MADAM HORTENSIA

Hortensia is content with her perfectly ordered life.

Daisies grow in a straight line; paintings hang at the correct height. Her alarm clock rings at exactly the same time each morning, and she eats the same carefully measured breakfast. The dog, aptly named Starchy, is walked for the same duration and distance daily. Same bus, same seat, same number of birds fed at the park, same radio program at the same time, and bedtime at exactly the right moment. She has no desire for anything to change. But one morning her alarm clock rings 14 minutes late and sets off a series of considerably disturbing changes. She eats a quick breakfast and finds it delicious. Starchy makes a friend on his shorter walk. She misses her bus, rents a bike, and enjoys the ride. She finds herself noticing and loving the beauty around her and opening her heart to change and joy. Losing nothing in translation, the text in this Spanish import maintains a stiffness of language that perfectly reflects Hortensia’s rigidity, with later syntax becoming more expansive as she opens up to new experiences. Cerro illustrates her world with intense color, and his portraits of her undergo subtle changes. The glasses are still perched at the edge of her nose, but she moves a bit more easily; her expressions soften, and her lips curve in the slightest of smiles as she now sees a world that features infinite possibilities.

A thoughtful, insightful character study that gently urges young readers to choose joy.