Everything Under The Sun: A Different Kind Of Interactive Book

Friday, May 15, 2015

A Different Kind Of Interactive Book

The pre-published book already in the hands of children.

Everyone knows that most books are made from paper and that paper comes from trees. The process is not as simple as that; chemicals are usually added; there are different types of paper; and paper can even come from recycled paper. But you get the idea.

Introducing a small publishing company in Buenos Aires, Argentina, PEQUENO EDITOR. The company works with illustrators and writers to produce a small selection of children's books in Spanish. As experience has sometimes shown, small companies can be big innovators.

Anne Decis, an experienced French illustrator, and Gustis, one of Argentina's best-known illustrators, collaborated in this project. For the resulting book, "Mi Papa Estuvo en la Salva", or "My Dad Was In The Jungle", Gustis told the story, based on his experiences in the jungle, while Anne did the illustrations. The story is told from a child's point of view and takes children on a reality-based trip through the Ecuadorian jungle.

So, what is unique about this book? First, it was made with biodegradable ink, printed on recycled paper, which is itself environmentally friendly. PAPELERA PALERMO, also based in Argentina, provided the special paper for the project. You see, what is really special about the book is that native tree seeds have been embedded in the paper. Then the pages of the book are bound together with a hand-stitched binding.

But that's not the only thing. The book is interactive in an ecologically friendly way. Once the child has finished however many readings of the book he/she desires, that book can be planted in the ground to grow a tree. And that becomes it's own story and learning experience.

When the seed book is planted and nourished properly, the circle of life gets completed. The child sees the beginning of a book, any book, as the seed grows into a seedling, and as the child grows and ages, the seedling becomes a tree, the very beginning of the process to become a book, filled with ideas. What could be more reality-based than a real-life experience? No, the book is not yet for sale, even in Argentina, but the project is coming closer to that eventuality. Even when it goes on the market, it will only be available in Argentina, and then as this little publishing company grows, like a tree, it can become available in other parts of the world. And that's the circle of life, too.