Friday, December 5, 2014

Book Review: Quisicosas

A Fair Trade Book

Title: Quisicosas
        
Author: Pilar Mateos
        
Date: 1988
        
Publisher: Ediciones SM Joaquin Turina
        
ISBN: 84-348-2371-3
        
Length: 64 pages
        
Illustrations: cartoons by Pablo Nuñez
        
Quote: “¡El guante se estaba moviendo solo!--¡Qué quisicosas!—se dijo Ana.”
        
On a dull day at school, an eraser starts talking to Ana. Erasers, we learn in this fanciful short story, don’t have the nicest manners and have a curious way of yelling, but as imaginary friends they make school much more entertaining. (Some students collect erasers...possibly for this reason?)

This whimsical story is recommended for anyone who has been reading Spanish for just one or two years. The story is short, the pictures carry the reader along, and the vocabulary is simple. High school students may find the story juvenile, but it doesn’t go on long enough to become tedious.  

According to Wikipedia, Pilar Mateos is alive and may still be writing, so Quisicosas is a Fair Trade Book. It's never been officially published in the U.S. and is therefore rather hard to find here. The best price I can offer is $15 for the book + $5 for shipping; if you buy it from me, I will make every effort to send Mateos or her favorite charity $2.

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