DISCUSSION GUIDES: For the Main Discussion Guide to the book, click here (courtesy of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers). For an Additional Discussion Guide (with ideas/activities not present in the Main Guide), click here.
HOW TO REQUEST A COPY FOR YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY: click here
⭐ A White Ravens 2023 book (awarded to the original Brazilian Portuguese edition)
⭐ A 2025 USBBY Outstanding International Book
⭐ A 2025 Bologna Ragazzi (BRAW) Amazing Bookshelf – Sustainability selection
⭐ A Best Book of 2024 in the USA, China, Japan, and Greece!
AVAILABLE AT: Barnes and Noble, Eerdmans, Bookshop, Amazon US, Amazon UK
Release: March 5, 2024 / IS BN: 9780802856258
Illustrator: Anna Forlati
Designer: Daniel Cabral
Read UNESCO’s official announcement about the book on their website (EN, ES, FR, PT, AR, IT)
I have been around for a very long time. Longer than toys, dogs, or anyone you know. I am everywhere. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I AM?
⭐ A White Ravens 2023 selection by the International Youth Library, in Munich (Germany)
⭐ Selected for the 2024 Original Art Exhibit by the American Society of Illustrators (SOI)
⭐ Selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picture Book Showcase 4
⭐ Selected for the Bologna Book Fair 2023 special exhibition Beauty and the World: The New Nonfiction Picture Book
TRANSLATION RIGHTS SOLD (editions already published or on pre-order are clickable)
English (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers), French (Les 400 Coups), Spanish (La Maleta Ediciones), Italian (Terre di Mezzo), German, Chinese Simplified (Everafter Books), Korean (Hanbit Media), Arabic (Kalimat), Brazilian Portuguese (Editorial Abacatte), European Portuguese (Penguin Random House), Turkish (Yapi Kredi Yayinlari), Japanese (Nishimura Shoten), Slovenian (Malinc), Greek (Epomenos Stathmos), Marathi (Jyotsna Prakashan), Basque (La Maleta), Galician (La Maleta), Catalan (La Maleta), Asturian (La Maleta), Farsi (TUTI Books), Spanish/Mapuzungun (Planeta Sostenible), Spanish/Hñähñü (Secretaría de Cultura del Estado de Querétaro), Mauritian Creole (Editions Vizavi), Hawaiian, Bambara, Soninké, Wolof, Pulaar, Esperanto, Itza’, Mopan, Ch’orti’, Uspanteko, Kaqchikel, Q’eqchi’, Russian, Belarusian, and Nepali.
* If you are a publisher interested in licensing rights to this book, please get in touch with my foreign rights agent by clicking here.
REVIEWS:
"Will make readers wonder more with every turn of a page...illustrations are beautifully rendered...the profundity of the topic of language itself hits its mark. A beautiful addition to all libraries." — School Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)
“Lovely . . . satisfying . . . appealing.” – Booklist
“ Striking . . . artful and attractive.” –Kirkus Reviews
“ Thought-provoking . . . engaging . . . Forlati’s digital illustrations represent both literal and figurative interpretations of the text and beg to be re-examined by the reader . . .[a] fine book.” – Horn Book
"Filled with mystery, suspense and intriguing facts, Santos writes one of the most remarkable picture books of all time for students ages first through fifth grade.”— Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database
“[An] intriguing, captivating masterpiece . . . an important book in every regard.”— Kendal Rautzhan, “Books to Borrow, Books to Buy”