Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning Argentinian author María Teresa Andruetto transforms personal history into an inspiring tribute to living courageously in Clara and the Man with Books in His Window. Fellow Argentinian artist/muralist Martina Trach's glorious double-page spreads create a sense of place and time.
"This is the story of my mother and her friend, Juan," Andruetto prefaces her narrative, "about how she discovered books and he, the light of day." Young Clara is her laundress mother's delivery service. "DON'T GET DISTRACTED," her mother reminds Clara as she sets off carrying a laden basket. At Juan's home, she leaves the laundry and collects the payment left under the doormat: "He never goes out. He always stays inside." But one day, pushing the curtain aside, Juan asks Clara if she can read. "My grandmother taught me how," she responds. On her next delivery day, a book appears under the doormat. And then another. Eventually she's invited inside, where Juan divulges how he became "afraid of the light." He tells Clara his meaning of courage: "being brave enough to live the way... you believe." Clara declares: "I'm going to have courage!" Bolstered by her exuberance, the man exits his fortress to hand Clara the book she almost left behind.
Originally published in 2018, Clara is Andruetto and Trach's English-language debut, eloquently translated by Guatemalan Canadian Elisa Amado. Trach sets Andruetto's spare narrative in a rural landscape populated with simple homes (colorful albeit faded). Trach cleverly underscores the infinite power of books through saturated primary colors--the red, blue, and yellow of Clara's reading material stands out against the dim, neutral colors of their setting. Together, author and artist provide a galvanizing reminder that books are conveyers of immense knowledge, enjoyment, and empathy. --Terry Hong