Fireflies

by Roberto Aliaga, Miguel Ángel Díez (Illustrator)

In the blink of an eye, the fireflies are forced to leave their field. Without a home, without food, and without a future, the fireflies made a decision. They packed their bags, and for the first time ever in the history of their species, they set off in search of the light at the end of the way. They all left together. Grandparents, children, parents ... entire families fly together and undertake the journey guided by that sparkling light that shines beyond. But it’s a difficult journey, full of seemingly impossible obstacles, which only the love that binds the family together can overcome. This emotional tale of feelings and identity leads us through the darkness into the light of a better future. De la noche a la mañana, las luciérnagas se ven obligadas a dejar su hogar. Sin hogar, sin alimento y sin futuro, las luciérnagas toman una decisión: hacer las maletas y, por primera vez en la historia de su especie, dejando atrás hogares y recuerdos, partir todas juntas en busca de una luz al final del camino. Ancianos, niños, padres… familias enteras vuelan juntas y emprenden la travesía guiadas por aquella luz resplandeciente que brilla más allá. Pero el viaje no es fácil, y pronto comenzarán a surgir obstáculos, aparentemente insalvables, que solo el amor de la familia es capaz de resolver. Una emotiva historia sobre identidad y sentimientos que nos conduce a través de la oscuridad hacia la búsqueda de esa luz, de un futuro mejor.

Genres: Picture Books

28 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Roberto Aliaga nació en Argamasilla de Alba (Ciudad Real) en 1976, pero desde 1994 reside en Alicante. Es licenciado en biología (1999), tiene publicadas más de 60 obras infantiles y sus libros se han traducido a 16 idiomas. También ha trabajado en adaptaciones de obras extranjeras, colabora habitualmente con editoriales de educación infantil y primaria, participa en seminarios y conferencias y, desde 2009 que se dedica en exclusiva a la literatura infantil, viene realizando numerosos encuentros con sus lectores en colegios y bibliotecas.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about refugee fireflies. Forced out of their home, they pack up and move on, following the light as they look for a new place to live. With a gentle repeating narrative, each member of the family realizes they have forgotten something, only to be told by the next-oldest person that what they've lost can be found at their destination. Eventually, though, Grandma wants to give up out of sheer exhaustion. Will little Luke be able to save her and keep the family intact?

The overall premise is interesting. It's clearly a metaphor for the refugee crisis. Using fireflies being pushed out of their park by development is an interesting twist. The illustrations are rather cute.

It is a bit sad to see the fireflies urging each other on with promises of what's to come "at the end of the way" when you realize that each light is something mundane and not very appealing (like the lamp over a Dumpster or the lights of a gas station). The family does eventually find what they were looking for, but the ending is kind of abrupt. So abrupt, in fact, that I almost wondered if the book was missing a page or two.

It's a sweet story about family and hope, and although I wish the ending had been fleshed out a little more, the repetition in the narrative and the pretty pictures make this a fairly strong picture book.

Quotable moment:

[Skylis]

a sweet story about refugee fireflies that centers the importance of family and relying on the ones you love for support. not sure what age this is for, since the story is so short, but the language and illustrations are too advanced for toddlers. probably good for story time literacy learning in kindergarten? and introducing the topic of refugees with a social-emotional learning focus. execution could have been better, but this was solid

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

What even is this book?

[Megan Wagner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand...