ASHIMPA by Catarina Sobral and SUNDUST by Zeke Peña
Happy Spring! I haven’t done a picture book round-up in a while, so I thought I would share a few of my recent favorites.
Zeke Peña’s Sundust incorporates fantastical elements in a story about two siblings who explore the desert in their Southwestern town near the Mexican border. Illustrator Pena’s authorial debut begins, “Where the rock wall ends, the desert begins.” This sentence sets the stage for adventure. The unnamed characters follow a fuschia line over mesas, around discarded car parts, and under and over various flora and fauna. As they trail the fuschia, which they refer to as sundust, they pay close attention to everything it touches. They explore a nopal tree, comparing its toughness and brightness to their mother. They watch a caterpillar transform into a butterfly and realize that, “change is okay.” Profound observations feel wise without being didactic; this is likely due to the hummingbird-like speed through which they traverse the landscape. The story is mostly rooted in reality, though magical elements shine through. In this way, the children in the story feel especially authentic. When you’re a kid, imagination can turn even the most mundane situations into epic adventures.
Zeke Peña’s artwork is also incredible. The splashes of fuschia propel the story forward both literally, as the kids chase the sundust streak, and figuratively, as the effervescence of the color provides the book with an undeniable energy. Sundust received the Caldecott Honor this year, and the accolade is well deserved. This ode to the sun, the desert, and home is a treat to read and to look at; it deserves a place among the classics. Peña, who lives in Northwest Arkansas but was raised in the Southwestern United States, has written an enduring love letter to a place.
Another recent favorite picture book of mine is Ashimpa: the Mysterious Word by author-illustrator Catarina Sobral. This quirky tale of language and grammar was translated from Portuguese by Juliana Barbassa. As a self-proclaimed grammar nerd, I can find much to enjoy about parts of speech, though I know that’s not the case for everyone. Ashimpa is a rarity in that it turns an overview on different parts of speech into a story of levity, humor, and absurdity.
One day, the story begins, a researcher discovers a new word: ashimpa. Everyone wants to use this word but no one knows how. So, the researcher asks Mrs. Zulmira, who is 137 years old, if she has ever heard it. Mrs. Zulmira declares that the word is actually “ashimp” and it’s a verb. To show its meaning, she uses it in a ridiculously vague sentence, “People ashimped, people had always ashimped.”
So as not to appear unintelligent or out of the loop, everyone in the town begins using the word. One day, however, a linguist declares that “ashimpa” is a noun. The people pivot to using it in this way without question. This pattern continues through various types of speech to comedic effect. Sobrol’s pencil-sketch illustration and cut paper designs add to the quirkiness of the story. The people and scenes are simple sketches, yet they exude a childlike playfulness. Even with minimal facial features, Sobrol’s characters express a range of emotions that add to the story’s humor. This book is fun as a read aloud and could be expanded into an interactive grammar lesson.
Both Sundust and Ashimpa: the Mysterious Word are available in the Children’s Department of the Joplin Public Library. Happy reading!
