author in 2014. To date, she has published about 50 books, sometimes collaborating with other authors. Her award-winning work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She lives in Barcelona.

"In this Spanish import, precocious Minimoni and friends ponder big questions while preparing to stage a production of Saint George and the Dragon. Tan-skinned, tousle-haired Minimoni, clad once more in a black-and-white striped tunic, sits reading a book aloud. As the child narrates, the art shifts to sepia tones, depicting a long-ago land plagued by a ferocious dragon. Minimoni’s story is interrupted as a racially diverse group of kids (and a hulking but sweet-faced dragon appalled by its literary counterpart) recoil in horror. “Are you sure we want to pick such an unpleasant story for the end-of-year play?” asks one. (“And what an awful beast, that dragon!” the dragon chimes in.) As the narrative continues, Minimoni tries to deflect criticism, but our young hero’s feminist sensibilities are offended at a plot point that involves the king granting his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone willing to slay the dragon. The kids seek advice from a brown-skinned librarian, who points out that the story reflects the sensibilities of its time. The youngsters stick to the old version of the tale, but they address audiences—and readers—at the end of the show: “THAT’S HOW THEY TOLD STORIES IN THE 13th CENTURY!” Clever use of casting (the dragon dons a blond wig and plays the princess) and props, thoughtful dialogue, slyly funny illustrations, and that fourth wall–breaking conclusion result in a tale that will please revisionists and literary purists alike. Inventive and imaginative; sure to spur conversations on revisiting outdated classics." —Kirkus Reviews "Delightfully meta and sure to provoke discussions!" —Queen Anne Book Company LLC, Bookseller