The Menino: A Story Based on Real Events
(El menino)
2015
A book for babies and their parents about the whole new world that they both encounter when the baby arrives.
When the new baby arrives, both the baby and the parents are in for a steep learning curve. In this book, born out of personal experience, internationally renowned author/illustrator Isol brings us a dual narrative and guide. For babies, there’s a rich range of images of babies and all their functions to look at. From crying, to nursing, to peeing and pooing, to looking, to hearing, to deciding that this weird new world they’ve entered is worth staying in (because they finally recognize that in every grown-up they see there is a former baby), there are hours of fun and amusement, since babies love nothing better than looking at and talking about themselves.
For parents, this is a wonderful exploration of the new world this stranger-baby brings with him or her. Amusingly written, the text presents in a humorous, wry way all the facets of the new baby’s reality. A great gift for new parents both before and after baby is born.
Commended New York Times' Notable Children's Books of the Year, 2015
Critics
“Isol’s jangly, hand-wrought illustrations are expert companions to both the humor and the poetry of her book.”
– New York Times Book Review
"Tender and funny, a celebration of the hard work that takes place on both sides to settle the complicated little traveler into its new world."
— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The trope that imagines a baby as an exotic creature—or perhaps even an alien—is taken to full and nearly irresistible flower."
— Kirkus Reviews
"The book ends on a particularly affirmative note, recognizing our common baby origins and common human trajectories."
— Horn Book Magazine
Rights sold
• Chinese: CCPPG
• English: Groundwood Books
• Spanish: Océano Travesía