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‘We need the literature of other countries to expand our
horizons and stimulate our ideas. Without it, we are not only
diminished, we are starved’
(The Times, Magnus Linklater 29/06/05)
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This is a Dictatorship
by Equipo Plantel
Age Range: 6-8
The history of This is a Dictatorship is as fascinating as the book itself. It was originally published in Spain more than forty years ago in 1977 coming out after the death of the Spanish dictator Franco, who ruled the country with an iron fist for many decades. The objective was, and still is today, to explain to children the threat to democracy of a dictatorship and the impact and dangers to a country and its people.
In an easy and accessibly way the text and creation by Equipo Plantel – Equipo meaning ‘team’ in Spanish – explains what happens to a country when one person makes all the rules and why it is extremely important that new generations of children learn what it means to lose freedom and democracy. This Book Island edition has a new translation in English by Lawrence Schimel with stunning artwork by Mikel Casal that stands out immediately for its retro style illustrations, strong mixture of vibrant colours and clever composition of the subject.
One of the most striking and beautiful non-fiction picture books published in the UK in recent years, This is a Dictatorship will surely be a contestant for some of the most prestigious children literary awards in this country, having already won a prize in 2015 at the International Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
At the end of the book there is a quiz with four questions and multiple-choice answers, as well as a page with further information about ‘Dictatorships Then and Now’ which is somewhat sobering when it tells readers that in 1977 when the book was created “there were around 40 countries in the world that were considered to be dictatorships. Today, in 2021, according to various sources, there are 36”. The end papers depict colourful portraits of twenty-four international dictators, from Joseph Stalin to Teodoro Obiang.