O fim da fila
By: Marcelo Pimentel
Publisher: Editoria Rovelle, Brazil, 2011
Format: Board book, recycled
The end of the line
Standing in line can be boring sometimes - or it can make for a really good silent book, like O fim da fila (The end of the line) by Brazilian artist Marcelo Pimentel. His work is inspired by idigenous cultures, and this book is a celebration of Brazilian fauna, identity and culture.
O fim da fila is something between a board book and a softcover book, made with what seems to be handmade, recycled and very sturdy paper. Only two other colors are used: Black and red, which makes a striking effect together on the unbleached pages.
The line of animals are introduced already on the front cover and continues throught the title page and the first spread of the book. In the start, all the animals are black sihouettes. Pimentel has chosen animals typical for the Brazilian fauna. In the start, many of them look a little bored, as we do when we stand in line, but suddenly they all awaken: They are painted in beautiful patterns! This makes them very happy they sleep well, and in the morgning they wake up to admire themselves in the mirror.
Cumulative tale
There are a few pages of text in this book, but none of the words are really important for the meaning-making. The introductory text works really well: a short, juicy and poetic ode to apples. The text introducing the second part of the book seems more redundant: It tells of how Miss' dad loves apples, but this fact is already very obvious to the reader - apples are pictured everywhere in their apartment, they even fill up their bathtub.
Torseter is one of very few Norwegian children's book authors that uses the book as an artistic object, making the format of the book part of his storytelling. Hullet and Hullet 2 are the most famous examples of this, but Gravenstein also stands out. It's tiny, the size of a postcard, which makes it quite thick due to the number of pages, and this choice of size, combined with the golden yellow cover, makes the reader think of a juicy, golden apple. An original format for a children's book, but it works perfectly.
Gravenstein is a fun and original book that will delight readers - and lovers of apples - of all ages. We will review more of Torseter's titles with time, so please stay tuned!
