An album book that deals with death, aimed at the youngest children.

Death is a difficult subject to talk about with children. We often avoid it and even deny it by using euphemisms such as saying that the deceased person “went to sleep”, “went on a long journey” or other similar expressions. This book is a vehicle to engage with children and generate conversations in which they can express their feelings, experiences, ideas, and fears related to bereavement.

The monotony in a house begins to change with small messages that appear little by little and produce changes not only in the place but also in those who live there. Through short texts and beautiful drawings, a child expresses the sadness that overwhelms him, associating his emotions with what he sees (absence of colour) and what he feels in his mind and body (bewilderment and cold). His black-and-white world slowly regains its tonalities as messages from “la Yoya”, his recently deceased grandmother, appear.

The presence of these messages – which are nothing more than her own memories that begin to flow – will allow her to recover happiness together with the company of her mother and the many details of her grandmother that populate the colourful house.
“Mensajes is born from living a real mourning, from the need, partly as a catharsis, partly as a tribute, to focus on how those who stay behind, those who miss and how to accept it day by day live through grief”, says Fabián Rivas.
Death is presented through a simple and clear language: memories are forever and we can take them with us wherever we are.

Fabián Rivas (1986)
Illustrator and author of children’s books. He is a designer and illustration teacher. He has collaborated with national and international media such as Colombia and Spain. He was selected to illustrate Santiago en 100 palabras. As a children’s book author, he has been published by several publishers and has won five Ibby Colibrí medals, in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

MESSAGES
Author: Fabián Rivas
ISBN: 978-956-6049-44-9
Genre: Narrative
Edition: Hardcover
Format: 23 x 17 cm
Number of pages: 54
Age: 4+
Collection: De palabras
Year of edition: 2023