Pink Monster
Author & Illustrator: Olga de Dios
Apila Ediciones
A book for anyone who
has ever felt different.
Translated into 13 languages, this accessible picture book was awarded the Apila Primera Impresión Award 2013 for best new author project, the Golden Pinwheel Award, (International Original Children’s Picture Book Award), the CCBF-Shanghai Children’s Book Fair 2013 (China) and the Aurelio Blanco Award for the best project in the Applied Arts Family Book of the Community of Madrid. The world has discovered the book; now it’s your turn.
Quick Rating: Buy & Keep
Summary
A Pink Monster, different since before birth, lives in a world devoid of color filled with colorless beings. She is much bigger than they are; in size and spirit. And, she is literally unable to fit-in with her surroundings because of her size.
One day, she gathers up the courage to go on a quest into the unknown; where gradually she discovers a world filled with color. In that new world she discovers all sorts of different beings, colors, and a place where she finally fits in.
Illustrations
De Dios studied Illustration technique at la Escuela de Arte número diez in Madrid and architecture at la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, UPM and at KU Leuven Belgium. In fact, she completed Pink Monster as part of her final project for la Escuela de Arte.
The book was drawn freehand on a digital tablet; despite its appearance of having been rendered on paper. The illustrations are what I would term “monster cute” as these monsters are not conjured to scare, but rather to denote differences. They are monsters you would definitely take home to meet your parents.
Interestingly, the colorless people and world are neither menacing nor scary. They are simply devoid of, everything–presenting a stark comparison to the more colorful world where our Pink Monster fits in.
It’s On My Bookshelf
Aimed primarily at three to eight year olds the book is one of those that evolves with the age of the child. What you begin reading as a book about accepting people who are different, can transform into a book about finding your own tribe. Particularly compelling is De Dios’ message that: if you do not like the circumstances you are currently in, change them. Pink Monster teaches us that with some work, you can transform your surroundings into a place where you feel comfortable. With some work, you can surround yourself with people who value you. Those are lessons that are never too early to learn. And that, is why the book stays on my bookshelf. [End.]
If you want to purchase a copy of Pink Monster, and support my endeavors at the same time, you can click on one of the links below. No extra cost to you, and it will help me out! More books to read, more reviews to do!
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Pink Monster (Hardcover at Amazon)*
Monstruo Rosa (In Spanish at Amazon)*
More LGBTQ+ themed books can be found here.
More books for this Age Group can be found here.
If you’d like to preview the book, here’s the book trailer:
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