AUTHOR:  , Fátima  Fernández
PUBLISHER: Colección Imagina/Onada Edicions
GENRE: Children’s literature/picture book
READER’S NAME: Eddy-Zambrano, Lynn
 

As La maleta del abuelo has already been translated into English (Grandpa’s Suitcase; the text contains a few distinctive British-isms) and published in a bilingual edition, the focus of this review is the book’s appeal and appropriateness for picture-book age readers (about 4-8 years) in the U.S.

The topic of the book is age-related dementia, an illness that impacts all members of a close family unit. It is a serious and important topic. A number of titles addressing memory loss and changes in elders’ behavior, in language and illustrations accessible to younger children, are available through U.S. booksellers.

In this story, Mariana, a child of about eight, comes upon her pajama-clad grandfather and an old suitcase into which he has just packed a few odd items. “Come on!” he tells her, “. . . the boat is sailing!” And off he goes, Mariana trailing behind, through town and down to the harbor, where Mariana’s imagination whisks them off for a thrilling ride through the sea.
Unlike the U.S. titles referenced above, La maleta del abuelo, is not a child’s introduction to, nor explanation of, dementia. It is the story of an empathetic child’s attempt to see life through the eyes of the grandfather who “has changed a lot,” and is “like a ship that doesn’t know where it’s going.”

This perspective is interesting and unique, but the story that unfolds – text and illustrations – lacks coherence; the contextualizing elements needed to tie a story together from beginning to end are missing. The result is confusing and abstract, even for the adult reader, much more so for a young child.

One example: the suitcase. Not an uncommon device in children’s literature, suitcases arouse curiosity, they often hold exciting surprises. The word is in the book’s title, an intriguing hint about the story to come. The suitcase is there at the story’s beginning, but then disappears until the story’s final lines. Where did it go? An adult might interpret the suitcase as a metaphor for grandfather’s fading memory, but that abstraction is lost on a child. Children in the target demographic understand and enjoy what they read/hear when context is carefully scaffolded for them, is concrete, logically developed, and relatable.

The book raises unsettling questions throughout its pages: Why does Grandpa leave the house in his pajamas? Why does he smile, dance, dream and fly through the streets? Why, during her imaginary ride through the sea, does Mariana become frightened when she sees the shore - what are the ghosts of the sea? And, why, in a reversal of familiar and comfortable roles, is it Mariana, the child, who gives Grandpa a toy and tells him it’s time to go home? The book does not provide the answers. There are no supportive clues to help children deduce the answers on their own. A great deal of adult intervention and guidance are required.

Illustrations in children’s books provide young readers with visual reinforcement of what they hear/read and resolve textual ambiguities. The illustrations in Grandpa’s Suitcase are rendered in dark, muted colors and dreamy strokes. The images evoke abstract masters - Dali, Picasso and Escher - combining elements of everyday objects in unnatural ways: stairways that lead nowhere, fish and bubbles with human faces. For the very literal young child, the overall effect is disturbing and scary.

Grandpa’s Suitcase is an award-winning book in Spain; the recognition is well-deserved from an aesthetic perspective. But the ultimate question is, will the book be successful with its intended audience? Observations outlined above indicate probably not. The most problematic and underlying issues are also the most basic: the book’s approach and point of departure. The book’s creators seem to have lost sight of the target reader, her cognitive maturity, emotional and intellectual needs, and life experiences.