Mejor Manolo

Humor, wit, tenderness and a universal empathy in the return of the famed character created by Elvira Lindo.

The world has changed a great deal in these ten years. Throughout the pages of this book appear all the characters who have given life to this collection: his mother Cata, his father Manolo, grandpa Nicolas, his younger brother, known as “Bozo” and dethroned by the new sister, Miss Asunción, Paquita Medina, Susana, Big Ears, and Ozzy.

A book for those who grew up reading the serial; a book for new readers; a book for all audiences.

He has been silent for ten years, to the amazement of his family and millions of followers. During this past decade Elvira Lindo has been bombarded with questions regarding the fate and future of the ever so popular Manolito Four-Eyes, that insolent plump kid from Madrid’s Carabanchel neighborhood, who has brought so much joy to readers around the world, moviegoers and, of course, to its author. A decade after his penultimate intrigue, Elvira Lindo decides to rescue her creation from limbo, but with no add-ons or subtractions. Goodbye to Manolitos glasses, who simply becomes Manolo. He is a preadolescent as cheeky as ever, who will make readers crack up with laughter but much more aware of the economic problems his family, the Garcia Moreno’s, face, always short of money, but who now suffer the harshness of the crisis.

Once again the illustrations are by Emilio Urberuaga, National Prize for Illustration, as Elvira Lindo herself, who won the National Children’s Literature Prize, and who has sharpened his pencils. The fact is that as of January 2013, the seven volumes will be reedited, with a renewed design and new illustrations.

A CLASSIC OF SPANISH CHILDREN LITERATURE

Manolito was born way before the book, as a radio character. Her creator wanted all of her readers “to identify with a powerless hero, who isn’t either the smartest or the strongest, but is a great talker, has a wonderful sense of humor and is eager to discover the worldwide world.” Manolito has been the main character in seven books, which have been translated into a number of languages and sold in the millions on all five continents. Suggested reading in Spanish high schools, his popularity was such that his adventures were made into a film, a television series and even a theatre production.