Cléo now knows that she is half human, half fantastic: she is a magical being known as ‘cuca’. With the help of Tom, the curupira, and Pingo, the mapinguari, she is learning to use her powers in an increasingly controlled way, but someone unexpected appears in Cléo’s life and asks the little cuca for help in saving the porpoises that live in the forest rivers. Her friends worry: can mermaids really be reliable? Read it and discover the powers of Brazil’s cutest little cuca in this new adventure, ‘Cléo and the mermaids’!
YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW THAT… The story takes on characters from Brazilian folklore in an illustrated story full of adventure and humor, which dialogues with contemporary children and reveals feelings and conflicts that are part of the growth and development of children and young people. There is a worldwide movement in children’s literature to revive and give new meaning to characters from local folklore and culture, to stimulate the necessary cultural appropriation by children and young people. This book is part of this movement in Brazil.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT… This book is friendly to readers with dyslexia, as the font used is Open Dyslexic, making reading more enjoyable for everyone.
WHY READ IT? This is an illustrated book that promotes the discovery of oneself and others, social interaction, respect for nature, and attitudes of cooperation and solidarity, as well as valuing Brazilian folklore.
THEMES: picture book, Brazilian folklore, saci-pererê, mermaids, Brazilian legends, environment.
Mengenai Pengarang
SAULO RIBAS is a scriptwriter, art director, and author of illustrated books for children and young people. He has worked for important Brazilian magazines as a designer and was one of the creators of Mundo do Sítio, the digital platform about the characters of Sítio do Pica Pau Amarelo, based on the work of Monteiro Lobato – the most renowned author of Brazilian children’s literature. He currently works on audiovisual documentaries, recording the lives and work of different professionals.
The series ‘Cléo and her friends’, published by Pangolin Books, is the result of Saulo’s desire to present children with a fun book featuring characters from Brazilian folklore in a contemporary story full of adventure. His work with children’s books is recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and his books have already been distributed to schools all over the country.
Saulo received the Nature Inside seal for his concern for bringing children closer to nature through children’s literature, promoting environmental education full of meaning from an early age.
Find out more about his work at: https://www.instagram.com/sauloribas/
XAVIER BARTABURU is a journalist, photographer, musician, composer, and conductor. He researches and disseminates Brazilian art and culture and has published dozens of books on the subject. In addition, with the musical group Nhambuzin, he conducts musical research into popular rhythms from all over the country. As an author of children’s books, he always exalts the characteristics of Brazil in his works: the landscapes, the fauna, the flora, and the Brazilian people. He is one of the best-selling authors in the country with his works that revive Brazilian folklore.
For Pangolin Books, he has published ‘Cléo and the mapinguari’, ‘Cléo and the mermaids’ and ‘Animals from here’. Xavier was awarded the Nature Inside seal for his concern for bringing children closer to nature through children’s literature, promoting a fully-designated environmental education from an early age.
Find out more about his work at: https://www.instagram.com/xavierbartaburu/