Author: Diego Arboleda
Illustrations: Raúl Sagospe
Genre: Children’s Fiction, 7 + years
Publisher: Anaya, 216 páginas
Reader: Lise Jones
‘M’ lives in a kingdom of metal and pipes, where even the grass is grey. One day, a meteorite falls into his garden, and he has to use all his ingenuity in order to keep a small piece for of it for himself. This charming, witty and inventive story is intriguing from the start, the plot twists and turns like the system of pipes that our indomitable little hero must navigate to reach his goal, and the bizarre cast of characters he meets on his journey are often not what they seem.
Our hero M is both intelligent and stubborn: as his mother observes, he is the kind of child whom teachers love to hate. To evade the clutches of the sinister Royal Advisor Carpio, M must escape into the system of pipes. Here he meets a group of renegade repairmen and travels through the pipes to the palace, where he plans to speak to King ‘Flaco’ in person about his meteorite. Along the way he encounters the ferocious Royal Guard, a mob of mad scientists, pompous palace courtiers and an eccentric astrologer. He also learns that the meteorite comes from a planet far, far away, where the grass grows green.
As with all the best children’s books, Mil Millones de Tuberías works on various levels, like the subterranean system of pipes which underpins the imaginary kingdom. Writer Diego Arboleda and illustrator Raúl Sagospe lead us through a maze of a tale, as intricate and convoluted as the complex and multifaceted world they have created. Rather than merely complementing the narrative, Sagospe’s illustrations are an integral part of the story, often moving the plot forward. The black ink and blue wash drawings expressively depict the industrial landscape, giving form to Arboleda’s descriptions and helping to fuel our imaginations. The characters are both amusing and revealing of human nature, and the story is full of interesting little touches to entertain children, as well as satire and dry humour to intrigue the adults. This is an original and inventive tale which has wide appeal and would be an excellent prospect for translation.