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WORK TITLE: The Very Hungry Plant
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NATIONALITY: Brazilian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 341
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PERSONAL
Born December 3, 1980, in São Paulo, Brazil; married; children: a son.
EDUCATION:Earned degree in fine arts and graphic design.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Visual artist and author and illustrator of children’s books.
AWARDS:Best Picture Book of 2011 and Best Children’s Book of 2012, both Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil and Brazilian Juvenil; Jabuti Award (Brazil), 2014, for Bárbaro.
WRITINGS
Author and/or illustrator of more than forty other children’s books published in Brazil, Italy, France, Mexico, and South Korea.
SIDELIGHTS
Brazilian artist Renato Moriconi is the author and/or illustrator of more than forty children’s books published in Brazil, Italy, France, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States. Among his self-illustrated titles is Bárbaro, which won the 2014 Brazilian Jabuti Award for Best Children’s Illustrations and was translated in English as The Little Barbarian.
In an interview on the Eerdlings blog, Moriconi remarked on his goals as an author/illustrator: “I create books to share my emotions, my way of thinking, but that doesn’t mean I want to teach something. I just want to say and show my inner thoughts. Sometimes the story, the characters, take the control of the content and fight against my opinion. … Art is something that goes beyond my opinion.”
The Little Barbarian, a wordless picture book, features a small Viking warrior with shield, sword, and helmet. He mounts his black horse to face a flotilla of dangers, including a leap over a canyon, defending himself from incoming arrows, avoiding lightning strikes and a number of other challenges all depicted in two-page spreads. The action continues to the final spread when the black horse suddenly goes still and the “warrior” is taken off the carousel horse by a pair of giant arms.
Booklist contributor Julia Smith praised this “epic journey of wild imagination,” further noting that “Moriconi’s clever book plays upon the immersive nature of imagination.” Similarly, a Kirkus Reviews critic commented: “The final spread is funny and enlightening. Inspired pictures will, in turn, inspire wide-eyed conversations.” Horn Book reviewer Sarah Ellis also had a high assessment, observing: “Deep transparent watercolors, masterful use of white space to build suspense, and a satisfying surprise add up to a stunningly original picture book.” Likewise, a Publishers Weekly writer concluded: “Moriconi’s simple, even wise, adventure salutes the power of a child’s imagination.”
Moriconi’s 2021 self-illustrated title, The Very Hungry Plant, opens on a beautiful sunny day with a little plant sprouting. And now the little plant is very hungry, but it gets no satisfaction from the sun because, as it soon is revealed in further panels, this little plant is carnivorous. A passing caterpillar is gulped down, but this does not satisfy the very hungry plant, and soon it consumes some insects and a spider, but still it is hungry. The plant grows and as it grows in size it also grows in hunger, consuming gecko, then a rabbit, and even a gymnast. Soon the menu becomes even more fantastic, as the hungry plant dines on a flying mammoth, a group of witches, and a dragon. After chomping on a choir of angels, the plant takes a rest, but with the turning of the page, the plant itself becomes someone else’s dinner, as young readers discover a huge and very hungry plant-eating dinosaur. A Kirkus Reviews contributor termed this picture book “both a kid-pleasing snack and a philosophical amuse-bouche.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer also had praise, noting that the plant’s various food choices are so “wonderfully daft” and that Moriconi’s paintings are “so droll that there’s no time to be frightened en route to a punch line.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, August 1, 2018, Julia Smith, review of The Little Barbarian, p. 76.
Horn Book, November-December, 2018, Sarah Ellis, review of The Little Barbarian, p. 66.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2018, review of The Little Barbarian; July 1, 2021, review of The Very Hungry Plant.
Publishers Weekly, November 27, 2018, review of The Little Barbarian, p. 23; May 24, 2021, review of The Very Hungry Plant, p. 81.
ONLINE
Debbie Bibo Agency, https://www.debbiebiboagency.com/ (November 11, 2021), author profile.
Eerdlings Blog, https://eerdlings.com/ (August 24, 2021), “Interview with Children’s Book Author and Illustrator Renato Moriconi.”
Renato Moriconi website, http://moriconi.com.br (November 1, 2021).*
Brazilian artist Renato Moriconi was born in São Paulo in 1980. He’s illustrated more than 50 books which have been published in Brazil, Mexico, the United States, France, Italy, and Korea. He’s won numerous awards including Best Illustrated Book in 2011 and Best Children’s Book in 2012 from the Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil. In 2014, Il Barbaro (The Little Barbarian) won the Brazilian Jabuti Award for Best Children’s Illustrations.
Unlike the little boy in Barbaro, he no longer rides on merry-go-rounds (his wife tells him that he's too big). He plans on moving to Asgard to become a barbarian so he can fight monsters and other dangerous creatures with his own beautiful shield and sword.
QUOTE: "I create books to share my emotions, my way of thinking, but that doesn’t mean I want to teach something. I just want to say and show my inner thoughts. Sometimes the story, the characters, take the control of the content and fight against my opinion. ... Art is something that goes beyond my opinion."
Interview with Children’s Book Author and Illustrator Renato Moriconi
Date: 2021
Author: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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We had the opportunity to interview Renato Moriconi, a Brazilian writer and visual artist. He has had more than forty books for children published in a number of countries throughout the world, including Brazil, France, Mexico, and South Korea. The Little Barbarian (Eerdmans), his North American debut, received multiple starred reviews and was named one of the Boston Globe‘s best children’s books of 2018.
What made you decide to become a children’s book author?
The field of contemporary children’s books is a border territory where there is a mixture of languages, a place open to experimentations. It has a fluid identity. It is literature and visual art at the same time. That is what attracted me to the field in the first place.
Who or what has been a major influence on your writing style?
Angela Lago, Gianni Rodari, Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein, Edward Lear, and Lewis Carroll, to mention a few.
Which children’s book most inspired you as a child?
Like many others of my generation in Brazil, I was raised under the influence of Monteiro Lobato’s writings. I still remember a nightmare that I had when I was 5 or 6, with Cuca, an evil character from Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, Lobato’s best known novel series.
Where do the ideas for your books come from?
I have no idea. The world is full of stories. Sometimes they jump into my brain.
Which five words best describe The Very Hungry Plant?
Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense and irony.
The Very Hungry Plant, written and illustrated by Renato Moriconi
Can you share a highlight from the book that you like the most?
If I do that, I would reveal the end of it. The surprise ending—and its contradiction—is what I like the most. This whole story was created around that.
Where do you find your inspiration for new stories and characters?
As I said before, I believe that the world is full of ideas. Sometimes it’s something I hear, sometimes something I see on the street or in my apartment (even a fly on the wall can be a good story). Sometimes I find inspiration in books, movies, paintings… Inspiration is everywhere.
Why is The Very Hungry Plant a great addition to a child’s home library?
Because it is very good to have a carnivorous plant at home: it brings you luck.
If not an author, what would you have been?
I would have been a priest of an isolated gothic chapel with no members and where no one visits.
Why do you believe reading is vital for children?
I would say it is vital for everyone, and that includes children. It is vital even for babies. I’ve been reading to my son since he was born. I wanted to have a connection with him like my wife had when she breastfed him. Even knowing that it would be impossible, I knew that I established a kind of communication similar to the one my wife had with him. The books became a bridge between our worlds, our common language. It was very clear to me when, after reading the same book over and over again, he started to make the sound of some words of that book. It was our first dialogue.
What do you hope kids learn from The Very Hungry Plant?
I don’t want to teach anything. I create books to share my emotions, my way of thinking, but that doesn’t mean I want to teach something. I just want to say and show my inner thoughts. Sometimes the story, the characters, take the control of the content and fight against my opinion. Art, literature, doesn’t need to be restricted to the author’s ideas. It has to be open to the characters’ voices. I am used to listen to my characters’ opinions while I’m writing or painting a book. Sometimes I don’t agree with them, sometimes I want to change them, but I never take them for granted. Art is something that goes beyond my opinion. It is a vivid form of communication.
Can you tell us one thing people may not know about you?
I was a very hungry kid—now I’m a very hungry adult—and, one day, in the shower, the white bar soap looked so delicious to me, irresistible. It looked like coconut pudding, so I took a bite of it.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Don’t eat bar soap.
QUOTE: "epic journey of wild imagination,
"Moriconi's clever book plays upon the immersive nature of imagination."
The Little Barbarian.
By Renato Moriconi. Illus. by the author.
Aug. 2018. 48p. Eerdmans, $17.99 (9780802855091). PreS-Gr. 1.
An epic journey of wild imagination unfurls in Brazilian author-illustrator Moriconi's wordless picture book. Against a white background, a small Viking warrior runs--sword out, shield up, helmet on, locks flowing--toward his waiting ink-black steed. Instantly, dramatic action begins. Using minimalistic watercolor illustrations, Moriconi presents a series of two-page spreads, showing his stoic, horse-riding barbarian leaping across a gaping canyon, fending off a volley of arrows, soaring over a pit of snakes, dashing beneath bolts of lightning--and that's a mere fraction of the obstacles awaiting him. The book's tall, narrow trim-size emphasizes the warrior's vertical movement on the page, battling one enemy at the top of one spread and unflappably deflecting attack on the bottom of the next. This up-and-down motion takes on new significance at the story's end, when his horse grows still and a now-wailing warrior is plucked from the back of a carousel horse. Moriconi's clever book plays upon the immersive nature of imagination, showing how completely it can transform simple activities into the most incredible adventures.--Julia Smith
Moriconi, Renato THE LITTLE BARBARIAN Eerdmans (Children's Fiction) $17.00 8, 21 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5509-1
Smith, Julia. "The Little Barbarian." Booklist, vol. 114, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2018, p. 76. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A550613331/LitRC?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=f9b1aebf. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.
QUOTE: "The final spread is funny and enlightening. Inspired pictures will, in turn, inspire wide-eyed conversations."
THE LITTLE BARBARIAN."
This wordless picture book uses watercolor to show a helmet-clad, sword-bearing horseman moving miraculously unscathed above, below, and past all manner of scary situations.
Stark white pages--sized 12 inches tall and fewer than 6 inches in width--are the perfect backdrop for this simple story and its humorous punchline. The first double-page spread shows the Little Barbarian running from left to right across the bottom of the pages toward a docile-appearing, saddled steed. Next he's mounted, and the pair fearlessly leaps across two pages of jagged, brownish cliffs bookending a deep, bottomless ravine. They continue to move, always left to right, effortlessly through rains of arrows, above licks of flame, and past vividly painted creatures of sea and air, some mythologically inspired. Children will be delighted at Little Barbarian's continued calm expression, even when he and his trusty horse are gliding above a group of spear-wielding cyclops. The art contains plentiful negative space around the well-crafted threats, allowing viewers to giggle nervously but not worry about any real danger. When all the frightening situations have disappeared, the rider, who has beige skin and brown hair, looks concerned for the first time. He is crying by the time he is approached by an enormous pair of light brown arms extended below a benevolent, bearded face. Is God intervening? The final spread is funny and enlightening.
Inspired pictures will, in turn, inspire wide-eyed conversations. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Moriconi, Renato: THE LITTLE BARBARIAN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A546323364/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ed99e8d7. Accessed 15 Oct. 2021.
QUOTE: "Deep transparent watercolors, masterful use of white space to build suspense, and a satisfying surprise add up to a stunningly original picture book."
The Little Barbarian
by Renato Moriconi; illus. by the author
Preschool Eerdmans 48 pp.
8/18 978-0-8028-5509-1 $17.00
The little barbarian strides in, page left. Armed with sword and shield, he mounts his handsome black steed and proceeds through a malevolent world. Spread after spread, he gallops over and under hazards and monsters--a deep crevasse, a pit of vipers, a gang of one-eyed warriors brandishing spears, flying imps with pitchforks, a lake of fire. There are no battles; no engagement. The barbarian is unscathed, implacable, dignified, eyes closed, jaw fixed. But when, at last, he finds himself alone on an empty white page he opens his eyes and begins to cry. A giant, bearded god reaches down from above. On the final spread we see a distraught little boy and his father walking away from a merry-go-round, leaving a black carousel horse behind. Brazilian artist Moriconi makes the most of the wordless format, leaving plenty of room for interpretation. Most obviously the little barbarian's distress is caused by the end of the ride, but we wonder why he kept his eyes closed the whole time. Perhaps the experience was too scary, especially if you're good at imagining fantastical creatures. Moriconi also makes creative use of an unusual trim size. On the tall, skinny page we see our hero's position--top, bottom, top, bottom, echoing the rhythm of a carousel horse. Deep transparent watercolors, masterful use of white space to build suspense, and a satisfying surprise add up to a stunningly original picture book.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Ellis, Sarah. "The Little Barbarian." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 94, no. 6, Nov.-Dec. 2018, pp. 66+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A560014842/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c9e26f34. Accessed 15 Oct. 2021.
QUOTE: "Moriconi's simple, even wise, adventure salutes the power of a child's imagination."
The Little Barbarian
Renato Moriconi. Eerdmans, $17 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8028-5509-1
The little barbarian of the title runs across the bottom of the page, helmet on, shield and sword at the ready. His black horse awaits him. A page turn, and the barbarian is off: he's up at the top of the page, leaping across a gaping chasm! A turn later, he's at the bottom of the page, attacked by a flock of murderous birds! Then, top, leaping across a nest of vipers; then, bottom, under a tain of arrows. Loosely stroked watercolors by Brazilian artist Moriconi give impish humor to the nightmarish dangers the little barbarian faces, while the visual up-and-down rhythm hints at what's to come. When the barbarian's secret is revealed, readers will want to return to his adventures for another look. The wordless pages, tall and narrow, provide dramatic white backdrops for the action. And Moriconi's simple, even wise, adventure salutes the power of a child's imagination, which unspools endless visions of danger, courage, desperate rescue, and victory. Ages 4-8.
"The Little Barbarian." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 49, 27 Nov. 2018, p. 23. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A564607180/LitRC?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=3ffdc98b. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.
QUOTE: "wonderfully daft” “so droll that there's no time to be frightened en route to a punch line."
The Very Hungry Plant
Renato Moriconi. Eerdmans, $17.99 (52p) ISBN 978-0-8028-5576-3
Though this picture book romp starts with a friendly poke at Eric Carle's hungry caterpillar, it soon powers beyond that into a fast-moving riot of imaginative fun. Moriconi (The Little Barbarian) paints an Audrey II-esque carnivorous plant, its upward-facing mouth lined with fine red teeth. The bright rays of the sun above it do not satisfy its hunger, "because it was a carnivorous plant." A page turn shows a familiar-looking caterpillar suspended just above the figure's open jaws (the actual act of consumption is not pictured), a meal that also fails to sate it. Hand-brushed, bold black text on the verso gives a thump of emphasis to every munch as the plant dispatches small animals, a gymnast and an acrobat, a parachutist... and keeps on going. "The plant grew, and so did its hunger," Moriconi intones after each meal. The artist keeps the spreads spare and simple, the better to enjoy the book's resolute, bloody-minded hero. The menu is so wonderfully daft and Moriconi's paintings are so droll that there's no time to be frightened en route to a punch line that's as brutally funny as it is unexpected. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"The Very Hungry Plant." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 21, 24 May 2021, p. 81. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A663666141/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9b4c3553. Accessed 15 Oct. 2021.
QUOTE: "[b]oth a kid-pleasing snack and a philosophical amuse-bouche."
Moriconi, Renato THE VERY HUNGRY PLANT Eerdmans (Children's None) $17.99 8, 17 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5576-3
A plant satisfies its hunger with increasingly outlandish meals, until denouement by herbivore.
Moriconi’s text begins with a faintly scientific fact: Sunlight cannot satisfy this carnivorous sprout’s hunger. “That’s why it ate a caterpillar that was passing by.” The plant’s gaping, V-shaped, red-toothed mouth and impending prey suspended in midair above form the visual template for the recto illustrations throughout. After a couple of insects and a spider, the plant consumes a gecko, a rabbit, and a gymnast, growing larger and leafier with each meal. Moriconi’s obvious nod to the amusing dietary choices of Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar ratchets to absurdist heights as the plant eats a flying mammoth, a “bunch of witches,” and a dragon. Understandably sated after ingesting “an angel choir,” its 14th meal, the plant, faux biblically, “stopped eating and rested.” A page devoid of the outsized, hand-lettered text faces the corpulent plant beneath a new, enveloping presence. A page flip reveals the devouring, green-eyed, orange head of “a hungry, herbivorous dinosaur.” Inspired by a friend—a vegetarian restaurateur whose yawn swallowed a fly—Moriconi’s allegory playfully skewers (among other pedantry) children’s literature’s hagiographic tendencies.
Both a kid-pleasing snack and a philosophical amuse-bouche. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Moriconi, Renato: THE VERY HUNGRY PLANT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667042249/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b8762775. Accessed 15 Oct. 2021.