Selva
By: Marina Gibert
Publisher: Kalandraka, Spain, 2021
Format: Hardback
A colorful trip through jungles and imagination
"Selva" is Spanish for "Jungle". At the front paper, we meet a small boy in a vast jungle, and we follow his journey on a narrow, white path...that turns out to be a snake. "Selva" is a book of transformations, showing the world through a child´s vivid imagination. Nothing is what it appears to be in these pictures, but our small hero is never baffled, he/she wanders fearlessly through tigers and crocodiles, gorillas and butterflies.
For me, the nature pictured in this book feels very exotic, as I grew up far from any jungle. Because of that, I was quite surprised to find myself instantly taken back to my own walks as a child, when nature always seemed magical, and where I found both hidden paths and creatures of imagination everywhere.
Reading a silent book can be a daunting experience, a little like navigating a new and strange world without a map or a compass to guide you. That might be one of the reasons why there are so many silent books written about journeys to new places and unexpected experiences, journeys where the imagination takes you on exciting adventures. "Selva" is also like this, but manages to do it in a new and fresh way due to the bold colors and playful perspectives of the illustrations. The ending is both suprising and gorgeous at the same time. I will not spoil the suprise, but for me, it was a reminder of how much we need our colorful imaginations in our everyday life, because also in real life so much is not what it appears to be at first glance.
"Selva" won the Compostela prize for illustrated albums. It is Gilberts first wordless book, made with acrylics on paper. The color choices are as imaginative as the motives, here are blue tigers and pink palms, and it suits the story really well. All pages are double spreads, which allows the reader to really get lost in the illustrations. A book for all the days that feel a little dull and grey!
