Yolanda Mosquera – illustratör

A story of quiet contemplation and steely resolve by the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, illustrated for readers of all ages.“I returned to the spot, even though the sun had already set, I cast my hook into the water and waited. I don't think there is a deeper silence in the world than the silence of water.I felt it then and never forgot it.”On the banks of a river near his grandparents’ farm, a boy is about to catch a big fish. At the same moment that he loses his prey, the boy has a moment of growing awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. He is compelled to try again to catch the fish even though he is sure it’s gone. And even though his chance has passed and he is company only to silence, he has staked a claim there by the river’s edge. From a childhood memory detailed in his book Small Memories, José Saramago spins a tale of quiet depth and wisdom–here translated by Margaret Jull Costa, and beautifully illustrated by Yolanda Mosquera.

Meet Balam, a boy who could be a cat. Meet Lluvia, a girl who could be the dawn. Balam and Lluvia are siblings who catch fireflies, bid farewell to their pet fish in the bathroom, and wait for Ratón Pérez to collect their teeth. In Balam and Lluvia's House, the secret tastes and sounds of the everyday are waiting to be found. From the smell of crushed laurel leaves to the whispers of the peach tree in their back garden, every day is a day of discovery. Full of lively and reflective poems, this book invites the reader to run alongside Balam and Lluvia captivated by the world that surrounds them.Lawrence Schimel’s translation brings the work of acclaimed Guatemalan author and playwright Julio Serrano Echeverría into English for the first time.Shortlisted for the CLiPPA Poetry Award and The Week Junior Book Awards 2024.