Once upon a time by Guridi translated by Alayne Pullen

 

Publisher blurb: "Bard has a unique ability! He tells the most incredible stories to the people in his village. But what would happen if one day he stopped speaking? What would life be like without stories?"

Early in his life Bard shows his love of words and eventually his ability as a storyteller. People in the village gift him words such as PLATYPUS and KALEIDOSCOPE. 

"They gave him hundreds and thousands of synonyms and millions and billions of adjectives. Bard would transform their words into stories taht carried them all away to extraordinary places."

I wonder why they gave the word 'platypus'? I did check and this is the word they use. Here it is in Spanish: Ornitorrinco

But one day Bard stops talking. He doesn't just stop telling his story he stops speaking. We never find out why. Now there is silence. There are three double pages with the word silence which shows just how profound this must feel to the village. People in the village try to work out why this is happened. It leads to a huge, loud discussion but one person stays silent - thoughtful - Ballad, the musician. The people try dressing in fancy costumes hoping this might inspire Bard. They try giving him words but the words match their mood - dull, boredom, sadness - and so are not at all helpful. 

Then Ballad has an idea. "He began playing the strings of his cello with his bow softly and sweetly."

Bard hears the sounds and utters his first word - end. Luckily it is not the end. More words come.

"The whole village drew nearer crowding round and jostling together to listen to him, because in fact the 'End' was actually just the beginning of a brand new story."

The end papers of this book contain some delightful words: people, trace, imagine, strings, music, beginning, blue, line, smile, sound, knot, silence, end. A class could use these words or simply the word 'end' to compose their own stories either written or oral. Of course you will also want to talk about the concept of a Bard and the significance of the name Ballad.

Once upon a time was first published in Spain with the title Érase. The word Érase actually means "once upon a time." You could use this book as a discussion starter with older students about the power of words, the issues surrounding silence, the importance of story as a way to build community and even the politics of silencing any one who is outspoken. Here is an interview with Raúl Guridi.

Here is a quote from Guridi:

"Storytellers are creators who search between the lines, who interpret images, who endow books with soul and life to "dazzle" listeners, to transport them to amazing worlds and remove them from their lives for a moment. For me they are essential in this society full of lies and empty words ”.

He explains the illustrations this way:

“In Érase there were three fundamental premises: blue as the base color, a Portuguese blue, a symbol of struggle, which transmits strength and calm. With pencil and ink mainly. A composition using the voids as an object of reflection. And a slow process of searching for expressions with the minimum, giving the same prominence to the text (the word) and the image ”.

Here is a review comment:

Understated, yet dazzlingly refreshing, it's a hugely original children's story that shows the value of having friends who will do anything to help out, even in the trickiest situations. Read it Daddy

Discussion points you could use with a class:

• Think about the title. When have you read the words "once upon a time". Why do you think Guridi used these words for his title?
• We think of "once upon a time" as the beginning of a written story. Bard is an oral storyteller - what does this mean? Should someone be writing his stories down? Talk about the citizens of the town and ways that could be used to encourage them to tell their own stories.
• How will things change in this community now that Bard can tell his stories again. Do you think Bard will explain his period of silence - why or why not?
• The silence in this story is very important. When is silence a good thing? When is it a bad thing?

Here are some other books illustrated by Guridi