Once Upon a Time

by Raúl Nieto Guridi

Ever since he was a little boy, Bard had a unique ability to turn words and sentences into amazing stories. These stories captivated everyone in his village. But one day, Bard suddenly stops speaking . . . Will the villagers be able to solve the problem? Will Bard ever tell his wonderful stories again? Find out in this beautiful story of friendship that reveals the magic of storytelling.
 

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

42 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Raúl Nieto Guridi has created many books for children, including The King of Nothing (New York Review Books), A Drop of the Sea (Kids Can), and The Day I Became a Bird (Kids Can). His works have been selected for special mention for the Bologna Ragazzi Award and for inclusion in the USBBY Outstanding International Books list. It's So Difficult was shaped by Guridi's experiences with students as a secondary school teacher. He lives in Spain.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bard was born loving words and stories, and he grew up to be his village's storyteller. But when he unexpectedly fell silent one day, he caused consternation in his entire community. As the villagers attempted to figure out why he was now silent, and what they could do about it, Ballad, the local musician, set out to inspire his fellow artist to attempt to communicate again...

Originally published in Spain as Érase, Once Upon a Time is the first book I have read that is both written and illustrated by Guridi (full name: Raúl Nieto Guridi), although I have previously enjoyed books that he illustrated. I appreciated the narrative here more than I enjoyed it, finding the ideas implicit in the story - the way that creativity and communication can dry up, only to be inspired again by another form of artistic expression - quite appealing. The illustrations are quite interesting, often quite minimal, with adept use of line and blank space. I particularly appreciated the use of different designs, in Guridi's depiction of the houses. Recommended to fans of the artist's work, and to anyone looking for picture-books that explore issues of creativity, storytelling, and artistic expression.

[Fromwordstoworlds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bard, as his name suggested, was a man that loved words from the very beginning. He lived in a village where people appreciated his talent to play with words and transform “the most ordinary situations into unforgettable stories”. They often went to see Bard, give him words, hoping he would turn their dull life into something new and exciting.

"They gave him the strangest words they could think of such as ‘PLATYPUS’ and ‘KALEIDOSCOPE’. They gave him hundreds and thousands of synonyms and millions and billions of adjectives. Bard would transform their words into stories that carried them all away to extraordinary places."

Once Upon a Time is a book that speaks about people’s need to listen to stories and to have their own stories told. Therefore words become an essential tool to stimulate their imagination and to keep it awake. Human beings are a species that uses words for emotional and intellectual development. Bard becomes a tool and a symbol; he is the definition of a good storyteller, an advocate for the importance of linguistic value in people’s lives, a promoter of the formative role of words for children’s and grown ups’s becoming.

But one day, out of the blue, Bard stopped speaking. His silence brought utter confusion in the small community.

"Some thought it was the end of the world."

All the villagers were concerned about their poet’s condition, feeling they were about to lose a mentor and an entertainer.

See full review on blog:
https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.c...

[Laura Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read about a boy who loves to tell stories until one day when he stops speaking and it is up to the people in the village to help him to speak and tell his stories again.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations of the houses are lovely.

[Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

De un cuentacuentos

[Norshakila Makmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful book about how when one story ends, another begins.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, but it was a little bit hard to understand in some parts. it was good, but not my most favourite book.

[Alejandro Alvarez · Rating 2 out of 5]

2☆/5☆

"Cuando Érase nació, las palabras sonrieron."