Murdo

Murdo is a yeti and lives amongst the pages of this book published by L’Ippocampo Ragazzi. Murdo does not exist, yet it has won the Andersen Prize for “Best book for children aged 6-9 years”. It's trapped in a story, its own story, which comes to life only when someone reads it. This, however, is not enough for Murdo, who starts dreaming about leaving the book and experiencing all it ever dreamed of, and – as it often happens to those who are stuck in one place – decides to have some fun by creating fantastic, bizarre associations. Thus, it's not unusual to encounter magic umbrellas, worlds upside down, planets hidden under an orange peel or jungles so small that they can be held in the palm of our hand. But its dreams are limited, or rather, numbered (from 1 to 59) and they progressively build up a veritable catalogue brimming with invention and creativity. Thanks to Alex Cousseau's simple yet refined language, perfectly counterpointed by Éva Offredo's illustrations, the book has been awarded “for its playful yet poetic language, which finds, within a short text and the illustrations' limited colour palette, the chance to open up endless imaginative spaces. A book where what is absurd and charming, humorous and surprising, meet: an open work that invites readers to continue the journey.” Murdo by Alex Cousseau, illustrated by Éva Offredo and translated by Simone Barillari L’ippocampo Ragazzi, 2021