That Morning - Toño Malpica

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AUTHOR: Toño Malpica

ILLUSTRATOR: Luis San Vicente
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
RATING: 4.25 stars.

A lovely story about the repercussions of conflicts and the power of forgiveness.

This story was first published as ‘Esa mañana’ in Spanish in 2016. This is the English translation.

Mangrufo and Leuklaya are upset in their respective houses. They can’t concentrate on their books nor toys. Even their respective pets can’t make them feel better. The reason is clear: both had a fight the previous day and now both feel guilty and lonely. However, they don’t know what to do. How to take the first step towards a reunion?

The narration comes from the perspectives of both Mangrufo and Leuklaya. We never get to see who was right and who was at fault. Both made mistakes, and both feel guilty. I simply loved this angle. Often, fights in picture books are portrayed as just one-sided with a single guilty party, but in reality, arguments between kids (especially siblings or best friends) are more complex.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about the resolution of the conflict, which is almost instantaneous. There is no verbal or written apology, nor is there any clarification. The two characters just bond over what to do next and reunite. While this sometimes happens in real life too, suppressed arguments can turn out to be more harmful in the long run, and clearing the air is always recommended. That said, the point could also be that a merely uttered ‘sorry’ isn’t as important as a genuine heartfelt attempt to forgive, forget, and move on.

What elevates the book to greater heights are the magnificent illustrations that are ‘out of this world’ in more ways than you would guess. I simply loved the minor detailing such as the quirky art deco pieces in both their houses and the shading style of the natural scenes. I am also impressed at that clever cover art that doesn’t reveal anything about our two main characters. There is a subtle monster theme in the story and it creates a nice play between the characters and their feelings. This story-within-a-story twist is simply brilliant, though I wonder how many kids will understand this layering.

The official target age group is the Pre-K-3 segment. The text is quite minimal, not more than a line per page. The vocabulary level is also quite simple. This makes it a wonderful book for younger kids as well.

Overall, this is a great book that stresses on the unseen side of an argument – its effect on your feelings and how moving on can make the world bright again. Definitely recommended.

My thanks to Windmill Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “That Morning”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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