READ & REVIEWED: Gustavo Roldán’s picture books in Chinese + Giveaway

Here are 6 Chinese picture books translated from the works of award-winning Argentinian author and illustrator Gustavo Roldán, known for his whimsical art and playful storytelling.

This lovely set of 6 Chinese picture books consist of:

G 先生 – Señor G decides to plant a seed in his desert town in this story about defying the odds.

小蚂蚁胡安 - A tale about an ant who dreams big through storytelling.

刺猬 - A hedgehog determined to get apples from a tree comes up with creative ways to do so.

鳄鱼河 - A man arrives at a river inhabited by crocodiles, claiming he’s bought it and demands the crocodiles vacate immediately.

怪物鉴定手册 – A playful guide on how to spot a monster.

怪物躲避手册 – A funny survival guide on how to hide from monsters.

I love the whimsical illustrations of Roldan, which complement his stories that come with deeper meanings. The philosophical undertones of a few of the stories, however, can be a tad vague and might not be easy for younger readers to appreciate. E.g 鳄鱼河 depicts calm resistance and how some things in life cannot be bought. Of course, they can be read as simple stories though personally, I prefer clearer takeaways for kids when it comes to picture books.

As such, I feel these might be better suited for primary school children, who could read them with their parents so they can discuss their finer details and meanings, while appreciating the beautiful illustrations.

Thank you @shiawasebooks for sending over this gorgeous set of books. This can be purchased from Shiawasebooks.com who has also generously sponsored a set for giveaway. Do hop over to my Instagram page to join in the giveaway fun😉

Disclaimer: The books were provided by Shiawase Books for our review. As always, all opinions are ours.

©Vivian Teo. All content and photos are copyrighted to Vivian Teo unless otherwise specified.