AUTHOR: Anna Cabré Albós 
PUBLISHER: ‎ Zahorí Books
GENRE: Children
READER’S NAME: Piers Armstrong
DATE: May 21, 2021

Story-line, style of writing : description of a (fictional) journey, in language children-suitable language – a team of women scientists travel to the Antarctic to look around. suitability for translation : no cultural impediments - target context is universally "other" (Antartic). whether the subject matter will travel well in the US  : yes; the content is equally accessible for Hisponoparlantes / Anglophones. whether the overall idea seems different and unusual  : yes, overall. The idea is "fresh." whether it deals with a common theme but treats it in an original way  : yes, in that the theme is scientific & adult, but the target reader is non-adult, and the content is exotic. predictability and variety of plotlines and how they blend together : minimal plotline, even in this context, the plausibility of the dialogue : limited but plausible the author and their previous works : n/a

Similarities to other popular books, etc. : probably has few popular prior analogs (but can't be sure)

This book should be very easy to translate. The images might constitute 60% of the work here (they are creative and very good I think; the text is fine but actually somewhat unimaginative).  Thus, an inexpensive investment.

This book marries science education / adult concerns / children's imagination / ethical & material pressing issues (global warming).  So it is timely, in our Greta Thunberg age.  As a result it is likely to be very well received.

It is also a bit forced in its eclectic ethically-correct ambitions : as well as the science issues noted, the situation depicted involves an all-female team of researchers. The preface refers to Homeward Bound, a project of the NGO Acciona. That project is the real-world event which presumably inspired the subsequent creation of this book. But the (child) reader would be unaware of that and indifferent to the circumstance. Unlike the author, the reader cares most about story.

So, this tie-in is an arbitrary additional angle. By arbitrary, I do not mean the combination should not be attempted per se (indeed, this is precisely the proposition of Acciona), but rather that there is insufficient narrative effort of poetic imagination to make the story come alive in the unique way afforded by fiction.

An oddity of the narrative structure is that the adventure begins on the boat as the team is underway on the journey. Children's fiction involving adventures normally begin with a reason for the adventure, and capitalize on the fun of leaving behind one's normal world – that is, that normal everyday world is presented, then a magical intervention or an emergency / opportunity etc. arises which leads to a rupture, and the adventure begins, and readers enjoy the ride. This book starts rather flatly, on board the boat – without any fun revelation as to why we are here.

Overall, however, my criticism may not be crucial. The appeal of the book, based on its ethical "correctness,"  together with its lovely, wide, thoughtfully-colored illustrations, is more of a positive than the dull-witted narrative is a negative.  Especially since it would be very inexpensive for the NSB patrons.