Guarda fuori
By: Silvia Borando
Publisher: Minibombo, Italy, 2
Format: Hardcover
Suspense, joy and horror (!) in alternating sequences
A snowy, white landscape. Two happy children in the window. At first glance, "Guarda fuori" might look like your run-of-the mill, harmonic winter story for kindergarten children. But this book is filled with action and will leave you breathless until the last page.
As most of the Minibombo-books, the format of the "Guarda fuori" is nearly square. It´s large enough to really enjoy the illustrations, but not too big and heavy for small hands to leaf through on their own. Borando uses her signature limited, but very attractive color scheme, this time with emphazis on the primary colors; blue, red and yellow. She uses the negative space, the white page, as the snow. The cover shows a house in a snowy landscape. We see a yellow window and understand that there is probably someone inside, the lights are on. In the first spread we meet our two protagonists, a boy and a girl. Their chin just barely reaches the windowsill, so we learn that they are probably not very old. We see them looking outside (Guarda fuori).
The composition of this book is brilliant. The reader sees the world through the protagonists eyes. The story is made up of alternating sequences that punctuate the narrative with a precise shot-reverse shot rythm, making it very easy to follow. After seeing the children´s expressions inside the house, we turn the page to observe the situation outside that led to their emotional reaction. This leads to suspense: the small reader will hold her or his breath while turning the pages! Each spread is one single picture, making it easy for the young reader to stay focused and follow the story.
"Guarda fuori" has a very dramatic ending. But just when the reader think it is all lost, it takes a twist, and ends happily. There are so many excellent illustrations in this book, but the last spread (printed on the end papers) is particularly amazing, with the small, but funny detail of one of the rabbit´s ears being all frazzled from nearly being eaten by the bear.
Silvia Borando is a well-known name for all who are interested in Italian children´s literature. She is one of the creative forces behind the publisher "Minibombo", a publishing house that produces literature and apps. Their goal is to use "simple forms and essential texts" to invite readers to participate and play. As in all of her books, Borando trusts her young readers. She resists over-explaining the action, something that happens in too many books aimed for the youngest children. Instead, she gives room for the imagination and lets the reader interpret the emotions and fill in the blanks. Her simplistic illustration style combined with her advanced storytelling techniques makes for interesting titles that will hold the children´s interest as they grow older. "Guarda fuori" is one of these titles.
