On "The Queen In The Cave", by Júlia Sardà

I have in my hands a butterfly with eyes in her wings, two little mischievous suns using matches as if they were magic wands, five flying birds, four trumpet flowers, three little witches, two snails, and another eye within a flower this time and lots of stars. They all live in The Queen In The Cave, a book for children written and illustrated by Júlia Sardà, the first book where she plays both roles as artist and author.

It is an enchanting and dashing story of three little sisters defying inner fear and feasts in a trip to an underground unrevealed world. The girls from different ages spend their time playing together in their home and yard. The two younger sisters look up to the older sister and follow her around wherever she goes. One day, while they were sitting in the living room talking about this and that, the older sister felt a calling for adventure. And so the three girls left home and headed to the forest, where all kinds of creatures live. While the oldest sister was adamant to attend the call, her younger sisters didn’t understand why taking the risks of being in a forest alone and debated between following her or coming back by themselves. The journey involves change and growth for all the girls in different ways.

The Queen In The Cave is an excellent choice for siblings, cousins or friends that grow up together and someday they will have to face the fact that their friends will grow in different ways. Sometimes they will have to take time for themselves, they will have to do things on their own, but at the end they will come to share new adventures and there is going to be times to play together again. This book will help children to understand change, difference, individuality as fellowship too.

This book is all about details, forms and colors. The illustrations combine geometric with organic forms, which gives it structure and charm. It is a book to experience, rather than to talk about it. Let yourself be delighted by its striking pictures and feel the warmth of its colors that makes you feel like home. There is movement and rhythm and consistency that involves you in the journey, you are having a trip too.

I chose the book as it was a special treasure, passing the pages to discover new mysteries every time, new characters and new adventures. I wanted to read it as I used to read picture books at the school library when I was a kid: fully immersed, wandering in its inner world, picking favorite characters, delighted by its variety of colors. It made me want to spend more time there in that cozy house and that forest inhabited by those peculiar creatures.

Júlia Sardà is an illustrator from Barcelona. Her illustrations are full of details, which creates a whole world by itself. Contrast and complementary colors are fundamental in its illustrations. She has been working as an illustrator for a while and has developed a unique enchanter style. I think you should hear from Júlia Sardà herself about this book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaNovrgXh90