Gabriel Garcia Marquez is perhaps one of the most brilliant writers of our time. He is a tremendous figure, enormously talented, and admired. This is his story, lovingly told, for children to enjoy. Using the imagery from his novels, Monica Brown traces the novelist’s life in this creative nonfiction bilingual book from his childhood in Colombia to today. She does a wonderful job of articulating García Márquez’s complex literary style (called magical realism) in a way youngsters can grasp. Even better, she shows how his imagination was nurtured and encouraged from a very early age by the things around him.
This is an inspiring story about an inspiring life, full of imagination and beauty and a 2008 Pura Belpré Honor Book.
Below is a snippet of the book:
“Once, there was a little boy named Gabito who could. This little boy would become one of the greatest storytellers of all time. Gabito was born in the magical town of Aracataca, Colombia.
Can you imagine what kind of stories Gabito told? Close your eyes and see.”
“Había una vez un niñito que se llamaba Gabito, que sí podía. Este niñito llegaría a ser uno de los mejores narradores de cuentos de todos los tiempos. Gabito nació en el pueblo mágico de Aracataca, Colombia.
¿Puedes imaginarte qué tipo de cuentos contó? Cierra los ojos y mira lo que imaginas.”