Outside in World | Browse Books

Use our Book Finder to search for books by Title (or part of the title), Author, ISBN, Age Range, Keyword, or Continent/Country. Then simply click the magnifying glass to start your search.

If a title starts with 'The', leave this out as this is added to the end of the title in brackets. funny pictures funny images funny photos really funny pictures

‘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)

Please email us to sign up to our Newsletter

Balam & Lluvia's House by Julio Serrano Echeverria

Title: Balam & Lluvia's House

Author: Julio Serrano Echeverria

Translator: Lawrence Schimel

Illustrator: Yolanda Mosquera

Publisher: The Emma Press

Date Published: 2023

Format: Paperback

Genre: Poetry

Book Category: Picture Book

Age Range: 6-8

Original Title: First published in Spanish as Balam, Lluvia y la casa, Amanuense,srl, Uruguay, 2018

Country of Origin: Guatemala

Balam & Lluvia's House

by Julio Serrano Echeverria
Age Range: 6-8

Balam & Lluvia’s House is a picture book of poetry that evolves around brother and sister, Balam and Lluvia and their daily lives in their house. Balam is the Mayan word for jaguar, while Lluvia in Spanish means ‘rain’. The first two poems introduce the two siblings “Balam is my brother, but he could be a cat” Lluvia tells us because he climbs on everything – in trees and on tables. Balam describes Lluvia as always walking barefoot through the house and garden – “her small footsteps sound like someone letting little pebbles drop.”

The following poems take the reader on a wonderful journey inside the world of Balam and Lluvia opening up their garden and house. In The Garden Lawn Lluvia catches some fireflies placing them inside a jar and when their lights finally go out, she reflects on the unnatural environment she has kept them in realising that they need to be free. The Patio explores the senses as Lluvia’s mamma shows her the herbs growing in the garden with the beautiful intense smell of basil, laurel and rosemary.

This stunning collection of 16 truly captivating and engaging poems by acclaimed Guatemalan author, poet, playwright and filmmaker Julio Serrano Echeverría, who is of mixed African and Mayan descent, lyrically meander through the house and garden as they follow Balam and Lluvia. Exquisitely translated into English by Lawrence Schimel the words flow seamlessly taking you back to your own childhood and reminding you of your first experiences with nature; the first storm, an encounter with rain and the smells of plants.

Some poems are reflective while others convey the beauty that is all around us and there is humour too. In The Patio Gutter, the sibling’s father attempts to clear a blocked gutter after heavy rainfall and in the process gets drenched. Finding a tennis ball to be the cause of the problem, he is enraged when the children deny having anything to do with it! The Corners of the Table, has Lluvia chasing a white rabbit and banging her forehead on the corner of the table. A few days later when she is asked how she got the scar on her head she replies “It’s just where one day a flower will sprout.”

A deliberate choice has been made to keep some words in the original Spanish such as ‘abuelo’ (grandfather), ‘abuela’ (grandmother) and ‘ratón Pérez’ (tooth fairy) which helps to keep its connection to its origins.

Spanish illustrator Yolanda Mosquera's artwork is sublime; the portrayal of the characters is full of expression and the use of a soft pastel palette of colours perfectly conveys the mood of each poem – in The Room’s Window, grey and soft green is used to depict Balam when he feels dizzy, while in The Garden Lawn the many shades of green evoke nature. At times the clever visual narrative extends and enhances the words, for example in The Kitchen Wall Abuela is seen blowing up balloons which is not mentioned in the text.

Echeverría’s authentic voice opens the door to his Guatemalan roots and culture and is a breath of fresh air, especially from a part of the world where there is little representation in children’s literature in translation. The power of poetry is that it’s accessible to everyone, even to those reluctant readers who may feel daunted by reading an entire book. Balam & Lluvia’s House is a superb collection of poems that can be read from beginning to end, but also a book that can be dipped in and out of.

At the back of the book, there is the contents page, a diagram of the house and biographies for the author, translator and illustrator.

The Emma Press is an independent publishing house specialising in poetry and Balam & Lluvia’s House is a perfect example of the success of a contemporary international collaboration. The author is from Guatemala, Amanuense, the publisher of the original Spanish edition first established in Guatemala, is now based in Uruguay, the illustrator is from Spain and the translator was born in the USA but lives in Spain.

Balam & Lluvia’s House won the English PEN Translate Awards in 2022.

You can also listen to the webinar recording of - Balam and Lluvia’s House: Translating Poetry for Children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAnuw8qOKTo&ab_channel=CentreforBookCulturesandPublishing